Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-11-12

city OF Venloo Thursday, raising world
vide speculation as to the imminent in
volvement of Holland in the war, is
exactly the sort of affair the prospect
OF which has been nightmare to the
governments of Belgium and the Neither
lands for the past two months.
Holland especially, maintaining an
open border with the Reich, has FORE
seen that the greatest likelihood of war
with Germany lay in series of just such
border clashes, occurring either spon-
taneously or by deliberate German in
stigatlon, and has taken extreme pre-
cautions to prevent any of her own
people from losing their tempers.
The military authorities have recog-
nized all along that a tipsy soldier at a
border post might cause irreparable
damage. All Germans have been treated
with deliberately exaggerated courtesy
to avoid any grounds for atrocity stories,
although Nazi Americans did their best
to make major atrocities out of mild
seprimands by traffic policemen.
Fear 'IllogicaW Violation.
Up to the present, the populations of
Holland and Belgium have had the COM
Tort OF cold logic. They would be let
alone because an offensive would be
costly and probably futile. something to
be attempted only as last resort. But
there has been the full realization that
nations at war, especially when directed
by the cratic brain of Hitler, do not
always move logically. So the black
shadow of the German dictator hangs
heavy over the cities and villages.
At no time since the start of the war
has Holland or Belgium had the slightest
Idea Of what might happen tomorrow.
They could only try to avoid incidents,
do everything possible to preserve abso-
lutte neutrality in the face of the pre-
ponderant pro-ally sentiment of the
people, and be ready to make any in
vader-and there never has been any
Idea that an invasion could come any,
where but from the east-pay an ex-
tremely heavy price for going through
their territories.
1t might be possible for the Germans
TO come through. News dispatches for
the first few days will be deceptive, how
ever, and it will seem that Holland is
being rolled up in front of the German
war machine more easily than Poland
But the Germans will only be fighting q
shadow. Any further progress will call
for tremendous sacrifices for a quite
questionable advantage. Such an in
vas1on, in the case of either country, will
not be case of weeks but of months
and, If the defense plans work as we'll as
they are expected to work, it may not be
possible at all. Any nation attacking
either Belgium or Holland will have an
other major war on its hands and must
be prepared to pay the price in money
and blood.
Has Fine Army.
Holland modified during the first
week of the war. Her army of approx
mately 100000 is perhaps the best
equipped and certainly presents the
finest appearance of any force in Eu-
rope. The uniforms are spic and span.
officers and men walk with a proud
swagger, the morale is high, the drilling
nearly perfect Only a crack British or
French regiment presents so fine an
appearance as Dutch regiment picked
at random. The soldiers as individuals
lack the deadly, pathetic seriousness so
obvious on the faces of men in the
armies Of nations actually at war.
It Is an extraordinarily democratic
army. 1t has only a small professional
element. A fine spirit exists between
officers and men. This is even exagger-
ated in the moving pictures of camp life.
They like to portray the captain drinking
his beer with the boys. There is little
gap between Soldier and civilian Scant
secrecy Is maintained about military
movement. One can go almost every
where and see almost everything A
sentry stops one with an apology, talks
freely, and when his own store of in
formation runs out, willingly calls the
"wacht commandant" corresponding to
the officer of the day-who is equally free
with his information.
This does not mean that Dutch SOL
diers are careless with their Informal
ton. 1t might be interpreted as mean
Ing that they have little more common
sense than is to be found in the military
organizations of other European nations
A good many official secrets, of course,
never are violated. One simply does not
ask questions about them.
Shy at RECOMMENDATION.
Holland has had century of peace.
The military tradition has not had the
soil Of war In which to grow up. The
Netherlands is an extremely democratic
country whose citizens do not take easily
TO RECOMMENDATION, military or otherwise.
It Is . land with an extremely high
standard of living and, as a consequence,
military preparations are extraordinarily
expensive-so much so that, added to the
dole and to the slump Of business due
10 the war, the burden of taxation is
making the frugal Dutch groan.
This army has never been tested under
Ore. Neither have the fathers or grand
fathers OF the men now in the ranks,
With the exception of some who may
have served in some minor colonial
skirmishes. Since Napoleon the fiat,
nal-intersected land. Of lush pastures
and fruit Laden orchards has known
none of the terrors of actual war. The
spirit in Holland today is very similar
to that in the United States about the
summer of 1917-with q call to service
taken more or less in the spirit Of high
adventure Somehow ~. other One ran.