NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE troop movements reported from Germany reveal her plans with the utmost clarity. Some 2,000,000 men have been concentrated on her eastern frontiers ; the latest reports indicate that 7o divisions, numbering r,000,000 men, stand ready to advance against Poland on a line that extends from the Baltic to Slovakia. The troops concentrated in Moravia and Slovakia can also be turned, in case of need or oppor- tunity, against Hungary and Rumania. With such forces Germany is confident that Poland can be crushed quickly and easily ; British observers believe that her confidence is based on an underestimate of Polish strength. In the West, the Reich's dispositions are purely defensive, and include A.R.P. exercises in the Diisseldorf-Cologne area, which is extremely vulnerable to air attack. Among strictly military precautions may be counted the large forces of militarised police and Gestapo which have been sent to Prague. Reliable reports indicate that Germany's preparations for an attempted coup would be complete by Tuesday or at latest Wednes- day night. The conclusion of the Russo-German Pact substantially increases Herr Hitler's temptation to strike.
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