World War: Grey Friday

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Weather, next to stomachs, is war's most basic consideration.* Six predictably fair weeks of Polish autumn lay ahead for action on the fat Polish plains. Then will come rains which the Poles hope will bog down the German juggernaut on the purposely unpaved roads leading in from the borders. In the mountain passes on the South soon will come General Snow to aid the defenders.

Triangle. Ultimate core of Polish defense is the triangular Central Region of Industry (C. O. P.) between Cracow on the west, Lwów on the east, Lublin on the north. Into this area, guarded by highlands, served by two rivers, Poland two years ago moved her vital steel and munitions works, built power plants, at a cost of $200,000,000.

Postern. If forced back into her Triangle, Poland can expect direct aid only through her southeast postern, the valley of the Dniester down to Rumania and the Black Sea. Clearly seen last week was the reason why Poland, when Hitler carved Czecho-Slovakia, stood watchful guard over those Carpathian peaks which frown down on the Dniester Valley. When Hungarians rushed in and seized the Carpatho-Ukraine (eastern tip of Czecho-Slovakia), Poles embraced them at their new common border, for Hungary is traditionally Poland's friend. Much depends for Poland on Hungary's continued neutrality, for only by marching around through Hungary, unless he fights through from Cracow to Lwów, can Hitler sever the artery (river, railroad, broad highway) by which France and Britain may give Poland blood transfusions via the Mediterranean (see p. 22).

On the East Poland's defenses are not concentrated. Only five fortified cities piece out the distances not protected by the morasses of the many-branched Pripet River, to stave out the Red Army which last week growled ominously (see p. 35). Should the Red Army move west, Poland would desperately need Rumanians, Turks and Greeks to help man its eastern marches.

>Heroes this week were a handful of Polish soldiers left in charge of the Westerplatte munitions dump. Under steady bombing and shell fire, they held out as a suicide squad in the thick-walled fortress, replying from its depths with machine gun fire, resolved to blow up the dump and themselves with it before surrendering.

>Another small band of Poles took and held the Danzig post office until artillery was drawn up to blow away the building's face, gasoline poured on from above and set afire.

>German planes dropped soldiers (with parachutes) behind Polish lines, where they reconnoitred, reported back to their army via small, portable radios. Poles captured them right & left, gave 'them short shrift. Over bombed Warsaw, the Poles erected a poor imitation of London's "balloon barrage," claimed that a German pilot got caught in the net.

>Gas was first reported on the war's fourth day, dropped in bombs by German planes.

>The Germans complained that Polish civilians were taking up arms, waging treacherous guerrilla warfare in their rear.

>The German Navy claimed full control of the Baltic, said it had sunk a Polish destroyer and submarine off Gdynia.

Puck & Luck