Evening star., 1939-09-12
Wedge Driven in
Sieefried Line,
1t Is Reported
BY the Associated Press.

patches tonight reported that French
guards had driven a wedge into the
advance fortif1cations Of Germany's
Siegfried line east of Saarbruecken
One section of the attacking forces
was asserted to have slightly turn
ed" the defenses of the great indus
trial city.
Artillery pounded German lines
surrounding the city from heights
in the forest of Warndt.
These reports Of French activity
followed the war ministry's commu-
nique for the morning which said
merely that there had been "A calm
night along the entire front"
Saarbruecken was emptied of civil
ians days ago. French military
sources believed the German Army
soon would fall back into defensive
positions behind the industrial
capital.
Reservists in Nazi Line.
The pincer movement against
Saarbruecken and penetration of
formidable advance posts Of the Sieg-
fried Line were accomplished in the
beginning by small sorties of in
fantrymen supported by tank fleets
The German lines were said to be
held by young reservists because
older soldiers were engaged in the
Polish offensive on the other side Of
Germany. However, several divi-
sions were said to be diverted al
ready to the Western Front to meet
the French British threat.
Although less seasoned Nazi troops
were said to hold positions near the
Luxembourg frontier, their positions
were strong because of the nature of
the land.
The French had to make their
precarious way over hilly roads
topped by machine-gun and mortar
nests. They had to encircle their
foe to wipe out threats of cross fire
ahead.
The high command would not
name places involved in this ex-
treme northern flanking movement
in the belief that publication would
endanger progress Of the operations.
The French described their losses
as slight as compared with the ad-
vances achieved. They said some
German prisoners had been taken,
that gas had not been used and that
much of the fighting was under
cover of night.
Major Battle Expected.
Previous fighting on a 100-mile
sector of the western front between
the Moselle and Rhine Rivers
strengthened the impression a
major battle was shaping up-an
engagement which history may re-
cord as the battle of the Saar.
British troops were reported NOV
ing up into position already estab-
ished by the French.
Despite enemy resistance our at
tacks continued to show serious
progress on front of some II miles
east of the Saar," said last night S
war communique.
This was taken to mean the
French were gaining at point some
distance north of the French border
town of Saareguemines in the Ger
man area between the Saar and
Blies Rivers. The Saar runs north
from Sarreguemines through Saar-
bruecken, chief German city in the
rich Saar Basin.
Bitter fighting also was reported
in the area north Of Sierck, further
west where the Saar River shifts
its course northward to parallel the
Moselle River along the frontier of
the neutral principality of Luxem-
bourg. Germans and French fought
hand to hand in that wooded area
between the two rivers.
War Cabinet Forming.
On the home and diplomatic
fronts, Premier Daladier still was
working to fuse war cabinet" for
balanced representation of French
political parties while watching de-
velopments in Rumania and Italy.
Andre Francois-Poncet, Ambas-
sador to Rome, was understood to
have told M. Daladier yesterday
afternoon Italy was observing a
strictly correct" neutral attitude
despite her military alliance with
Germany.
Rumania's week end call to re-
servists, increasing her army to
100000 men, interested the French
because of her status as Poland's
neighbor.
Thousands of men still were flock
ing to the French side for military
service. Stephen Osusky, who was
C7echo- -Slovakia's Minister to Paris,
said he expected $4,000 Czechs to
fight under the Czech flag.
Poles also were enlisting by the
thousands for service on the western
front under French command.
At Lille; Jeane Pouille, fugitive
from the Devils Island penal colony,
appeared to join the French Army.
He had been living in Belgium after
escaping through Brazil and French
Guiana 13 years ago.
Bio French Drive Soon