Evening star., 1940-06-03
display Is Believed
To Have Political
significance
Nozis' Land and Air
Forces Renew Attacks
On Dunkerque

TVISSS NSHSW AtloCkS
On Dunkerque
| BY the Associated Press.
PARIS, June 3.-Continued ex-
cursions by German bombing
and reconnaissance squadrons into
Southeastern France were reported
today by military spokesman, who
declined to give details of the re-
suits.
The spokesman, echoing views ex-
pressed by Telegrance, semi -omcial
news agency, expressed belief that
the display Of German air activity
in Southern France had a political
significance"
French commentators had sug-
gested that raids on the Rhone
Valley over the week end, in which
at least 56 persons were killed and
100 injured, were carried out to i'm
press Italy with the ability Of the
German air force to assist on q
possible new southern front.
4~V" DAASC O1 OuAAASA4AVs
Meanwhile, German land, sea and
air forces renewed savage attacks
on Dunkerque, the military spokes-
man said, making evacuation Of the
remaining Allied forces there Gin
creasingly difficult"
The Nazi attacks failed, however,
to halt the withdrawal operations,
the spokesman declared, largely due
to the work of the British and
French air forces which covered the
exodus successfully.
The Allied planes, it was said,
shot down large numbers of German
fighters, bombed lines Of commune
cation and strafed the swift tor
pedo-carrying motorboats with
which the Germans have been
attacking transports.
The land front in France was re-
ported quiet, with only localized
activity which resulted in no change
of position.
Summary of Situation.
The French Spokesman summar-
lied the situation along the south
ern front this way:
Along the Somme, almost COM
plete calm"
Along the Aisne, feeble activity of
contact units.
Between the Aisne and Chiers
River, near the northern end Of the
Maginot Line. light artillery fire on
both sides without definite results
Light artillery fire in the Rethel
region, approximately 100 miles
northeast of Paris.
East of the Moselle River, on the
upper end of the Maginot Line, two
German raids of small size against
French outposts were repulsed.
Gen. Georges Blanchard and Gen.
Rene Jacques Prioux, Frances two
heroes of the battle Of Flanders, have
been raised to higher rank in the
Legion of Honor on recommends
ton of Generalissimo Maxine Wey-
gand. a~~Tt '~~ . 80 "
A communique from Premier Rey-
naud's Office said that Gen. Blanch-
ard, commander OF the Allied arm
les in Northern France, had been
raised to the highest rank, the
Grand Cross, in the Legion of Honor.
Gen. Prioux, commander of the
first French Army which still is
covering the Allies withdrawal from
Dunkerque, was made a grand off,
Ger of the Legion.
Gen. PriouX's whereabouts have
not been reported for days. CThe
Germans have claimed him and his
staff as prisoners of war;
Lull Expected Now.
| Military commentators in Paris
expressed the belief there would be
a lull of between three days and two
weeks before the Nazi military ma
chine launches another major drive
They pointed out that the 40
German divisions which forced the
Allied northern army to the sea had
suffered tremendous losses on land
and in the air and said both the
Allies and the Germans had reached
"a period of waiting in which each
side is preoccupied with prepara-
tions."
AS if in confirmation of this, the
French high command in its morn
ing communique said merely:
mo new incidents during the
night"
The emergency withdrawal from
beleaguered Dunkerque was nearly
at an end, as fleet of 300 or more
Allied warships and merchant ves-
sells of every description sought to
ferry the last French, British and
Belgian troops to safety.
While the rescue ships arrived
took on their passengers and steamed
away again, Germany infantry,
wading waist-deep through Dunker-
que's flooded marshes, faced bar
rage of artillery fire from the Allies
covering the retreat and waiting
hopefully for the appearance of the
last units of the army of Gen
Prioux.
Tank Use Abandoned.
1t was Gen. Prioux's tanks ane
armored cars which played vita
part in covering the 40-mile with
drawal from Lille to the sea aftel
King Leopold Ills capitulation ex'
posed the Allied northern flank. The
remaining units of the Prioux rear.
guard early today were reported only
IS miles from Dunkerque.
Forced to abandon their tanks be-
=