1940-01-16 — Page 4

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January 16, 1940.

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Hongkong Telegraph.

Tuesday, January 16, 1940.

Wyndham St., Hongkong Telephone: 20615

THE prefix "Special to the Telegraph"

WILL HITLER ATTACK

THE

LOWLANDS?

N unknown number of German divisions are now massed along the Dutch and Belgian

frontiers.

Scores of Nazi bombers are stand- ing by on the frontier aerodromes and the tension has been increased by the imposition of a strict military censorship between Germany and the Low Countries.

What does it all mean? Is Hitler plan-. ning a Blitzkrieg through Holland or Belgium-or both with the dual object of outflanking the Maginot Line, and of establishing air and submarine bases on the Channel ports from which to launch his attack on Britain?

Such, in brief, is the strategy of the Von Epp plan, long toyed with by the German General Staff. But its chances of success are today small.

From the Geraan point of view full success depends on a surprise attack of such force as to crush all opposition and enable German motorised columns swiftly to overrun the Low Countries.

But today surprise is impossible. From

the French border to the Zuider Zee is a

It used by the Hongkong Telegraph to chain of fortifications manned day and

Indicate news willch to sirlelly copyright

under the provisions of the Tiscommuni- night by Belgian and Dutch troops.

Calioma Ordinance, 1919. Such news a

bears the Indiestión "um is received in Hongkong on the date of publication by

servo all rights and forbid republication,

sither wholly or in part without previous

arrangement

Hongkong's Flora

By comparison with the sunken moun-

the United Press Association, who retains of steel and concrete which are the Maginot and Siegfried Lines, the defences of the Low Countries are modest-pill- boxes and casemates, mined roads and The despoiling of the Colony's Dutch General Staffs believe that their de- bridges. Neither the Belgian nor the Bora by countless gangs of fire-fences are impregnable. They wood thieves has gained such are merely designed to hold up alarming, proportions, that a อ German attack until help & CO., LTD. capably organised campaign in reaches them from the Allies.

Such help would certainly order to suppress the evil, is come, for Pitt's words that a urgently needed.

hostile Power in occupation of "is a pistol pointed at the heart the ports of the Low Countries of England" are as true today as they were in the Napoleonic wars.

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COUNT THE TELEGRAPHS."

EVERYWHERE :

once

.

The defences of Belgium are stronger than those of Holland and ten times as strong, accord- ing to King Leopold, as they were in 1914, when the German onslaught caught Belgium nap ping.

Neutrality

NORTH

SEA

Ghent

AN

Miles

CUFRICH

Rot

BRIEL

Tirage

LINDHOVEN

BRUSSELS

UM

THE LOWLANDS

Dingi

(NEDICTATI

Both Belgium and Holland are neutral States in this war. Dutch neutrality is not internationally guaranteed Hee that of Switzerland. Holland is free to act as she thinks ft. No Power has the right to come automatically to her assistance.

The Belgian position is different. She had, till 1935, a military agreement with France. But France and Britain still guarance her neutrality. There are, at present no military agreements betweeni Holland and Belgium.

Both Powers are signatories of the Oslo Convention, together with Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Luxembourg, for the joint discussion of economic problems.

History

Belgium seceded from the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Holland) after a revolution in August, 1830. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg was elected king 1831. Succeeded by Leopold II. (1865-1909), Albert (1003-1934) and Leopold II. Belgian independence_recognized by all States of Europe at Treaty of London, 1830. Language

There is no Belgian language. Northern half of Belglum is Flemish (Low Dutch) speaking, southern half is French speaking. This section of the population is called Walloon.

Until 1914-18 war French was official language. But in German occupied territory Flemish aspirations were encouraged.

It does not matter which dis- trict is considered, wherever trees and shrubs grow, these gangs of marauders are to be seen, day in and day out. Those who enjoy the Colony's country- side are horrified at the ruthless damage which has been done. Where

existed shaded forestry paths-winding along the hillsides and through restful valleys, one now gazes upon ugly barren vistas, acre upon ucre. Surely something can be done even at this late juncture? | Old residents who take a pride in the Colony point out to the newcomer that when Britain began development the hillsides were hare, and that the present beauty is the result of an early afforestation policy which has had the effect of transforming the barren nature then existing, to the pleasantly wooded Colony It is estimated that on the island If the Germans break through **** alone, several thousand people along the new Albert Canal

Holland, Belgium will fight is planned as a strategic trap. trenches linking the forts and engaged daily in

Belgium's army of 500,000, pill-boxes. this

which stretches along her mobilised within four days of nefarious practice. There is no northern frontier castward to the outbreak of war, is now roads, bridges and dykes of As in Belgium, all the frontier.

are

Belgium's defence lines, and there are many of them, pivot on the great and modernised. fortress of Liege. Standing in the trough of the Meuse, along which all the Germanic in- vasions of history have come, of forts at a distance of six and Liege comprises a double ring twelve miles respectively from the city. A continuous line of. anti-tank defences and wire en- tanglements girdles the city and each individual fort is sur- moats. Pill-boxes disguised as rounded by deep anti-tank

cottages and outhouses form the outposts.

