Evening star., 1939-10-15
Royal Oak Missing List Is 800;
5th Warship Sunk Nazis Claim;
Hitler Move to Front Reported
Reich Army Chief
Also Declared
Shifting West
BY the Associated Press.

PARIS, Oct. 14-Sudden and I'M
explained inactivity on the German
side of the front lines was followed
today by reports from neutral
countries that Adolf Hitler and Col.
Gen. Wilhelm Keitel, Nazi chief of
the high command of the armed
forces were establishing headquar-
ters on the western front.
These advices did not say the
German Fuehrer and Gen. Keitel
were at the front, but that Hitler's
headquarters was being set up at
Aachen, on the Belgian frontier
ard that Gen. Kietel had taken
personal command on the western
front.
Some military experts took these
reports as an indication the long
expected German offensive might
be in preparation.
Activity Near Saarbruecken.
The high command communique
tonight reported the only German
patrol activity was in two sectors
on either side of the heavily fort..
fed German industrial city of Saar-
bruecken.
The communique said these pa
trols south of Zweibruecken in the
sector east of Saarbruecken where
the Saar River cuts into France
had been repulsed as we'll as those
operating west of the river.
The heaviest artillery fire was
reported southwest of Saarbruecken
in the Warndt forest area.
During the afternoon. Premier
Daladier conferred with Gen. Maui
rice Gustave Gamelin, allied COM
mander in chief, at the war ministry.
Air Dominance Claimed.
A semi official French statement
said that allied pursuit planes
clearly dominate" German pursuit
aviation.
The statement said French British
production of war planes was largely
cOunterbalancing' that of Germany,
and that soon they will be producing
three times as many.
The statement added that Ger
many had only limited margin to
expand production as her industrial
mobilization has been completed sew
eral years and the blockade of the
allied fleet will hamper considerably
any new extension"
The French asserted France and
Britain will be able to build "five
times as many planes as in peace
time production.
A supplementary statement pub
lished by the semi Official Havas
News Agency said that the first six
weeks Of the war showed a very
distinct superiority of our pur-
suit ships"
Havas said French reconnaissance
had been superior 70 the Germans,
and that German scouting planes,
properly speaking" could not be
said to have left their bases.
Three Bridges Destroyed.
AS precautionary move. the
French destroyed three of the five
railway bridges over that section of
the Rhine which forms the French
German boundary. particularly. to
guard against surprise German
attack on the southern flank.
The northern flank of the front
between the Moselle and the Rhine
has been suspiciously quiet since
Thursday. 1t was along this sector
that German patrols made sharp
thrusts during the first part of the
week-assaults which the French
said were repulsed.
The French, however, apparently
decided to take no chances that
German activity on the northern
flank might be a feint to distract
their attention from an attack in
the south.
Military dispatches said French
engineers dynamited three bridges
Wednesday after heavy concentra-
tions of German troops were seen
behind the Siegfried Line fortifica-
tions in the Black Forest and near
karlsruhe farther north.
Two Rail Bridges Left.
The only two railway bridges
across this part of the Rhine now
left are those between Strasbourg
and Kehl, which is considered an
outstanding architectural and engi-
neering feat, and one at Huningue
where the French and German
frontier meets at Switzerland.
These bridges cover the two main
lines of penetration for either a
German or French offensive,
should either decide to try and force
Rhine crossing.
Military men said the French ap-
parently decided to destroy the Sec
ondary bridges in order to con-
centrate on protection of the other
two and at the same time preserve
them for a possible offensive of
their own,