The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-05-31

evacuating troops, while In progress,
was likely to require a day or two
TO become effective.
This indicated that the withdrawal
OF the Allied forces from the Elan
derS trap would require several more
days.
Speaking OF the numbers already
withdrawn, military experts said
that they are large"
Still Fighting On
II was made clear that with their
"Corunna line" established and hold
ing, the Allied army In Flanders was
fighting on as Warships, transports,
tugs and barges brought 10 England
new thousands Of French, British
and Belgian troops.
Meanwhile, London and Paris
prepared for an expected German
totalitarian attack.
This country, anxious over the fate
Of It's army trapped IN Flanders since
the surrender OF Belgian forces UNI
der the orders OF King Leopold,
thrilled TO news that the Allied line,
formed TO cover the retreat, was
holding and that as many as pos
sibc were being brought home.
Thousands OF the BEF, after ar"
riying on the coast, passed through
London today enroute TO their
homes on 48 hours special leave
All said that the cry had been For
Gods sake, give us more planes"
BcIglans Arc There
Under deadly fire Of German
aerial bombs and machine gun bull
lets, those men OF the British eX-
pedtionary force and the French
northern army, with those OF the
Belgians who had scorned their
kings order to submit themselves TO
Germany, came home TO tell the
story OF disastrous defeat and a
glorious fight
They, though exhausted and with
the flaming horror OF their ordeal
stu blazing IN their minds, live TO
fight again. But for untold thou-
sands Of their comrades, there was
now no way out. Estimates Of the
number OF men stu IN the Flanders
trap ran as high as 10000.
For many OF them, surrender TO
the Germans was the alternative TO
death.
1t was believed here that their
fight was far from over, and that
they would seek TO make their last
stand as historic as had been the
entire rear guard action OF the AL
lied northern army. which was
trapped when the Belgian king Or
dered his men 10 lay down their
arms.
At ports on the southeast coast
hundreds Of ships and boats, inter-
spersed with pufilng tugs which
towed coal barges. arrived crammed
with survivors Of the northern army
II was asserted that due TO close
cooperation Of the navy and air force
with the army, many more British
French and Belgian troops had
been evacuated than had been
thought physically possible.
But II was admitted that fearful
casualties seemed certain In the end
because II would be possible 10 EN-.
bark only part OF The army iSo-
lated north OF the Somme before
100000 driving Germans over.
whelmed those who were left.
Escape Hell on Earth
Az u Southeast English Port, May
81 (UP) AN estimated half OF the
British Expedltionary Force, witt,
Belgium and French comrades IN
arms, was reported back IN England
today, safely out OF n "hell on earth
through which they had fought a.
II IN q dream.
tOrglnal estimates OF The strength
OF the BEI' ranged from 100000 IA
$4,000. With French and Belgian
survivors OF the Flanders battle ar
irving with the British estimates
that half OF the BEF had been res
cued Indicated that the Allies had
achieved n brilliant withdrawalJ
The survivors had been pouring In
for three or four days and today
they still were coming between
lanes OF airshlps and under big
squadrons OF bombing and fighter
planes.
/ watched the troops pouring III
this morning and saw trainload after
trainload 30 out. At one time seven
ships locked In less than two houri
and the troops disembarked and en-
trained for their bases In England
within o half hour
The men were cheerful.
From the Lille pocket In which
the last OF the Allied rear guard
had remaired 10 hold Off the Ger
mans 10 the middle OF tho narrow
English Channel, there was an In
ferno OF fury.
Rifles, machine guns, field artil-
lery blazed on the FLANDERS fields
Great fleets OF German planes
hurled bombs and rained machine
gun fire down on the Allied troops
In the pocket along the roads,
along the beaches where the
wounded crouched In the shelter Of
the sand dunes.
On the larger OF the Allied war
ships In the -channel lane
gun crews sweated In turrcts ~
they maintained steady lombard.
ne1t OF the Flanders coast and the
naaffaigv fnr fsfilaa inland GFaai1iffR