Evening star., 1939-09-12
Germans Open 3-Front Offensive
To Break Resistance Of Poles;
French Threaten Saarbruecken
Foe Surrenderinq
East Of Radon,
Invaders Say
Ry MELVIN X. WHITELEATHER

BY MELVIN N. HEX,
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent
WITH THE GERMAN ARMY
WEST OF WARSAW. Sept. r.
German headquarters announced
that German forces this morning
launched a three-front offensive
which it expected to be the final
push to break Polish resistance.
The fronts were given as east of
Radon, north of Lodz and north
east of Warsaw.
Four Polish divisions fighting in
the Radon sector south of Warsaw
with their backs to the Vistula
River were reported beginning to
surrender. Germans also said a
bitter struggle north of Lodz ap-
peared to be ending, with heavy
Polish losses. On the third front
German troops were reported at the
gates of Warsaw.
Planes Used Effectively.
The Germans, officers asserted,
used the air arm effectively on all
fronts. Bombers again were flying
steadily to and from German bases.
This correspondent observed the
preparations for today's offensive on
the Radon front yesterday after
noon. Heavy reinforcements clogged
all roads leading to the sector.
North of Lodz the German Army
was trying to force the surrender of
what remained of the Polish Army
~f Vr,oSt S0 nm n e0 mn
men. One German division number
ing between 10000 and 10000 men
was battering five or six encircled
Polish divisions.
The battle was in its third day. In
the first "a hours of that struggle
Germans estimated 1000 Poles were
killed and 5000 wounded. And since
that first day the attack has been
even flercer.
Germans COunterattack.
The Polish Army, north of Lodz,
consisting of troops retreating from
Poznan province and the Corridor,
on Sunday staged the first big Of
fensive made by any Polish force SO
far in an attempt to break out and
fall back on Warsaw. They were
halted Sunday night after advanc-
ing several miles. and yesterday
morning German counterattack
was started.
But even if the Polish divisions
should escape their 12-mile-wide
pocket near Lodz, they would
have to encounter another German
Nf nd
between them and the capital. This
line, which received heavy REIN
forcements this morning, extends
south of the city
Warsaw was being threatened
from the northeast by German
army which had crossed the Narew
River in its advance out of East
Prussia
The third German army which
was operating east of Radon was
seeking to tighten it's hold on Lublin,
railway point 100 miles southeast of
Warsaw and approximately 140 miles
east of Lodz. The Germans want
both Lublin and Warsaw to sur
render without siege.
An armored car division which en-
tered Warsaw a few days ago after
driving up from Silesia has with
drawn to the outskirts of the city
and is awaiting the outcome of the
battle near Lodz. This maneuver
was made, the Germans said, to dis
courage the Poles from bombarding
their capital.
Hitler With Army.
I have just completed two DAYS of
roaming about with the first group
of foreign correspondents permitted
at the front by the German high
command.
Feuhrer Hitler, first soldier of
Germany, spent yesterday IN this
region. I followed him for two
hours along one road.
Everywhere l found the Poles had
been fighting harder than I had
imagined from reading the German
army communiques.
Every inch of the Polish retreat,
despite its swiftness, has been con-
tested, but the fighting for the most
part has been individual. No gen.
eral plan seems to have existed. Or,
If it did exist, it was disregarded.
Each time the Poles assembled
and tried to make a stand they
found themselves surrounded. Ger
man officers expressed the opinion
that the Polish general staff had
made big mistake in not with
drawing its troopS=thuS preventing