BELGIUM HAS BIGGEST ARMY IN HER HISTORY 3 Main Lines Of Defence: Ready If Invasion Comes SENATOR TELLS
OF PREPARATIONS
'BELGIUM'S ABILITY TO resist aggression and her co-operation with Holland in the building up of a defence system were stressed to the Brussels correspondent of the London "Daily Telegraph" by Senator Paul Crockaert, President of the Commission of National Defence of the Belgain Senate and Minister of National Defence in 1933.
Senator Crockaert pointed out that never before has Belgium possessed an army of its present size. To defend her lines Belgium had mobilised in full force the two mili- tary classes of her trained forces about 650,000 men.
In addition they had at their disposal the third class of trained reservists not yet mobilised. Apart from that Bel- gium could call to her aid several hundreds of thousands of men, many of them youngsters.
MORE SMALL U-BOATS
Rollable Information Indicates that the German Admiralty is now constructing small submar- ines of some 150 to 200 tons dis- placement.
This policy, attributed to Hitler's personal orders, Indicates a desire to Intensify short-radius harrying tactics in the North Sea.
As, however, these small sub- marines nead about one man per 10 tons of displacement, whereas the larger craft need only about one man per 20 tons, they are wasteful of man-power. This is one of Germany's biggest pro- blems.
'SLANGUAGE' OF THE R.A.F.
THE AIR FORCE VOCABULARY OF BLANG EVOLVED IN THE LAST WAR HAS GONE INTO TORY. A RAPIDLY
NEW BEING
QNE
HIS.
19
SUP.
INVENT- ED AND CODIFIED. NO LONGER DOEB THE ENTERPRISING AIR- MAN "WIN" A WANTED ARTICLE: HE "ORGANISES”. WHEN PLIES HAVE BEEN ARRANGED, THOSE SUPPLIES HAVE BEEN "LAID ON". IF AN AIRMAN IS "FED UP" HE IS "BROWNED OFF",
When something displeases "a poor view" is taken of it. Something badly done is "a black." A job properly com- pleted is "buttoned up," and the cor- rect method of doing anything is "the right drill."
"For our defence," 'sald Senator Crockaert, "we can also rely implicitly
on the Dutch.
"As to Belgium, she possesses three successive lines of defence. The first line, Cumpine-Liege-Ardennes, is divided into three sectors.
"The water sector from La Campine, with the Albert Canal.
NEW BALLOON BARRAGES
The expansion of the National Balloon Barrage continues at high speed. Several new coastal barrages are in process of crea. tion.
In spite of the stormy weather and biting cold there is no short- age of volunteers for marine work. In one week a job which required 70 men brought over 300 applications for transfer to the "Balloon Navy,"
The Balloon Barrage now ex- tends over 700 miles of land and sca.
R.A.F. M.O.'S NEW
PATIENTS
R.A.F. Medical Officers in France obtain few leisure moments. They are constantly on watch to ensure the maintenance of fitness of flying per- sonnel, and by energetic measures they have helped to keep the incidence of sickness at A satisfactorily Jow level.
The practice is growing for French mothers in neighbouring villages to "The bastion of the Fortress of Liege | seek the advice of the English doctors
with its modern forts.
"The forest of Ardemnes with its camouflaged shelters and its reliance on the Fortress of Namur.
SECOND LINE
"The second fortified line joins Antwerp to Namur. This line is par- tially protected by the flood areas. The third line is constituted by the three-cornered emplacement, |werp- Nieuport-Ostend.
Ant-
Belglum
"The fire power of the army is beyond comparison with 1914 or even 1918. Her troops are striking- ly provided with modern armaments, the best in existence. These weapons are Belgian In conception and manu- facture.
"The 120-millimetre anti-tank gun, the big 120-millimetre gun and the in- fantry mortar are better than those of any army in the world.
"If we are attacked we shall put up a flerce resistance, foot by foot, and this resistance will have more than one surprise in store for the aggressor,
DEFENSIVE ARMY
"In the event of a Dutch-Belgian defensive war there is one point which must not be lost sight of. Our army is solely defensive. We have no heavy tanks.
"I emphasise this point because if middle Holland is invaded we cannot go to her rescue.
"Between the Dutch Army, en- trenched behind its water lines, and the Belgian Army, standing to its de- fence positions, there will be an un- guarded corridor about 40 miles wide between Antwerp and the mouth of the Scheldt.
"An enemy coming from the east will not meet efficient resistance in this large corridor, which opens on the sea at the mouth of the Scheldt, either from Holland or Belgium.
LEAFLETS ŞENT TO SOLDIERS
Indignation has been expressed by soldiers of the B.E.F. at having receiv- ed through the post Communist propa- ganda. It is stated that the leaflets are intended to greate disaffection. The only effect they are likely to have is to strengthen the antipathy of sol- dlers to Communistic doctrine.
Another type of uninvited corres- pondence has been directed to fathers of evacuated children.
The burden of these letters written by housholders upon whom rests the responsibility of caring for the wel- fare of the soldiers' children, is that they are not receiving sufficient finan- call asistance to enable them satisfac- torily to maintain their children. This type of letter suggests that the marri- ed soldier might contribute some- thing.
Soldiers, it is officially stated, should take no notice of these appeals.
when any of their children are alling.
R.A.F. Medical Ofcers are giving willingly their spare time to act as unpaid "G. P's" to the French country people, who obviously appreciate their services in the absence of their own doctors.
TO-NIGHT
SATURDAY, 10th FEBRUARY, 1940
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In an entire change of programme
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A few of the expressions from Royal
In conclusion let me say something Flying Corps days survive and have about the extensions made by grown dignifled with years. "Ace", Belgian Army during the past three "stick,",
"hedge-hopping", "stall," months. "zoom," "ceiling" are not longer re- garded as slang.
ARDENNES CHASSEURS
"I take credit for having created while I was Minister of National De- Some newer ones are "fan" for air- fence, over and above the existing re- screw, formerly "the prop", "station-giments, the regiment of Ardennes master" for the Commanding Officer; Chasseurs. and "spun-in" for a bad mistake. To "pancake" an aircraft is now to "crack down on the deck." This calls ́for “tearing off a strip," otherwise à
reprimand.
A "blonde job," surprisingly, is a young woman with fair hair,
"When the time came this regiment was expanded to two divisions, which are in the front line of some part of the Forest of Ardennes,
"This may give an idea of our.mili- tary effort in the last three months, and of the military power which we have prepared for many years."
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