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Show Views Move -1 NOTES ARM TRANSFER Major General Walter C. Bwoency GERMAN TROOPS ATTACK FRENCH Big Guns Pound Maginot and Siegfried Lines ByPIERRK 1. HU88 BERLIN, Oct 10 (INS For the first time since the war began, the German army high command today to-day announced that reich forces on the western front have scored an advance. ' The announcement aroused speculation spec-ulation as to whether Germany Is bringing military pressure to bear against France as a means of Influencing In-fluencing the forthcoming speeches of Premier Edouard Daladier and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who are to make replies re-plies to Chancellor Hitler's peace proposals today and tomorrow. According to an official war communique, com-munique, the advance on the western west-ern front was "slight" The communique com-munique merely stated: "The advance (on the east) toward the Russo-German borderline border-line Is progressing. There was a slight advance after artillery activity on the western west-ern front" PARIS, Oct 10 (UP) Strong German patrols were hurled at the French lines all yesterday afternoon after-noon and throughout the night and were repulsed every time with hand grenades. It was announced today. The Germans made desperate but futile efforts to capture French prisoners. French authorities believed be-lieved the high command had ordered or-dered prisoners taken at almost any cost, presumably so they could be questioned about the strength of the French lines. Meanwhile, artillery battles swept the whole front The Germans Ger-mans had been shelling constantly for 72 hours, trying to locate and destroy French gun emplacements. Big guns ot the Siegfried line, far back of the front lines, had been brought Into action. It was reported. re-ported. It was the most Intense -fighting of the five weeks' war and. the French believed it might be a (CeeUotMd M ptgt rivJ Coluaia On. i GERMAN TROOPS ATTACKFREIICH tOaattrae Ms Fs Oa prelude to a big German assault The German patrols fought hardest east of the Moselle river and in the Saarbruecken sector. They charged there after having been repulsed in the Ohrenthal sector, southeast of Zwelbruecken. French dispatches said there still had not been any massed German infantry attack, but that there had been a big Increase in the number of patrol raids. The Germans rushed the French lines, throwing grenades, and the French drove ' them back with the same weapons. The Germans did not try to go through the French lines, but seemed bent on taking prisoners. French Planes Grounded A driving rain kept the French air force grounded, but several German reconnaissance planes appeared ap-peared over the French lines. France's war communique No. 73 this morning read: "Enemy patrols were constantly active, especially test and west of the Sasr. There was reciprocal artillery action in the same regions." re-gions." The Germans had begun heavy artillery fire along the wholefront ""yesterday for the first time. The lire was directed not only at the French lines, as heretofore, but at the Maginot fortresses far back of the advanced French positions. French were undecided whether this action was the prelude to a big German push if and when the allies rejected peace on Adolf Hitler's Hit-ler's terms, or whether It was intended in-tended to relieve the French pressure pres-sure against Saarbruecken and other cities near the German border. |