Evening star., 1940-06-10
Key River Defenses
Against Invaders
Also Heavily Armed
Moeinot Forts She'll
Nuzi Concentration
In Black Forest
n the ArSncintad preSs

Ill SlS$N
BY the Associated Press.
BERN, June 10-SWitzerland was
armed for any eventuality, but
outwardly calm today in the face
of New German troop concentra-
tions along her borders and Allied
expressions of anxiety that a Nazi
invasion may be imminent.
Fresh German reserve divisions
were reported to have slipped into
the Black Forest during the night,
drawing tremendous lombard
ment from the heavy guns of the
French Maginot forts along the
Rhine shortly before dawn.
Residents of Basel were aWak-
ened by the ear-Splitting crash OF
the cannonading and scurried to
vantage points to watch the flashes
of light which famed along the
French German front for miles.
After an hour of shelling, the
German west wall Notifications
opened up in reply just as day
broke. Both sides suddenly ceased
firing 25 minutes later.
German Villages Ablaze.
Three huge fires which continued
to blaze in German villages long
after the firing ended apparently
indicated the French had hit OIL
and gasoline storage tanks in the
Nazi fortified zone.
One fire burned at Haltingen
within a mile of the Swiss frontier,
another at Istein and the third at
the mouth of the Tulingen railway
tunnel. Germans shells apparently
fired some buildings in the French
Alsace village of Burgfelden.
The Swiss estimated the Germans
had approximately 20 divisions con-
centrated in the Black Forest region,
but they showed far less concern
than they had displayed during the
anxious hours which followed the
Nazi invasion of the LoWlands,
May 10.
About 100000 Swiss troops are
standing ready, however, in the
Winkelried Line facing Germany
and in the Alpine passes looking
down on Italy.
Key points in the Swiss defenSeS
are Well-manned in the valley OF
the Aar, which leaves the Rhine
at Koblenz and flows south toward
Geneva. Even more powerful groups
are stationed further south where
the main branches of the Limmatt
and Reuss flow respectively east
and southeast.
Young Germans Recalled.
If the Germans attempt blitz
offensive into Switzerland the Aar
would be the logical pathway for
an eastern counterpart of the
Schleiffen plan-and the Swiss be-
lieve the Aar would be a tough nut
to crack.
Swiss newspapers recorded briefly
that young Germans residing in
Switzerland had been recalled to
their homeland within the last two
Gays Tor mlutarV service.
The fact that members of the large
German colony in Switzerland had
not been called home up to now led
other foreign residents to fear that
the Nazis might be turned into
fifth column
Basel, which most foreign observ-
ers believe would be a battle-ground
If the Germans now in the Black
Forest go into action either in an
attempt to flank the Maginot Line
or join hands with Italy across
Switzerland, showed no signs of
panic.
The city teens with troops, but
the greater part Of the civil popula-
ton took their usual Sunday stroll
yesterday
Geneva Also Calm.
Even the crash of the guns be-
tween the Maginot and Seigfried
Line forts this morning failed to
create great alarm.
We're getting used to it." one
Basel resident explained.
oNiiN'os "AiiSli lASo olllIooI Sul =
rounded by French territory and
would certainly be the first big Swiss
city affected if the Italians moved
north, also appeared calm.
There are no Notifications in
Geneva proper. which lies beneath a
3,000-foot high cliff jutting up on
the French side of the frontier. The
French have a series of modern
forts completely dominating the
Geneva valley.
Evidence that the Swiss are on
the alert for Nazi parachutists was
obtained by a Swiss airplane pilot,
who fell into a tree in Thurgau
Canton yesterday while practicing
parachuting.
He was promptly surrounded by
scores of angry farmers armed with
rifles who threatened to lynch him
before his Swiss dialect convinced
them he was not a German in dis
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