Evening star., 1940-06-07
Desperate Shortage Of Manpower Keeps Weyqand on Defens
French Are Forced
To Spread Line Thin
On 200-Mi|e Front
Little Chance Is Seen
For Help From British
For at Least q Month
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BERN, Switzerland, June IA
desperate shortage of manpower is
forcing Allied Generalissimo Max
line Weygand to fight purely de-
fensive war along the Somme, in
formed foreign observers declared
today, with little chance of ma
terial aid from the battered British
expeditionary force for at least a
month.
Advices reaching both neutral and
belligerent legations in Switzer-
land said that France has superb
ority only in artillery, as contrasted
with a tremendous advantage of
manpoWer, motorized equipment
and planes on the German side.
Under these conditions, the ex-
perts said, any large-scale French
counter-o offensive is virtually i'm
possible for at least a month-and
declared that then it might be too
late to stem the Nazi advance.
The best estimates reaching
Switzerland gave this summary of
the problem facing Gen. Weygand:
Manpower.
The French now have 20 divisions
concentrated along the Alps, 20
divisions on the border from Switz-
erland to the Moselle River and so
divisions along the front from the
Moselle to the English Channel.
The British are reported to have
little more than five combat divi-
sions in France. The remainder of
the B. E. F. is being regrouped in
England after the Flanders defeat
The French figures presumably
represent the divisions on active or
potentially active battle fronts
about 100000 men out of a total
estimated force Of some 5,000,000
The remainder would represent
reserves, corps and army troops, sup
ply and other rearguard formations,
units being reformed after the bat
tie Of Flanders and troops in train
ing
The Germans are said to be using
40 divisions in the western often
sive, including five "panzer" or
armored divisions of about 1900
vehicles each, including armored
motor cycles.
These attacking divisions are
backed up by some of the IS divisions
which swept through Holland and
Belgium and now are resting in
reserve, while 20 Nazi divisions were
reported ranged along the Siegfried
Line. The French divisions in Gen.
Weygand's defense line are spread
over a 200-mile front, while the
Nazis have concentrated power a.
points of their offensive.
Against such odds, the experts
asserted, Generalissimo Weygand
cannot afford to spare more than
five divisions at different points for
small nter-offensives, and even
shifting of that many was termed
dangerous to his position.
Land Equipment.
Despite reported heavy losses Of
artillery left behind following the
Dunkerque withdrawal of the North
ern Allied forces, the French still are
said to maintain their superiority in
this category.
Reports reaching here today said
hundreds of carefully hidden French
"75s" have been used in the flexible
Weygand Line to smash German
mechanical units.
The French were said to be pitt
fully weak" in mechanical equip
ment, however, since much of their
equipment rushed into Belgium was
abandoned during the retreat.
Air Strength.
All sources agree that the Allies
are seriously outnumbered in the
air-especially since the threat of
italian intervention and German
air raids on the Rhone Valley forced
the French to send many crack
fighters to the south.
The main German attack was re-
ported to have the advantage of a
number of special air divisions which
have dive bombers and fighter
planes incorporated under the same
command as light and medium tank
units, with radio communication
between the air forces and tanks
enabling close cooperation in
action.