Evening star., 1939-09-13
Suicide Corps
Seeks to Sever
Communications
Nv LLOYD LEHRBAS,


suicide corps" dropping silently
from the skies by parachute, is
making desperate efforts over a
widespread territory to expedite
the Nazi advance across Poland, it
was reported here today.
Poles reported that several of the
Germans, after being captured, re-
vealed they had been assigned to
discover the locations of Polish
headquarters, air ports, war supplies,
factories and warehouses, and to cut
communication lines ahead Of the
advancing German columns.
The number captured indicated
the Germans were introducing the
technique on a wholesale basis far
exceeding similar experimental
efforts in the World War. In each
instance Polish soldiers and peasants
rushed to seize the parachute
jumper.
Confirmation of the parachute de-
scents and the capture of the Ger
mans was given by several foreign
ers.
Watch for Parachutists Urged.
The Warsaw radio broadcast a
warning that scores of men were
believed to have been dropped with
parachutes and instructed towns
people and peasants to keep the
closest watch, especially at night.
It asked that every effort be
made to capture the men alive and
to detain all suspicious characters
since, it said, some of those dropped
wore Polish uniforms and others
were disguised as Polish peasants.
In addition to operating alone. it
was reported the parachute jumpers
carried instructions to cooperate
with the pro-Nazi German minority
in Poland. Many Of these still are
undiscovered, it was said, and are
aiding the invaders secretly, as the
fifth column" did in Spain.
One misjudged his jump outside
Warsaw, it was reported, and landed
in one of the main streets, where
he almost was mobbed before police
rescued him and turned him over
to the military authorities.
Another, coming down outside
Warsaw, was declared to have pulled
out a revolver and killed himself
while he still was angling over q
squad of Polish soldiers rushing to
surround his landing spot. Still an
other was said to have landed and
been captured in a garden near
the temporary American Embassy
at Naleczow.
While driving from Warsaw tc
the Rumanian border. the writer
heard of four others who, it was
alleged, had been captured neal
various Polish villages. but it was
impossible to confirm this.
Report Germans Repulsed.
German armies attacking War.
saw were reported by Poles to hav.
been hurled back miles in actor
which definitely put the invader.
ION the rum"
The defenders of the Polish capi.
tai, an official broadcast from War.
saw declared, were manning new
defense positions with fresh vigol
wherever the Germans had beer
ousted.
Official Polish broadcasts said tn.
defenders stand, based on lines Sc
up along the east bank of thu
Vistula, was aided by:
/. The withdrawal of nine Ger
man divisions from the lines be-
fore Warsaw to other sections of
the front.
2. The arrival of thousands of
| young volunteers, more than
could be accepted into the army,
from among the civilians pouring
back into the city.
g. The news of reinforcements
en- route from the southeast
through the gap between the jaws
with which the Germans are try
ing to encircle the CITY,.
Polish Staff Capt. Vaclav Lipinski
speaking from Warsaw, indicated tn,
Polish forces all along the line wer,
prepared to make unified stand.
Ready for Stationary War.
Asserting that German attempt.
to storm Warsaw with tanks anc
motorized units had failed, Capt
Lipinski said the Poles now were
ready to change mobile war int
a stationary war"
If the Germans bring larger force!
here" he said, I'VE will do likewise
We are accustomed now to air raids
and German bombs are badly
aimed"
Warsaw, under varying degrees O.
bombardment since the German ad.
vance columns reached the outskirt.
of the city last Friday, yesterday hac
what radio reports said amounted
almost to breathing spell.
German bombing planes appeared
over the city only three times; artil.
lery fire continued, but the damage
was comparatively light, and Polisf
military casualties, the radio re-
ported, numbered only l colonel,
other officers and 13 soldiers, al
though the number of wounded wa
considerably larger.
Through the night, until the an
nouncement early this morning tina
the Germans had been thrown back
the Warsaw station came on the al
infrequently with news bulletins. Blu
musically, 1t appeared to be settin
the keynote for the Polish defens
with series of military marches.
An unidentified station, mean
while, reported an actual march Il
(see BUDAPEST, Page A-5o