The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-10-11
BRITAIN BUSHES
 TROOPS TO FRONT
Continued from Page I,

NAtlAldll Sklll anu LudCIllueTy aT6 augmenting military resources" he said. we are determined to per- feet the existing defenses and to supplement them speedily by every means.
 The army had million men to call on, including reservists and mi- litia, at the outbreak of the war, he said.
 Britain will not limit herself, he emphasized, to sending to France only the 32 divisions promised last April in event of war.
 "This will not be the limit of our effort" he said, adding that new equipment, including 16 anti-tank guns per battalion. had greatly in- creased the firing power over the in- fantry of World War days.
 we have fulfilled and more than fulfilled our undertaking, recently given to France, to dispatch to that country in event of war an expedi- tionary force of specified dimension within specified time," the war secretary said.
 "No are She contingents at pres ent across the channel the last that will arrive," said.
 There has not been a single cas- ualty in transporting troops to France, Hore- -Belisha announced.
 Hore-Belisha said that an aver age of three conveys had gone to France every night.
 Transportation Speed
 The speed of transportation was greater than during the World war, he said, when total of 148,00O men were transported to France in the first six weeks.
 Referring to the speed of trans port in the first five weeks of the present war, he said:
 During this period we also creat- ed our base and lines of communi- cation so as to assure a regular flow of supplies and munitions of every kind and receive further contin- gents as and when we may decide to send them"
 In 1914, Hore- Belisha pointed out, only 800 mechanHed vehicles were sent to France.
 we have already on this occa- sion transported to France more than 25,0O0 vehicles, including tanks, Some of them are of enormous dimensions, weighing IS tons or more apiece" he said.
 German Patrols Busy
 Paris, Oct. 11-(UP)-German pa- trols roved the Rhineland front all night, frequently rushing the French lines in quest of prisoners, but all were driven back in hand grenade and hand-to-hand fights, it was re- ported today.
 Two German parties of 150 men each charged French positions in the woods south of Saarbruecken and south of Pirmasens but retired leaving 60 dead and wounded be- hind.
 An authoritative source said the Germans had failed to take a single French prisoner in the past "A hours of sharp engagements. The Ger mans seemed bent on taking prison CTS, presumably so they could be questioned about the strength of the French lines, and the newspaper Petait Parisien said German soldiers had been offered rewards for pris- onerS.
 Maxi Artillery Barages
 German artillery laid down heavy barrages ahead of the patrols and French batteries replied with solid curtains of fire" across no mans land, it was reported.
 These engagements were entirely localized, however, and there had been no mass infantry action.
 German artillery fire again was directed at French artiller yem- placements.
 An unusual number of German reconnaissance airplanes were re- ported active over the French lines. They were on photographic mis- sions. French anti-aircraft guns and pursuit planes were said to have been kept busy all day yesterday driving them away.
 It was the fourth successive day of patrol fighting and intense ar- tillery action on the Saar front.
 Patrols Slowed Down
 The German raiders were using hand grenades freely and the French were replying with the same weapons. The patrols were being slowed down, however, by mud. Rain had fallen for days in the black for est and across lower Alsace. The Rhine was rising and threatening to flood some of the German block houses near the banks, especially across from Strasbourg. There was no danger to the main Siegfried line but many of the newer German blockhouses had been built too close to the river and twice before had been flooded, forcing the Ger mans to move back to higher ground.
 The rise of the Rhine, however, compensated the Germans for loss of the blockhouses. It is an effec- tive obstacle in normal conditions and when flooded its current is so strong that no pontoon bridges will stand in it.
 French newspapers reported that the German radio had urged the people to send coughdrops, lung and rheumatism remedies to the sieg- fried line.
 Nevertheless, the rain and the pock- marks In German hillsides made by French artillery were combining to make German artillery movement more difficult and airplane oper- ations at times impossible.