Evening star., 1941-09-12
Reich, France, Spain
Reported Preparing
West Africa Defense
Belief Thut Britain and
U. 5. May Act TO Seize
Bases Clements Alliance

U. S. Nay Act TO Seize
Bases Clements Alliance
BY the Associated Press.
Germany, France and Spain
have worked out elaborate Joint
plans to defend West Africa, &C
cording to information reaching
the Associated Press in New York
yesterday.
Belief that the United States and
Great Britain some day will try to
seize bases in the strategic French,
Spanish and Portuguese possessions
across the South Atlantic has
brought the three powers into vir-
tual alliance, it is stated.
Three-way staff talks started
months ago are said to have reached
such a point that permanent Joint
staff has been set up at Melilla,
Spanish Morocco.
Steadily German-produced arms
are flowing down to Casablanca in
French Morocco, Villa Cisneros in
Spain's Rio de Orc and Dakar, vital
port in French Senegal.
Ships Garry Submarines.
Ships slipping out of French
Mediterranean ports to scud across
the Mediterranean to Oran go
loaded with coastal and anti-air-
craft guns. searchlight batteries.
mines, knocked-down 80 and 12O ton
submarines and fast torpedo boats.
Such is the outline of the story
brought by Europeans who can cite
adequate if unpublishable sources
for their information.
Britain's and Americas general
staffS already have most of the
story, it is believed Bits and pieces
have been published, but few out
side high official circles know the
extent to which the three powers
have carried their military collabo-
ration.
Germany, 1t is asserted, would like
to extend the South Atlantic line of
| defense to little Portugars Atlantic
possessions-the Azores, Madeira
and Cape Verdes.
/ However, Portugal, careful of her
neutrality, turned down an invita-
tion to participate in joint staff
talks.
June Meeting Held in Melilla.
Those talks, it is learned here,
began in June, OF before. In early
July, Gen. Won Rintelin, Hitler's
African ace; Gen. Nogues, governor
! general of French Morocco, and one
of Spain's generals met at Melilla.
Out of that meeting grew the per-
manent tri-poWer staff.
Following is the gist of the plan
as outlined by the Associated Press
informants:
Germany will furnish material to
fill out Frances and Spain's war
left-overs, give technical advice and
assign needed technicians and spe-
cialiStS, including aviatorS; France
will contribute the sizable remnant
of her once-potent navy, planes,
officers and troops, and Spain's big
Moroccan army will be the backlog
of man power, to be thrown into ac-
ton if needed.
Germany started filling her part
of the bargain even before Gen. Won
Rintelin, Gen. Nogues and the Span
ish general met.
Slip Across Mediterranean.
Since early June, ships sailing
from Marseille. Toulon and Port
Vendres, near Perpignan, have been
slipping across the Mediterranean to
Oran, loaded with war supplies.
Between June 20 and July the
big ships Etoile and Belle Arlesienne
and the smaller freighters Juno and
L'Orient transferred an estimated
5000 men of Germany's famed Con-
dor aviation unit, which fought for
Gen. Franco in Spain, its equipment
/ and other material.
From Oran the Condor unit pro-
ceeded to Casablanca, thence to Fez
and finally to Mogador. where staff
headquarters were set up in the
Hotel Paris.
On July l, the steamer Nazareth
and another freighter took aboard
three French aviation units pre-
viously based at Clermont Ferrand,
Rivelsaltes and Tarbes and shifted
them across the Mediterranean for
African service
Artillery Regiment Moved.
Other ships are known to have
transported to Africa an artillery
regiment formerly based at Aiken
Provence and the 81st Regiment
of Senegalese Tirailleurs.
Early in July shipment of the
heavier German equipment-the
long-range coastal batteries and the
baby submarines, these to be
mounted and put into the water at
the Lyautey yards in Casablanca-
began.
Embarcation of the troops and
equipment, it was stated, was under
the supervision of German Col. Koch
commander of the Condor Legion
who was last reported making his
headquarters at the Hotel Louvre
ct de la Paix in Marseille.