Evening star., 1939-09-16
Germans DRIVING
ToCrush Lost
Army Of Poles
BY the Associated Press.

against Kutno in a determined drive
to crush Polish lost army" which
has held out for six days and then
concentrate on Warsaw, so miles
farther east.
Kutno is key to diminishing
circle of territory still held by the
Poles west of Warsaw and buffer
between the beleaguered capital and
the German army to the west.
Importance of the position was
demonstrated by the visit yesterday
of Gen. Walther Won Brauchitsch,
German Army chief of staff, to front
lines there to confer with leaders
and give orders.
The German announcement was
taken to indicate the plan is to de-
stroy the divisions at Kutno quickly,
while closing the ring Of steel tighter
around Warsaw in the hope the
capital may surrender.
The high command also said 5000
prisoners and 1875 cannon had been
captured by the Germans as they
moved into Praga. Warsaw suburb
on the east bank of the Vistula River.
Push to Southeast.
Meanwhile another section of the
Eastern Army was reported pushing
to the southeast with Lwow as its
principal objective Lwow is 225
miles from Warsaw.
The communique said scattered
divisions of the Polish Army were
being swept backward by the Ger
man advance. 1t added that the
Poles still held Lwow and Bilgoraj,
10 miles to the northwest, toward
Warsaw.
AT the same time, the communique
cited successes in drives to the
northeast and southeast. Przemysl,
so miles west of Lwow. and Bialystok,
10 miles northeast of Warsaw, were
reported taken. The communique
said German planes had destroyed
Polish transports east of Warsaw.
On the western front. the high
command announced, activity was
limited to the region around Saar-
bruecken. 1t was admitted that the
city, whose residents have moved,
was under French artillery fire.
There was no elaboration of the
results of the fighting Local ad-
vances by the French were reported
repulsed. The high command de-
scribed the enemy losses as heavy.
Recalled Ribbentrop's Statement.
In Berlin, midday editions of the
German press had banner lines on
the agreement between Russia and
Japan to halt frontier fighting The
stories recalled statement by Ger
man Foreign Minister Joachim Won
Ribbentrop that the non-aggression
pact between Germany and Russia
would lead in turn to an understand
ing between the Soviet government
and Japan.
Dispatches from Moscow while
Voh Ribbentrop was there last
month quoted him as saying:
Il am convinced that this treaty
(the German-Russian pact will
have a favorable effect upon Russo
japanese relations as also upon
German-Japanese friendship"
In government circles it was said
Germany might take part in di-
recting mediation between Russia
and Japan.
Concentrate on Southeast Drive.
German military experts said the
full force which the army coulc
apply to Kutno had not been exert
ed. but the Polish forces-whicf
have been making occasional at
tempts to break out-no longer are
in a position to cause much trouble
Germany's air force and swift
motorized detachmentS, therefore
were concentrating on pushing theil
drive far to the southeast.
Once the Polish troops at Kutnt
are out of the way, there will remain
no opposition between Berlin ane
Warsaw except the snipers who still
are giving the Germans trouble il
hundreds of towns and villages.
At Brest-Litovsk. 100 miles cas-
of Warsaw, where Germany imposed
World War peace on Russia which
was later swept aside by the Yer
sailles Treaty, a swiftly moving Eas
Prussian army was pressing dow1
from the north.
Brest-Litovsk is defended by /.
line of permanent Notifications ant
the Germans face fierce battle TO
its possession. Dispatches from tn
front today, however, said the Eas
Prussian army had taken some o
the outer defenses.
Units Near Stanislawow.
Outside of these operations, tn
Polish campaign appeared to be de
veloping into chase to the south
east, where the Russian and Ru
manian borders come together.
Speedy advance units, whicl
strike swiftly and fall back whel
the need arises, were said to b
nearing Stanislawow, 10 miles south
east of Lwow.
Official Germany meanwhile re
manned almost completely silen
about the war in the west. Tn
average German knew there wa
bitter fighting in Poland and wa
aware of the British blockade in tn
North Sea, but was relatively unin
formed on other phases of the wal
|. There was no hint of activit
along the Siegfried Line, and ther
appears to be a general lack of ami
mostly toward the French.
On Diplomatic Front.
Nevertheless Germany was fight
ing actively in other directions i
this modern war-the diplomatic
economics and propaganda fronts.
In the field of diplomacy informe
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