European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 31, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Fro the great War tothe greater War German infantrymen on the attack near the polish Border on sept. 1, 1939. A German wan hip shells Danzig Poland. Above a polish cavalry unit charge Down a me Bank. At right British soldiers at Dunkirk which fell to the germans on Lune 4, 1940. Continued from Page 7 bal i led on and firebombed Warsaw resisted Bri icly until sept. 2h. What of British and French help on sept. 7 Inq i ranch launched limited attacks in the Saar Region of Germany a treble Effort that went nowhere. The stunning Power of the German invasion the Speed of movement had also surprised the russians who saw Poland fast being eaten off the body of Europe. 50 fast indeed that when it became obvious that i death of the polish army was imminent. Moscow Prang Forward to Szalc h its share of the Corpse. Not of course without sputtering Mil verbal smoke to cover breaking the non aggression pact with Poland which still had years to run. I in u s s.r., self proclaimed protector of oppressed Peoples Tell morally obliged i said to Send in troops to help restore Peate and order in Poland. And Lei help the polish people establish new i ii Ditinno or political  51 artely having to lire a shot Josef Stalin s red ring tolled in and picked the Skeleton clean Sei mini irk half the country. Vilh Russia satisfied he could Deal with them Lateri idler turned his attention to the Western front where i  01 War was meandering on. 1 he allies would tall it the phony  the German Man in the Street would term in the sit Down War the Sil Kurg. There f Ranee and Britain moved joints creaking to i  Lor something Here was the French Arney. The strongest in the world As one British general put it silting still and sheltering behind steel and c in Crete while a. Valiant ally was being  i Aler even German generals would wonder Why the i Rench had not taken advantage and attacked the relatively exposed German Western Border while the i be Imi a might was focused la the East. Ii was t so simple suggest other analysts who saw tin i Rem h As a paper Liger still muddling along with concepts of Static warfare out of 1914. They had Good links lots of them but did t know what to do with them. Compared to the German use of tanks infantry and air Power in close support of each other in concentrated ripping thrusts the French mindset plodded along in the age of the horse in some ways. Rhi in military commander. Gen. Maurice Gamelin was t even in radio communication with his commanders a dispatched messages by motorcycle. Worse for the French the terrible scars of the first War had seemingly bled the Elan from them left in its Puc e a gnawing dread of another epic Slaughter. Historians suggest that Many of the French commanders were Defeated before the Battle Starli a. Instead of the famous but costly spirit of the attack the i Remh burrowed like passive moles into a defensive Shell behind their Maginot line a system of impregnable defensive fortresses if the germans 8 stripes Magazine August 31, 1989