Evening star., 1943-04-04

OSIulH NUOSO NIOlmS
1925 Miles Of Fortified
Positions Line Coast
By the Associated Press.
LONDON, April 3.-The Axis
took a blustery attitude today to-
ward the increased threats of an
Allied invasion Of Nazi-held Eu-
rope, claiming adequate steps
had been taken to protect the
continent from attack.
King Boris III returned to Bull.
garia after visit to Hitler's head.
quarters and the German radio
commenting on their meeting, de.
clarfd that "all elements are being
eliminated which made the Balkan.
seem convenient gateway tx
Europe"
Berlin broadcasts continued tc
boast Of invincibility of Germany's
anti-invasion fortress, following ur
last nights announcement that
Notifications 125 miles longer thar
the Great Wall Of China had beer
established along the Channel anc
Atlantic coasts.
Half million men were needed
to build this great rampant" said
one broadcast heard by Reuters.
Nazi Strength Stressed.
The fortress was described as be-
ing 1925 miles. long, deeply stag
gered, and with its own airports
roads and transport routes. Each
soldier in it is protected by so tc
200 cubic yards of steel and con-
crete, the broadcast said.
(The British radio, in broad
cast to the continent recorded by
the Federal Communications
Commission in New York, de-
scribed Nazi stories of the coastal
defense installations as "the
greatest monument to the art of
publicity ever erected"
(The Office of War Informa-
ton. announcing the BIC broad
cast, pointed out that the gen.
eral implication of Nazi propa-
gandists has been that any Allied
attempt at invasion of the con-
tinent would be a useless and
wasteful effort)
German military authorities who
have taken group of foreign corre-
spondents on an inspection of Dutch
coastal defenses made 1t clear they
fully expect an Allied invasion there
Reuters reported from Stockholm.
Invasion Through Holland Seen.
Gen. Friedrich Christensen, Ger
man communicative chief in Hol-
land, told them that with present
technical resources a landing is pos
sible everywhere, the dispatch said
THE fiat Dutch countryside is
particularly propitious for such oper-
ations," christensen said. The dis
patch said he named three harbors
especially suitable for an invasion
attempt-the Hook of Holland
1jmuiden and Den Helder, covering
the approaches to Rotterdam, Am
sterdam and the Zuider Zee. I'VE
have carried out realistic anti-inva-
sion maneuvers," Christensen de-
clared.
The German news agency DNB
also reported that everywhere along
the Dutch coast workers are build
ing Notifications. 1t said that for
several miles inland the population
had been evacuated and that the
Germans knew the Allies had a
thorough knowledge of their defense
works, primarily because of extern
sive spying by Dutch workers.
AS additional news of hasty Axis
efforts to armorplate the south coast
OF Europe reached London, King
Boris visit to Hitler served to spot
light German fears of a second
front attack through the Balkans
and preparations to meet it.
Bulgaria's Stand Canvassed,
1t was assumed in London that
Hitler. in his conference with King
Boris Wednesday, had canvassed the
Bulgarian Army's ability and will
ingness to repulse a British and
American attack despite the nations
refusal to participate in the cam
paign against Russia. Nothing was
stated in the German communiuue
announcing the meeting to indi-
cate whether Boris yielded anything
to the supposed German demands
GA Sofia dispatch to Bern said
Bulgaria had signed a treaty with
Rumania that eased differences
between the two countries aris-
Ing from the Craiova pact of
1910, whereby Rumania ceded to
Bulgaria the lower Drobuja area
OF 42,796 square miles. The new
pact, this dispatch said. "con-
firmed the good relations of the
two neighbor states"
German efforts to anticipate anc
thwart the Allied drive to gain full
control of the Mediterranean pre.
paratory to an assault on the south
side OF the continent already has
resulted In reorganization OF the
italian naval commands.
The reorganization, as described
by the German radio in broadcast
recorded by Reuters. is the first re.
suit Of Admiral Karl Doenitz's con.