The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-05-17
MASSED GERMAN
TANKS ATTACK
Continued from Page u

morning as soon as. 1t was sufficient
ly light.
The government had ordered last
night that effective today the en-
tire Paris military region part OF the
army zone, and thus completely
militarized. The region includes the
Seine department, at Paris, the
Seine and Disc department 10 the
southwest. the Seine and Marine de-
partment TO the east and the Seine
inferieure department, northwest OF
Paris on the coast and fraction Of
the Eure department between there
and Paris.
High Command Report
This mornings high command
communique, No. 5ll Of the war,
said:
1.-THE battle continued yesterday
and throughout the night between
the Sambre river and the region
north Of Rethel as well as south OF
Sedan. Fighting was less Violent In
Belgium. There was nothing To re-
port from Lorraine and Alsace."
(The Maginot line proper.
From Montmedy TO Basic, switS-
erland, along the Maginot Line In
Guiding the Rhine area, there was
absolute calm, military informants
said.
The Germans were throwing all
their strength into the Mouse pock-
cts In q desperate win or lose gam
bic, according 10 reports here, be-
cause OF extremely heavy losses In
five days Of attack and thus were
skimping other fronts.
A high French authority, review
ing operations, admitted frankly
this morning that the situation on
the Mouse was difficult. But he
said also that the result Of opera
lions yesterday and during the
night permitted him TO have a gen.
orally favorable impression. The re-
suit Of the dawn attacks remained
10 be determined,
Fighting reached Its greatest In
tensity south OF Sedan yesterday, q
military informant said, and con.
tinued throughout the night.
Some villages and woods had
changed hands as many as five
times during a single day, 1t was as
serted.
Along World War Lines
Operations at that particular
point were along World War lines,
largely, 1t was said with infantry
bearing the brunt, supported solid
ly by artillery.
II was ct Louvair and Rethel and
along the Sambre, the points Of the
dawn attacks today. that Blitzkrieg
operations persisted.
The Germans were trying 10 break
out OF their pockets to reach the
sea and cut the allies off from Bel
GUM.
But the alternative was that they
must do so before the allies com.
pletely hemmed them IN what au-
thorities called terribly exposed
pockets and hammered them sys-
tematically TO bits with artillery
which was even now moving In on
them.
The French war office analyst
said that the French operations
were two-phased-first the entire
picket must be surrounded and the
German advance stemmed, second
ly the Germans In the pocket must
be destroyed by most intense artil-
lery action.
Then, he said, would come q
French counter offensive.
As field commanders reports
reached the war office during the
night 1t became apparent that the
French general staff considered that
operations were evolving satisfac-
torily and that achievements were
reaching the strained allied lines
normally.
German Pocket Small
The French said that the present
German pocket was very small COM
pared to the great pocket which en-
yeloped the French northern country
in 1914 before the Germans were
stopped by similar two-phase oper-
ations within few miles Of Paris
at the first battle Of the Marine.
Ralph Heinzen, at the front for
the United Press, arrived In Paris to-
day and disclosed that Gen. Gamelin
had ordered all correspondents with
the front forces to general stan rear
headquarters.
II travelled in refugee trains" he
said, land thus was able to watch
the army moving methodically with
ample reinforcements, apparently, to
keep the German pocket from BURST
ing.
IT saw whole trainloads Of reserve
tanks and artillery of all sizes roll
ing at SO miles an hour toward the
front, protected from German bomb
ers by darkness.
There is a noticeable reduction
Of German airplane activity behind
the front, although it'continues in
tense over the present action area
and the zone Immediately behind the
French lines.
1.-THE evacuation of the civil popu-
lation continues smoothly"
Some Nazi Setbacks
According TO French sources. the
new German attacks had been made
necessary because Of series OF local
setbacks caused by Allied counter
attacks.
Attacking fiercely In the Sedan
sector In q north-to-south thrust.
and at the same time striking west
ward across the Meuse. north OF
Sedan. the Germans were believed
TO be seeking TO execute the maneuver
Of Gen. Erich Ludendorff. Germany's
greatest World war strategist. IN at
tempting break through 10 the
French channel ports In his March,
1918. offensive.