Evening star., 1939-10-02
Germany Is Believed
Facing Military
EncircIement
StoIin Has Cut OFF Reich
From Rumuniun Frontier,
Soys Observer
By COL. FREDERICK PALMER.

BY COL. FREDERICK PALMER.
A publicly voiceless factor per-
vades the puzzling secret talks
which are proceeding among the
allied and enemy and potential
enemy or potential friendly ma
tions. It is still more mighty in
the councils of London, Paris and
Berlin as craftsmanship faces the
most critical period since the last
days of August, when Adolf Hitler
made his decision to attack Poland
and Britain and France declared
war on Germany as a consequence.
That factor is the view Of at
least eight millions of soldiers now
massed on the western front as
Hitler and the British and French
cabinets turn from the changed
map Of Eastern Europe, where the
price in blood has already been
written, to the unchanged map of
Western Europe, on which may
be written the vast red swath Of
the cost in blood of long war.
For guidance in their decision they
have the total of 100000 French
dead, 100000 British dead and
2.5O0,000 German dead on all fronts
in the World War.
Encirclement Accomplished.
Hitler may be most strident in
his threats before the Reichstag, in
his not too pleasant or too culti-
waited German, against the allies.
He may purr most ingratiatingly
to hold his friendship with Josef
Stain But he is in the grip of
the hard military and geographic
facts that, as result of his con-
quest of Poland, the encirclement Of
Germany in Eastern Europe, which
Anglo-French diplomacy failed to
accomplish, has been accomplished
by Stain, who has a large part Of
Poland to boot.
While the British and French
could bring no armed force to bear
for this purpose, Stain, with his
army on the spot, has stiffened the
spirit of the Slav brothers and other
little nations of the Balkans, and
also Turkey. He has cut Germany
off from the frontier of Rumania
as the gateway to the Ukraine.
The reports of a German plan to
drive against the flank of the
French Army through Holland and
Belgium call for more attention.
What chance would it have of sue
cess?
Long Preparations.
Armies are not mobilized and pre-
pared in a day for such great at
tacks. With every detail ready to
be pulled out of the staff pigeon
holes and all transport provided for,
it took 81 days for the German
Army to mobilize for the drive
through Belgium in 1914. In trained
numbers it outnumbered the pres
ent Germany Army. which has had
only four years of trained classes
OF reserves, and is outnumbered by
the French, which has a full list
Of trained classes of reserves.
Against a German drive now. the
Belgians, without the aid Of the
sturdy Dutch soldiers, will certain
ly be capable Of more delaying ac-
ton than in 1914. Once the Ger
mans have concentrated for this
drive, even before it begins, they
will have shown their hand to the
French. Then the French can safe
ly hold their Maginot fortress wall,
and they will have the interior
line for rapid movement OF their
reserves in cooperation with the
British Army in France.
They will strike in front and in
flank against the Germans and fight
as they fought in the race to the sea
In 1914 to hold the Channel ports.
The Germans will not be between
two fires, but they will be between
the allied attack and the sea coast.
Mud and Winter Cruel Pair.
If they can prepare in a month
for such drive through Belgium,
they will be attacking into the win
ter. Generals Mud and Winter are
q cruel pair to meet. The Germans
began their drive through Belgium in
1914 in August, with confidence that
the Kaiser would be in Paris long
before Christmas. Later German
drives on the western front began
as winter was breaking. A drive
through Belgium seems to have little
chance of success.
Berlin precedes any Hitler threat
In the Reichstag speech by announc-
Ing that hereafter German subma-
rines will attack armed merchant
men without warning as ships of war.
Thereby Hitler makes virtue of his