Evening star., 1939-09-27
Soviet Troops Slow
Taking Over Border
As Nazis Retreat
Germans Cross River
From RiddIed Town
Where Bottle Roeed

Where Bottle Roeed
BY MELVIN X. WHITELEATHER,
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent.
NOWOGROD, Poland, Sept. 27.-
German Russian Demarcation
Line) Soviet Russian army troops
last night were from one to two days
behind schedule in their advance to-
ward this northernmost end of the
several hundred mile boundary that
at least temporarily again gives Rus
sia and Germany common frontier.
The Communist forces were due at
the shot-to-pieces town of Nowogrod
at noon today, but none showed up.
The last German troops, except for
an outpost, crossed the improvised
shakey plank bridge across the Ma
rev River, where the Pisa River
flows into it, at 1:45 ANA COM
pany of Germans modern cavalry on
bicycles.
With tanks, armored cars, artil-
lery and infantry divisions they were
returning from Bialystok. They said
they had seen no Russians in Bialy-
stok and the progress of their ad-
vance had not been reported.
The battered German tanks and
armored cars were decorated with
Polish souvenirs, especially Polish
red lion shields taken from post
offices or other public buildings. The
Nazis left behind small outpost of
men to await the Russians.
Wooden Bridges Left Behind.
The troops went to border railway
stations in the East Prussian lake
region where last night the artillery
units entrained for the west.
Pontoon bridges and similar military
equipment were removed but i'm
provised wooden bridges were left
behind for the Red army.
Heavy fighting took place only two
weeks ago all along the northern
front which Poland had fortified
with chains of what the German Off
GERS said were especially-bui and
strategically arranged bunkers The
bunkers were designed to prevent
the Germans from crossing the 100
foot wide Narew River between the
fort of Modlin, north of Warsaw,
and Bialystok.
The German high commands
communicates several times men
toned this fighting at Pultusk,
Lomza and NoWogrod.
One of the most bitter of small
er engagements of the campaign re-
suited when Germans forded their
way between September and Sep
tember 10 across the Narew below
Nowogrod, town of 1000 inhabi-
tants, in the face of terrific fire from
the bunkers. Several hundred men
fell in the crossing. The retirement
across this same river yesterday was
carried on under more agreeable
circumstances.
Careful Data on Defenses Noted.
German officers were swarming
over the Polish strongholds with
pads and pencils and precision in
struments, taking last minute
measurements before the territory
east of the river fell into Russian
AA"AAAo' AAASy "ClC Odl HULK
the sizes of the bunkers' machine
gun turrets and what effect Ger
man artillery fire had on the steel
and concrete defense structures.
The general construction plans were
being checked also. So strong were
the bunkers that only one shell had
completely pierced one bunker in
this region.
Immediately behind the bunkers
lay NoWogrod, now charred mass
of ruins. BY some fluke one house
on the public square stood undam-
aged above the debris. Here and
there sad-looking Poles were piling
up burned timber working, it
seemed, against fate to salvage what
they could of their former homes.
Some had made shacks and were
living in them. Many women stood
about gazing while their children
begged for bread. Their husbands
had gone off to war and had not
returned. Whether the men were
dead or captives, their wives did
not know. The fears of the women
increased each time they passed the
towns edge on their way to the next
village, where they were being shell
tered-for there was large mound
of fresh dirt with a cross and a steel
helmet on top. On the cross was
written:
1.-TWO officers and 27 men"
In a heap nearby were their he'll
NETS, gas masks and other equip
ment.
Poles Ignorant Of Soviet Deal.
These Poles did not know that
once again after 20 years of free
dom they were under Russian rule.
They watched the German troops
retiring along roads back toward
home, but they did not know why.
West of the demarcation line, the
German Fuehrer, Adolf Hitler, is
sending reserve divisions as occupa-
ton troops to replace younger SOL
diers more needed for the western
front.
Complete calm has not been re-
stored because, the Germans re-
ported, of a continuation of snipinp