The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-05-17

toward the channel ports, or toward
Paris or behind the main Maginot
Line on the German French border
OR for all three
The Germans, pitting an estimated
l,000,000 highly armed, mechanical
and armored forces--aided by thou.
sands of airplanes-against possibly
1000 900 British, French and Belgian
troops claimed:
The capture OF Namur, Belgian
bastion protecting the Allied south
Belgium position.
Cracking Of the River Dyle lines
near Louvain. These lines protect
Brussels and here the Allies were
said TO be IN retreat.
Have penetrated so miles Of French
Notifications between Maubeuge to
Carognon, near Montmedy. The
French admitted the Germans
have reached the vicinity Of Rethel'
astride the River Aisne, only Is miles
from Rheims
Allies Face Danger
II the German claims are accurate
and they were partly confirmed at
many points by guarded admissions
Of the French high command and
French military quarters-the Allies
appeared TO face the imminent nee
essity OF q general counter offensive
ut all points or a general withdraw
oil TO new defense positions
German pressure was hammering
INCREASINGLY at the Allied lines-par-
ticularly a l5-mile front near LOU
vain, In front Of Brussels, and the
80.mile front between Mauberge and
Montmedy. Armored columns, led by
huge tanks and paced by literal
clouds Of bolnbardment and STRAIT
Ing aircraft, struck and struck again.
The Germans, II was plain, were
throwing everything into their drive
TO swing their armored columns
through the fertilization systems
and into the open country beyond
where they could swiftly fan out
cutting roads, railroads, smashing
communications centers and disor-
gambling the rear after the manner
employed IN Poland, In Holland and
TO a considerable extent In Norway.
90 Miles OF Paris
The German high command
claimed Its forces, presumably fly
Ing columns OF armored cars and
tanks, have penetrated TO within 90
miles OF Paris In the break-th through
between Maubeuge and Carignan,
neat Moontemedy.
II correct this claim would place
German forces well beyond Rheims.
However, IN Paris yesterday rumors
OF such an advance by al armored
column were flatly denied,
The capture Of two French gen.
erals and 10000 troops, apparently
along the River Meuse near Sedan
WaN claimed by the German high
cornmand which asserted that
French tanks trying TO countcr-at-
tack IN Belgium near Dinant had
been beaten off rs we'll as other
co,interattacks south of Sedan.
THE French indicated German adj.
vaNces had occurred but declared
they were OF substantially less depth
and breadth than claimed by the
Germans. They cited three crucial
sectors today-the Rethel area on
tho River AiSne, the Louvain front
In Belgium where the British have
been fighting off fierce attacks and
tho Sambrc River sector near Ma.
muir.
All war correspondents were Or
dcred back from the front to gen.
eral staff headquarters at the rear.
Very Serious Say London
In London. the situation was saia
In high quarters to be very &C.
rious." However, confidence was
expressed that the allies would be
able 10 counter the German smash
cs and II was asserted that there
had actually been "a slight improve
n1ent compared with that Of two
days ago"
Royal Air Force bombers, on al
most 24.hour duty since the start
OF the war In the Low Countries
and France, engaged In another
great bombing raid last night on the
German rear positions, concentra-
ton points and columns moving TO
the front Prime Minister Winston
Churchill, IL was revealed, visited
Paris with expert advisers yesterday
and discussed the situation with
Premier Paul Reynaud, War Min.
lister Eoouard Daladier and the Al
lied generalissimo, Maurice Gamelin.
Nervous peace continued In the
Balkans. The second contingent of
Australian expeditionary force ar.
rived In Egyrt Ell route TO Palestine.
New posters appeared In Rome, urg-
mig the seizure Of Corsica from
France. British, French and U. s.
diplomats advised their citizens to
leave Hungary. Tension was somc-
what less In Bucharest. New re-
StrictionS on foreigners were applied
In Jugoslavia and Cairo reported
Italian firms winding UP their bust
ness affairs.
An appeal for 1900 trained
nurses, 10000 auxiliary nurses, 1000
assistant nurses and 100000 nursing
aides was made in Britain In prep
aratjon for expected air raids.
Battle OF Monster Guns
Aeng the Maginot Line, far to
the east, a battle of monster guns
ragged. punctuated by the sharp
stacatto Of patrol clashes, and no
spot In western Europe was safe
from the peril of aerial bombs. Ger
man civilians did not escape. The
British air ministry announced that
further successful bombing at
tacks on military objectiveS"-one
of the euphemism in the official re-
porting of this battle, had been car.
ried out again during the night.
Paris was In no immediate danger
although the whole Paris region had
been declared a military zone. In
the first battle Of the Marine in
the World War, the Germans had
Btormed across the confluence OF
the Ourcq river with the Arne and
were finally held near Meaux, only
IA miles from the outskirts Of Paris
on Sept. 8, 1914.
This time, however, the armies
sx,ara fi0hfino with Suaa xNos1v fa,- -, r.y.<.