Since that war the Flemings have gained ground. Flemings arn mostly farmers with high birchräte, Walloons mostly Industrial workers with low birtlirate. Flemings would now prefer reunion with Holland, Walloons look to France. But Holland prefers Belgium to remain an Independent buffer State. Defence

Belgian Army is 800,000 war strength, Dutch is 230,000. Holland's first line of defence is 'behind the Rivers Yasel and Maas (see map). Beyond this, protecting Amsterdam and Rotterdam, is a 25-mile-wide band of foodable country.

Belgium's first line of defence on the north is behind the fortified Albert Canal between Antwerp and Maastricht. To the south-cast the first line is formed by the forts round Liege and the hilly country of the Ardennes. Behind lies the strong line of forts on the left bank. of the Mouse.

doubt that many of them are Antwerp and is well fortified. completing the digging of Holland are mined. All the taking advantage of the high Where the Albert Canal meets price of firewood, and find it a the Meuse is the now Eben lucrative business in supplying cliff face with guns command- Emacl fort, cut into the solid firewood merchants from the ing the spot where the Germans hills and dates of the Colony. crossed in 1914.

Every firewood merchant should be licenced, and called

break!

frontier pill-boxes are manhed, the Dutch army stands on guard.

Should the Germans strike, the Dutch will make their main stand along the Rivers Maar and Yssel, which flow parallel to the frontier, --

*

*If forced to retreat, the Dutch will call on their oldest ally-the sca-and flood a 26- mile-wide belt of country, stretching from the Zulder Zeë 'round Utrecht to the River Waal

and the North Sea.

The hope is that Hitler'a. charlots will be caught in these waters to become a target for British bombers. But if the Germans ever get as far as this into Holland, it will leave them free to wheel southward against Belgium along three main roads from Nijmegen to Brein, from Venlo to Turnhout, and from Venlo to Maastricht:

Ona possibility i- that Ger- many may be co. cnt with attacking Holland, in which caso Belgium might still remain neutral,

In face of reverses, or the continued stalemate од the Western Front, Hitler may be tempted to try to repeat the great flanking movement through neutrality which 80 nearly succeeded for Germany in 1914.

S.E.

The ex-Kaiser may

have to move

If the Germans strike from upon at any time to reveal the the cast, the Belgians will fight source of supply. The gungs on another fortified line which themselves should be denit with radiates south from Liege.

Germans as aternly as is any other claas Should tho of thief, for unless effective through that line they would: WHILE Holland stands by mensures are taken immediately,

find themselves in the Ardennes,

to open the flood-gates to a vast salient of country which let loose a 30-miles tidal wave the damage will become irrepar, is backed by the River Meuse, able.

whose cliffs form a magnificent her lowlands,

as a barrier against invasion of There is some sympathy for line of defence.

the ex-Kaiser The whole of this vast salient having to move house in case

considers the the beggars who collect a few!

possibility of bundles of dry sticks, but is time that residents who have his countrymen should cross sentiment cannot be tolerated the interest of the Colony at the frontier. when it means the gradual dia- heart, should make the strongest figuration of the appearance of possible representations to the Colony. The Botanical and Government in order to save the Forestry Department should Colony from the wholesale wood collaborate with the Police in general. It is so widespread, in thieving which has becomO BO stamping out this scandal, other fact, that a few constables wise we might just as well save scattered about on normal duty the money which is spent in are almost powerless to cope planting trees and shrubs. There with the problem. A Forestry is no excuse whatover for the Preservation Corps appears to be [existing state of affairs, and it needed.

arca

be

I have just made a glitning tour of the which would flooded In the In the midst of event of trouble. that area Castle of Doorn, sanctuary of the 80-years-old Kaiser,

is the

Only last June the residents of Doorn gave the ex-Kaiser, a summer-house. Here he is drinking their health at the presentation.

The Dutch authorities smiled when they heard that this white-haired old man who led his people to wor 25 years ago was now busy building underground air-raid shelters.

They immediately despatched n courier inviting him to take up te sidence at the llogue should invasion seem imminent,

It is a tremendous scheme thot Holland has embarked upon to pro- tect her country.

To-night, at key points of the elaborate system of dykes, canals. and waterways-memorials of hor cònseless Bght with the sea-senti- nels stand waiting with wrenches, crowbars, and alicks of dynamite for a broadcast word which would em- power them to send a vast tidal wave of water from the North Sen to the higher elevations of the Belgian frontier.

The wave would sweep over delda and meadows, pour through villages. and Iolate ancient towns, such as Utrecht, where I am writing this TRESSDIO.

4

When the wave reached the Belgian frontier, other commande: PLEASE Turn To Page 3.