Evening star., 1939-09-25
French Attack in Haardt Ranqe:
Guns Pound Main Siegfried Forts;
Zep Plant Is Reported Bombed
All West Front
Is Alive With
Heavy Fire
~ the Associated Press.

0y the Associated Press.
PARIS, Sept. 25.-French troops
struck at German positions in the
Haardt Mountains today under
cover of heavy fire by artillery which
French dispatches said was bonn
harding main Notifications of Ger
many's Siegfried line. The entire
western front sprang to life.
Military advices said shells
screamed across the Rhine for the
first time since the first two days
Of the war. The Siegfried and Mag
mot lines are separated only by the
river along the southern half OF
the German-French frontier
French troops were hitting at
Haardt Mountain road which winds
through some of the most rugged
terrain of the western front. A
continuation of the VoSges range,
the Haardts cover a 20-mile sector
between the German town of Pr
masens and French Wissembo lrg.
Apparently the French believed
they had found weak spot in Ger
many's Notifications where they
had depended on rugged county as
q protection.
Direct Bombardment of Line.
Military dispatches from the
western front reported that French
artillery had begun direct bonn
bardment of the main Notifications
of the Siegfried Line.
Heavy French batteries, the dis
patches said. were dropping large
caliber shells on the West Wall case
mates in an effort to blast German
defenders from their positions in
the heavily fortified zone.
German guns replied to the bonn
bardment, it was said, but the
French declared the Nazi artillery
was :siling to make direct hits on
advanced French positions.
Most OF the artillery action was
reported centered south of the Ger
man town of Saarbruecken and
along the Lauter River, where the
Maginot and Siegfried lines are
closest.
Sunday Night Quiet.
Dispatches said Sunday night was
comparatively quiet along the entire
front as the Germans failed to re-
new assaults they have been launch
ing during the last few days with
small bodies of troops between the
Rhine and Moselle Rivers.
Earlier, the French, taking ad-
vantage of a lull in German thrusts.
It was said, assumed the initiative
at several points to consolidate po-
sitions. and thwart Nazi preparations
for new attacks.
French dispatches said the action
extended from the Warndt Forest on
the west to the Bienwald Forest in
the east, and that fighting occurred
near the German cities of Saar-
bruecken. Zwiebruecken, Pirmasens
and Bergzaberg.
Reconnaissance flights we're car
fied out with success" the French
reported.
A morning communique reported
"local Improvement" in French posi-
tions. German artillery was said to
have been active in the area south
east Of ZWeibruecken.
Secret of Attacks Sought.
The French attacking units, in
formed quarters said, were seeking
to learn the secret behind the re-
cent numerous German assaults on
advance positions.
There was some speculation
whether the Nazis were putting on
q show for the benefit of Fuehrer
Hitler, who French sources reported
on the front, or whether the Ger
mans were masking hurried troop
displacements and new Notifications
ahead of the French forces.
The French said they had IAN
initiated" several German units
which yesterday attempted to dis
lodge troops from dominating hill
top nests In the Saar, Blies and
Lauter River regions.
Dispatches reported the Germans
were massing warplanes at stra-
tegic frontier points as far south as
the Swiss border, indicating great |
aerial operations were likely soon
to overshadow the fortress war
fare" on land.
Patience Urged on Public.
Meantime, French military writer's
asked the public to 'be patient" be-
cause no general offensive had been
opened on the western front. Many
observers believed French tactics
had been designed to lure the Ger
mans into an offensive.
Some French sources asserted the |
German Army was not as powerful
as the military machine the Kaiser
launched against France in 1914,
either in numbers or fighting ability.
They conceded. however, the Ger
man equipment was excellent and
that there seemed to be plenty of it
available.
At the same time the French ex-
pressed satisfaction with their famed
75-millimeter field guns, which play
ed such an important part in the
World War and which they have
been employing effectively to cover