Evening star., 1939-09-27
Portion Of 5iegfried
Line Is Reported
Wiped Out
French and Germans
Wueine Intensive
Artillery Bottle
By the Associated Press.


Artillery Bottle
By the Associated Press.
PARIS, Sept. 27-French artillery
was reported today to have wiped
out portions of the German Siegfried
line between MerZig and Saar-
bruecken as the entire western
front blazed with heavy cannonad-
ing.
Dispatches said the Germans had
answered the bombardment with an
intense counter-fire on French ad-
vance positions in the Saar and
Palatinate areas to protect Nazi
troops working feverishly to rebuild
shattered blockhouses.
A communique issued this morn
ing by the general staff made no
reference to this reported success
and said the night had been calm"
The communique made mention,
however, of enemy artillery fire
on our rear lines in the region of
Wissembourg.
The Merzig- g-Saarbruecken sector
extends along a 25-mile front at
the northern end of the French
German frontier, where, French
sources said. there were 30 to 40
German pill boxes to the square
mile. French military men were
said to have long held the belief
that these works were constructed
too huriedly to stand up under heavy
bombardment.
French Air Force Factor.
Reports from the front said the
French air force was proving a
large foctor in enabling the ar
tillery to score direct hits on the
German fortified line. French in
fantry activity, these reports de-
clared, was confined to patrol skir-
mishes.
Long-range German guns were
reported to have dropped several
shells" on unidentified villages which
previously had gone untouched. The
artillery action, the French said,
could be characterized as a duel"
They declared they had been un-
able to verify reports of the bomb
ing of the German airplane works
at Friederichshaven early in the
week, but revised upward their esti-
mates of the number of German
planes shot down during an air
battle over the western front Mon
day. New information, they said,
showed almost certainly" that four
German planes were brought down.
French losses were still estimated
at two planes.
German Troops Massing.
German troops, meanwhile, were
said to be massing behind the lines
as fast as they could be transferred
from the Polish front.
The French professed to see Ger
man uneasiness regarding the east
ern front in reports that Fuhrer
Hitler had ordered his army high
command to speed mopping-up op-
erations IN Poland. At the same
time, the French apparently were
concerned lest Germany strike
through neutral Belgium, the Meth
erlands or Switzerland.
The French asserted the war was
"robbed" of the possibility of sur
prise because only three courses
were open to the Germans:
An attempted crossing of the
Rhine.
An attack through neutral
countries.
A counter blockade effort,
which, the French said, also
would necessitate invasion of
neutral lowland countries on the
north to seize French channel
ports.
The French argued the first course
would be practically impossible in
the face of heavy Maginot Line guns
sweeping the Rhine. They said the
general staff was ready to meet any
threat through neutral countries
with fast tanks and mobile units OF
combined French-British forces.
Reich and Russia Watched.
On the diplomatic front, France
and Britain kept close watch on
negotiations between Germany and
Soviet Russia.
French observers characterized
Germany as the weak sister" in the
present Nazi-Soviet setup" because
of pressure being eXerted on Ger
many in the west by France and
Britain.
Commentators asked how Ger
many could reconcile her Soviet re-
lations with her pan-Germanic
policy in the Baltic, where, the
French apparently believed, Russia
intends to dictate policy from
now on.
They also asked the same ques-
tons with reference to the Balkans,
since Russian forces now are de-
ployed along the Hungarian and
Rumanian frontiers and are in posi-
ton to block possible German am
bitions there. AS for RuSsiaS in
tentions in the Balkans, the French
indicated they were looking to Tur-
key to restrain the Soviet.
Blum DiSagreeS on Reds.
In France only one person publicly
expressed disagreement with the
governments decision yesterday to
dissolve the French Communist
party.
Former Premier Leon Blum de-
clared that while a majority of the
Socialists agreed with the move, he
personally believed the Communists
would have died quicker death
without government decree.
Violation of the dissolution decree
Is punishable by Jail terms of one
to five years and fines of 100 to
5000 francs (about $22O to $11O.
In Paris, Police Chief Roger
Langeron dispatched special squads
of detectives to inform Communists
and allied organizations of the gov
eminent decree to close party Offices
and to seize literature.
German Attack Reported
In Wissembourg Area