Evening star., 1939-10-18
By DEWITT MACKENZIE.
Associated Press Staff Writer

3Ss' 0seAAA
The German advance along a
20-mile front in the Saar region,
and the spectacular if not very de-
structive Nazi bombing raids on the
great British naval base at Scapa
Flow, would seem to emphasize that
Herr Hitler has come to the end of
the passive resistance which he has
been offering the allies in large
measure while he has been dicker-
ing for peace.
However, there were aspects of
yesterdays operations which gives
one to wonder. They were legiti-
mate measures of offensive but both
on land and on sea they lacked the
mighty punch which we have been
led by Berlin to expect.
Then, too, they weren't lacking
those marks of nobless oblige which
have persisted during Herr Hitler's
peace offensive 1t is hard to
escape the impression that the Ger
man attacks were calculated to be
both useful and impressive. with
out arousing an unQuenchable anger
on the allied side.
Peace Efforts May Be Clue.
A Paris dispatch says this morn
ing that the Nazi Fuehrer is far
from finished with his peace efforts.
That may be the answer to our
puzzle.
The German attack in the Saar
was carried out on such large scale
as to permit it to be designated as
an offensive" However, while there
appears to have been a heavy artil-
lery duel. the attack didn't involve
hard infantry fighting. 1t was not
a great battle.
Indeed, according to the accounts
OF both sides, the operation con-
sisted mainly of the German re-
occupation of territory which the
French had seized early in the war.
but recently abandoned.
The French explanation is that
they originally took this area in
order to relieve the Polish armies
indirectly by trying to draw Ger
man troops from the Polish front
to meet the French assault. How
ever, in preparation for the German
offensive, which was foreseen, the
French two weeks ago decided to
fall back to other positions, the Poles
having passed beyond the need of
aid.
It's NO-Man's Land Again.
The German communique in very
quiet terms acknowledges that the
French troops evacuated the great
est part of the German territory
they had hitherto occupied in front
of our Notifications, and retreated
to and across the border" There
was no effort on the Nazi part to
make great victory out of the
movement, or to crow over their
success, despite the undoubted value
of the advance from the propaganda
standpoint
What has happened thus far in
the Saar fighting is that the position
has been restored in large degree to
what it was when the war started
The positions which the French were
occupying on German soil were in
the inhospitable no-man's land be-
tween the German West Wall and
the French Maginot Line. No-man's-
land is itself again.
Beyond this, the movement may
signify preparations on the part of
the Germans for major offensive
in this region. If the Nazis are
contemplating big drive they will
have to get it started soon, for the
winter weather is closing in and
will render military operations ex-
tremely difficult. The present atti-
tude of the allied forces appears
to be defensive-leaving it up to the
Germans.
No Waves of Bambers.
The German air raiads over the
Scapa Flow naval base, in the Ork-
ney Islands just north of Scotland,
were carried out by just few planes
and not by the huge waves of bomb
ers with which the Nazi military
authorities have been threatening
the allies. 1t Would appear that
apart from some damage to the