Evening star., 1939-09-15
French Thrown Back
By German Assault
On New West Sector
Reich Forces Reported
Opening Drive on
Moeinot Line Elbow
Ey the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
BASEL. Switzerland, Sept. Is
Action broke out on a new sector of
the western front today, according
to reports reaching here, when a
fierce German attack in the Mundat
Forest north of Wissembourg flung
4 back French patrols slowly pene-
trating the area.
Wissembourg is just within the
French border, II miles east OF
Lauterbourg, where the French
Maginot line elbows sharply from
! its West-east direction to follow the
Rhine south. 1t is As miles east of
Saarbruecken, goal of the chief
French drive.
The German action apparently
was an effort to prevent a repeti-
ton of the infiltrating process by
which the French gained their foot
hold in the Saar area.
Engage in Open Fighting.
The nature of the Mundat forest
lands on the eastern slopes OF the
Vosges foothills enabled the troops
of both sides, reports indicated, to
engage in comparatively open fight
ing. with guns from the opposing
lines of forts firing over them.
Should the French action in this
sector develop into a full-1edged
driveadespite the present setback, it
was believed the objective would be
Bergzabern. One of the big forts
in the German Siegfried line crowns
big hill in the town, which was
founded by the Romans.
The region around Wissembourg
was the scene of one of the decisive
battles of the Franco-PrusSian war
in 1870. The French lost the bat
tie and were forced back toward
Metz
Both the French and German
troops moving to the attack passed
the graves of their forefathers who
were killed fighting each other 10
years ago.
Mine Fields Destroyed.
The battle at Saarbruecken was
reported to be deadlocked, although
the French, it was said, method
ically were destroying German mine
fields ahead of the French troops
by literally spraying the area with
shells.
In other maneuvers in the Saar
district the French high command
was described as using troops as
sparingly as possible, meanwhile re-
lying on artillery fire to make the
German positions untenable.
Dispatches reaching here said
action in the Moselle River Valley
west of Saarbruecken was confined
to local attacks. IN some of these,
it was reported, Germanys new
type, low-speed tanks, armed with
long -barreled light anti-tank guns,
appeared for the first time in coun-
er-attacks against French tanks.
The Swiss press was aroused by
the fact that pictures of certain of
these German tanks showed them
labeled with white cross, similar
to that which appears on the Swiss
flag, on dark field.
Italian Foods Go to England.
1t was learned that large part
of the food supplies which came
out Of Italy by way of the st.
Gothard Pass were destined for Eng
land via French Channel ports.
Swiss agents of italian shippers
reported that Italian firms already
held so many blocked credits in Ger
many that they preferred to send
foodstuffs to Britain for cash, rather
than take more German coal in ex-
change.
The Swiss have a vital interest in
the economic side of the war. While
they depend for imported foodstuffs
and other supplies on their neigh
bors, the belligerent nations already
are reported complaining that some
shipments sent to Switzerland even
tually find their way across the en-
emy's frontiers.
The Swiss are debating the feasi-
bility of a control board, similar to
the one which operated during the
World War. =