The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-05-20

lied forces appeared to have had
some effect.
The Germans claimed little or
no gain on the Montmedy- Rethel
front, which had menaced Paris.
They claimed st. Quentin, an i'm
portant railroad town, but the
French said that only a motorcycle
unit had reached that town and
had been driven out by the French.
The Germans did indicate an ad-
vance north OF ST. Quentin toward
Peronne and Cambria but did not
say how far they had advanced
there,
The French also indicated they
had given some ground In the st.
Quentin area, but at least the Ger
man progress was much slower.
On the other hand. the Allies APP
peared to be abandoning virtually
all Of Belgium, although a stand
might be made along the Scheldt
river in an effort 10 keep the Ger
mans away from the coast oppo-
site England.
French Play Havoc
gLondon heard that Weygand, the
new Allied commander IN chief had
ordered a er-offensive against
the German bulge on the horth-
ern French plains, and French front
dispatches said that French tanks
and rs millimeter field pieces were
playing havoc with the wedge
shaped columns OF German tanks,
The Allied ti-blitzkreig assault
had begun none too soon. The
Germans were 65 miles from Paris;
IS from the French channel ports.
They were storming through Bel
gium, go miles from the Belgian
Coast and the British, mainstay of
The Belgian defense line, had am
Ynitted that they might be forced
out OF Belgium altogether, to make
q stand at Dunkerque, France, only
20 miles from Dover.
The withdrawal OF Allied forces
from Belgium, threatening the
German left flank in France, was
said 10 be one reason for the Ger
mans abandoning their attack on
Paris.
British Bombers Strike
British bombers struck across
western Europe's lowlands early to-
day at Gcrmany's communications
and the heart OF Germany's mech
ani2ed armies-the oil depots, the
air ministry said.
!, 1t said that selected military OBJ
tective" In Western Germany were
attached, chiefly the vast oil reserve
supplies at Hamburg, Bremen and
Hanover. British pilots we're quoted
that the night skies above the three
cities were ablaze from fires con-
cunning GermanyS vital fuel sup
plies, already seriously depleted by
The advance Of mechanical troops
In France and Belgium.
British bombers for three nights
have blasted at the German lines
In Belgium and the oil depots.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill
said that during the first 40 hours
Of successive raids "oil refineries"
had been attacked, presumably at
Leuna In the Ruhr, headquarters OF
German synthetic gasoline produce
ton.
Ieuna's 70 reiineries, with storage
tanks and huge compressorS, are
$50 miles from the French frontier
They produce o large part OF Ger.
mans 100000 tons Of synthetic
gasoline.
Relieve Front Pressure
4 At the same time the Royal Air
force was credited with relieving
pressure on the front by continuous
harrassment OF com, m unications
lines, bombing Of bridges, railway
functions and sidings bombing and
strefing troop concentrations and
highway conveys; bombing air.
dromes and scoring an increasingly
large number OF kills" against the
German bombers.
\ Germany unquestionably already
BIAS made serious inroads Into her
gasoline supply, since an estimated
total OF - tank divisions have been
thrown into the Baltic OF the
Bulge"-totaling about 5000 tanks
m the ratio Of one heavy tank, four
medium, and six light, requiring
about 100000 tons Of galoline before
The offensive got under way. The
heavy tanks eat up six gallons Of
Gasoline per mile. the medium size
two gallons, and the light ones, one
gallon, not including the great con-
sumption by the supply and trans
port vehicles.
: An air ministry communique said.
specifically. that a formation Of
night bombers claimed direct hits
On oil tanks at Hanover and that
Hudson planes successfully attacked
tanks at Hamburg and Bremen.
British bombers In Belgium and
France Saturday shot down at least
20 enemy planes, the communique
kaid the British fighters downed at
least three and possibly seven Helm
kels near Brussels.
French Tanks Win
/. French tanks have gone into &C.