Evening star., 1939-09-09
Berlin
Continued From First Page)

Armored cars had forced entry OF
the Polish capital But there also
were vague reports of hard fighting
for. possession of the city and con-
fusing broadcasts which indicated
the Germans were in possession of
some Warsaw radio stations, while
Poles still held others.
There was confidence throughout
Germany, nevertheless, the fall Of
Warsaw was inevitable within a
few hours.
With the mighty German army
apparently overrunning Poland,
many Germans expected the eastern
campaign to turn quickly into real
"Blitzkrieg' lightning war; and
reach climax even faster than Nazl
strategists have calculated.
Railhead Called Captured.
Large sections of Poland. it was
acknowledged, still are unoccupied,
but a spearhead was being driven
at Warsaw to effect rapid demoral-
ization and, it possible, swift Polish
surrender.
DNB, official German news agency,
reported German troops had cap
tured Rzeszow and were heading
for Jaroslaw in the north Car
pathian Mountains. Rzesow, the
railhead between Krakow and Lwow
has a population of $4,000.
In the south, a high army COM
mand communique said, the Wisiowa
River was crossed and Dembrica
reached. At Sagmo, it said, a cross
ing of the Dunajec River was forced
and the eastern bank of the Vistula
was reached near Sandomierz.
West Front Events Hidden.
The average German still was in
the dark on what was happening in
the west and there was growing
popular bewilderment on what
turn this war would take next.
There were accounts of a few
British freighters sunk and some
scattering of pamphlets from the
air by the British. But reports of
serious developments in the west
were lacking entirely.
2 Night Air Raid Alarms.
Screaming sirens reused most OF
Berlins 100000 inhabitants from
beds at 3:38 am. (9:38 pm, E. S. T.
last night. A second alarm wa.
sounded less than an hour later.
The city's huge air defense ma.
chinery went into instant action
Thousands of artillerymen manned
anti-aircraft guns and many fight.
ing planes warmed up for take.
offs from dozens of secret hideouts
But no hostile planes appeared ir
the clear, starlit sky and the star.
tied population was notified later by
an "all clear" signal it could &
back to bed.
German military authorities re.
fused to explain the reason for the
alarm and the propaganda ministry
offered no official information.
Claim Planes Repulsed.
DNB, official German news agency
Issued the following statement a
noon 6 am, E. S. TD today, evi
dently in explanation of the ali
raid alarms:
Tonight the approach of enem,
planes from a northwesterly direc
ton was reported over Northwestern
Germany in the coast region. Th'
enemy encountered our anti-alr
craft artillery.
Enemy planes turned of In
southeasterly direction and started
a return fight over the Netherlands
No bombs were dropped.
Along the Netherlands border
German night pursuit planes tool
off to warn of enemy planes. On
English plane crashed. The crev
of five men jumped out with para
chutes and was taken
The communique did not sa
whether the flyers reported captures
were taken by German or Neither
lands forces.
The nation was aroused by report
of massacres-of which it was show
photographs-of German national
in Pomorze (the Polish Corridor
especially in the vicinity OF Byd
goszyz
DNB said most of the reporte
slayings we're committed by sniper'
but it charged the Polish Army wa
involved in some cases. Germa
vengeance was swift in the case G
captured snipers.
Reports from the Eastern from
said bridges over the Vistula Rive
south of Warsaw had been de
stroyed, or so damaged that the re
treat of the Poles was obstructed.