Evening star., 1940-05-22
Widespread Air Raids
Carried Out Again
On RhineIand Area
British Troops Fighting
Desperately to Stop
Push to Channel
9y the Associated Press.

5OSe To-Day WIN reports OF new air
force successes and the slowing down
OF the intensive German mechanical
drive.
v The nation was cheered by
these reported developments:
The French capture of Arras
and Abbeville
A widespread attack on targets
in the industrial Rhineland area
by British bombers.
The reported lessening force of
the German thrust over soggy
fields in Northern France.
The arrival of new contingent
Of Canadians in England.
German Ships Attacked.
Five German transport and supply
ships have been successfully at
tacked by our ships" in the last 10
days, an authoritative British naval
source said today.
He added that "other German
ships have fallen victims to allied
minefelds," and the German at
tempt to strangle Britainis sea COM
municationS had been checked.
The Admiralty announced that the
British naval trawler Rifsness had
been sunk in bomb attack. A COM
munique said there were three
casualties. but gave no further de-
tails of the attack.
The high morale of the British Air
Force was indicated in an Air Min
istry report that one British pilot
y had attacked 20 German bombers,
damaged two and escaped.
Fighting Desperately.
Meanwhile the pocketed allied
forces in Flanders and Northern
France were fighting desperately to
keep Germany's legions from win
ming their way to the Channel for
direct attack on the British Isles.
A fight to the finish by allied troops
trapped in Northern France and
Belgium in an effort to keep the
Nazls from winning channel bases
facing England, was predicted by
some British commentators:
General headquarters omitted its
regular early morning communique.
but there was nothing to indicate
the pocketed forces would elect to
withdraw.
The Air Ministry announced that
dense traffic moving over the enemy
communication system again was
heavily attacked throughout last
night" by large British bomber
forces.
"Objectives included railway juno
tions and yards and bridges over
a wide area of Germany radiating
eastward from Aachen," it said.
Similar targets in the imme-
diate rear of the battle area also
were heavily bombed. notably roads
and bridges over the Meuse in the
ID region of Namur."
Prepared for Worse Shocks.
The British people, shaken by the
"Black Tuesday" news, which told
of the Germans driving to the es-
tuary of the Somme River to form
a wedge between the British forces
and the main French armies, snap
ped out of their first shock.
British leaders and the press de-
clared that the people were prepared
to absorb even worse shocks.
Commentators. in sizing up the
situation, decided that it was not
so bad as first appeared, stating that
the German advance mechanical
columns which pushed westward
through France into Amiens, Arras
and Abbeville held their positions
only lightly. These forces were said
to be highly vulnerable to counter
attack.
Even if the Germans should con-
eolidate positions along the English
Channel, British observers said, the
allied main armies still remain in
tact and the British Navy and Air
Force still pack plenty of punch.
The military commentator Of the
Daily Herald in discussing the
chances of success of German in
vasion Of the British Isles remarked:
''There have been continental con-
querors in the past, but in some
strange. indefinable way, their magic
touch has seemed to cease at the
seashore."
Ready for Sacrifices.
The German successes, however,
destroy any remaining traces of
apathy in this island, which once
found much comfort in its channel
defenses. Both employers and labor
expressed themselves as ready to ac-
cept any sacrifices demanded by the
government.
To remedy the weakest spot in
Britain's defense-a lack of fight
ing and bombing planes-the hus-
tling publisher, Lord Beaverbrook,
Minister for Aircraft Production, ap-
pealed to aircraft workers to oper-
ate on seven-day schedule, with
shifts around the clock
His newspaper, the Daily Express,
declared: THE tenacity of our race
will be our salvation. For if we
can hold on and hold out for the
next few weeks And months ours is
the assurance of final victory"
Newspapers also pointed to sup
plies from the United States as a
=. valuable asset for the allies.
Bombs Fall on England.
German bombs fell on British soil
during the night, but there were
20 casualties reported. A communique
indicated that the raiding planes
were unloading bombs without aim
ing at any target when they were
beaten back by anti-aircraft fire.
The planes dropped explosives off,
shore and on land at two places
along the southeast coast. Some
bombs fell on village, shattering
window panes and awakening in
habitants but causing no casualties.
One inhabitant related: "The
bombs were all dropped within about
a minute and half. I was awakened
by terrific explosions and saw
searchlights across the sky Window
panes were shattered in the village,
but I don't think there has been
much damage to property. We feel
as though we are. on the western
front ,,ouvn