Imperial Valley press., 1940-06-05
French Fight Back
To RepeI Attempt
OF Nazi Machine

OF Ndzi Machine
PARIS. Ju.sa ;. UPf-Eogty-fSe
German divisions supported by lR0e
dive tambing plaues 22a0 tanks an1
l5G00 motorized vehicles opened 4
mass attack or 4 ll0 mI.e front ot
the new French NeAgand Inc n
dawn today between tie English
channel and the AiSne rlver. hopl@s
to smash through 10 final victory
and force the Allies to Their knee
German artillery opened up 4 t2f-
rific bombardment at a III
Six hundred thousand German
infantrymen. 40 divisions. went
over the top at a. M under the
bombers which dived shriekng into
the Allied line
At Il a. m, after six hours of
furious fighting in which every
man knew that the fate of his coun-
try was at stake. the French high
command said II was tca early tc
show any indication OF the pro-
gresS Of tho battle.
Five meeham7ed divisions reor-
2anlzed from the 10 which started
the hltzknee attack en Holland
and Belgium May 10, backed up the
German infantry.
But this was an infantrv-artll-
lerv battle the greatest since the
World War. test of man against
man. the tlrSt real clash of the
masSed French and German armies
elnce this war stated.
Allies Waiting
The Allies had been awaiting the
attack for two weeks. As the Ger
man artillery opened its barrage at
4 a. m. the Allied field guns. long
trained opened up ON the German
batteries and began laying down a
murdercus barrage on the German
front lines.
The Germans advanced, in their
favorite massed formations. into
the full fury of the French fire.
backed nov by machine gun par
RACES which criSS-croSSed III lines
which il seemed almost impossible
they could pass.
Early reports to the high COM
mand were that the Germans We're
suffering enormous losses. But theH
came on.
The Allied artillery. hi5h COM
mand reports said. seemed to lave
the edge in firing power. III qlan-
tity and quality. up 10 IL 4. N, ai,d
German air losses were reported to
b. great Five lines censorcdo
Attack General
The German attack WAS 2eneral
on the entire Weygand front along
the Somme -Oise -Aisne line be-
tween Abbeville at the coastal end,
and the Laon- -SoissonS road and
The AlSne.
The middle Somme sector and
that part of the line east of the
Cise. on the German left wing.
were selected for the greatest Ger
man pressure Eight lines censor
ed
This operation involved tho cr-
tire sector east Of the OlSe river.
which had been natural corridor
of invasion for centuries of German
attacks. including that of 1870 on
Paris
Hitler va now gambling every
thing that he and Germany had
in a bid for quick. crushing VIC
tory
River Provides Defense
The wide. sWampy Somme pro-
vided a strong defense line for the
French and was natural tank
obstacle The French long prepa'-
ing for todays attack had blown up
all bridges except at few points
where they themselves held bridge
heads over the German side. They
had thrown back in series Of swift
local counter attacks in past weeks,
the Germans who held bridgeheads
or their side-intended jumping
off places for the tanks.
It was for this reason that the
German infantry attacked today.
protected by artillery and airplanes.
and the tanks awaited the possible
building of pontoon bridges.
The flower of France vas IN thc
Weygand Inc along tho Sommc rea
dy for the tcst Al the left end Gf
the Allied line, toward the sca
Wa British army of tho south
that part of thc original British
expedltionarv forcc which did not
go 10 Belgium II Was composed Il
some nf tho crack units Ct thr Er,
ilsh army but II was small and y
was up to France rs II had )ccn Il
Verdun III tho last war TO "A :
they shall not pass" and barI =
Up.
Drfenscs Strengthened
Cen Maxine Weygand lad
known for two weeks that the ,t-
tack was coming and tie French
positions had been strengthened
each hour By a series Of l.gataina
local counter attacks the French
had reduced the bridscheads along
he SOmme which TIC Germans had
taken as jumping off places Tor tic
final attack
Now the French held soIld lino
TIE WeYgand lnc as Il IS called. a,ld
il was up 10 the Germans 10 brcaf.
drross th" marsh@ multi channel
ri Sommc and smash tho Freach
amy # II could IN the tlr IL
ollt clash ~ thc War bcfHoan M. ?
II infantry forces
Tho German attack va Ic .rf-
cd par 0f the SchlIcft"n piaE
The first had been the great ; r.n2
through Holland and Belgium No