Evening star., 1940-05-15
Reich Troops, Massed
Al Border, Practice
Bridging the Rhine
20 or rs German Divisions
Believed in Swiss Sector;
Allied ENJOYS Burn Papers
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
BERN, Switzerland, May 15.-
0witzerland's mobilization Is COM
plete and "all the troops occupy the
positions which have been assigned
to them, the Federal Council and
high command announced in q
joint communique today.
The communique follows:
General mobilization has been
completed in the shortest possible
time. All the troops occupy the po-
sitions which have been assigned to
them.
These positions. on all our from
tiers. are held by powerful armed
forces"
This means that the forts on the
italian frontier, which until the re-
cent intensification of the crisis had
only a skeleton guard, are fully
manned.
Total Of 100000.
"Also in the interior of the coun-
try large forces assure the security
Of the country.
"The protection Of the neutrality
and independence of Switzerland
have been assured by the placing Of
. our armed forces in their posts"
The forces referred to include not
: only the army. but anti-aircraft de-
: fense units. These units have been
: turned into "home defense corps
:, in which are enrolled all women
: and men too old or otherwise unfit
for military service, but who can
/. fire a rifle.
: Foreign observers estimate the
3 regular army at 100000 men, the
. home guards at 100000.
< Informed quarters estimated that
: Germany has about 20 or Is divi-
sions in the sector north of the
; border, and that France had ap-
proximately an equal number on her
side of the three-way frontier.
Nazis Practice Bridging Rhine.
Swiss soldiers guarding the north
ern frontiers kept their fingers
literally on their machine-gun trig-
literally on their machine gun trig-
spanning the Rhine River with pom
-. toon bridges.
For the third time in as many
days. Nazi engineers early this morn
ing threw bridge across the Rhine
near the entrance to Lake Con-
stance, where Germany holds mar
row strip of land on the south bank
hemmed in by Swiss territory.
These maneuvers, coupled with
many signs of German troop con-
centrations north of the Swiss bor-
der. strengthened fears here that
Germany might supplement her
drive through Belgium and the
Netherlands by attempting to strike
at France through Switzerland.
Allied Legations Burn Papers.
These fears apparently were
shared by the British and French
Legations at Bern, which were re-
ported to have burned official papers
last night.
Crowds collected outside the
British Legation to watch as men,
bers of the diplomatic staff heaped
documents on a bonfire. The
French were understood to have fol-
lowed the same procedure. Some
employees Of both Legations left
Bern for Genoa yesterday with
other records.
Switzerland, meanwhile, extended
precautionary measures against
fifth column" activities.
In Zurich. Basel, Bern, Lausanne.
Geneva and other cities police en-
forced a federal law requiring all
foreigners to surrender arms in their
possession.
BY midnight last night the police
m Geneva alone had collected rifles
and pistols from about 300 foreign
ers.
Incoming Persons Checked.
Militarized police, wearing steel
helmets and carrying rifles, stood
with soldiers on the outskirts of
Bern checking the papers of all
persons in incoming automobiles.
In Geneva and Zurich police
rounded up foreigners whose papers
were found out of order.
Every bridge within 100 miles of
the frontiers was mined, and we'll
armed troops guarded all radio sta
tons, as well as telegraph and tele-
phone centers.
Throughout all these preparations
The Swiss paid particular care to
avoid any action which might be
construed as unneutral
No orders have yet been issued
for the removal of civilian popula-
lions from towns along the German
border, but officials said that If such
Q step were taken the same pro-
cedure would have to be taken IL,
the regions fronting France.