Evening star., 1940-05-12
Liege Fort and 1000 Men Taken
With Secret Weapon Nazis Claim
Entire Division
Stopped East
Of LUXEMBOURG
b. the Associated Press.

PARIS, May 11.-SeaSOned F'rench
troops in the Sierck region of the
Moselle River valley today beat of
the largest German attack on the
Maginot Line since the war started,
military sources reported. An en-
tire German division of $4,000 men
was said to have been halted in its
tracks.
The Nazi movement just east of
Luxembourg repeatedly was crushed
from the strongly fortified 'front.'
line positions to which outpost units
withdrew yesterday at the first
assault by Nazi advance guards.
Additional forces quartered in the
subterranean Maginot Line sup
ported the battle squads with
artillery and machine-gun fire and
tonight the military spokesman here
said the battle area was quieting
down.
At the same time, a French high
command communique said the Ger
mans had lost heavily IN fighting in
the southern part of Luxembourg.
Aim to Divert Allies.
In the Maginot Line fighting the
Germans apparently were attempt
ing to divert military forces from a
series of sharp engagements inside
Luxembourg.
French outposts east Of the Mo-
selle took the full brunt of the pre-
liminary offensive launched by the
Germans.
Under long prepared plan,
French advance guards swept the
attackers with a crumbling cross
fire while sending the alarm back
to sector headquarters.
The outnumbered outpost units
then withdrew slowly, maintaining
their fire while the French batteries
spat shells into the ranks of the
advancing Germans
The net result, based on preliln-
mary French reports while the bat
tie continued, was that the French
had withdrawn from a few out
posts while the Germans had gained
control of only a limited area be-
tween established front lines.
Meanwhile, Germany's "Blitzkrieg"
troops were said by French military
sources to have driven across the
Mas River in Southern Holland,
occupying the city of Maastricht, on
the Belgian frontier, and to have oc-
cupied the town of Arnhem, in East
Central Holland. tThe censor de-
1eted four words in this dispatch, ap-
parently relating to towns being
occupiedD
Allies Rushing Aid.
The allies were rushing troops to
the aid of the low countries, the
French communique revealed.
Our troops continued their ad-
vance across Belgium, aiding their
allied troops at various points by
the action Of their advance groups
the high command reported THE
advance is going on rapidly"
German troop landings on beaches
In the vicinity of The Hague have
caused troubled" situation in Hol-
land, military authorities said.
Dutch troops are reported resisting
the new threat with the aid of
British aviation.
The Germans first began to land
troops yesterday as their motorized
forces were crossing the Eastern
Dutch frontier.
British planes bombed and strafed
the beaches yesterday while the
Dutch troops attacked German
units. The landings began again
today. and this afternoon military
spokesmen said the situation was
uncertain, although the Dutch de-
tachments were reported to be in
control.
Some British troops have moved
up to reinforce Belgian forces,
military source said, while others
are advancing northward to sup
port the Dutch. He indicated prepa-
rations were going ahead for large
scale fighting which forecasters have
said might result in the most gi-
gantic battle of all times" -.
Drive to Cut Armies.
A military spokesman said the
Germans appeared to be throwing
their principal weight in the sttack
on Holland and Belgium against
the center or point OF liaison of the
Dutch and Belgian Armies.
This would be IN the Maastricht
area and northward, the attacks ex-
tending to around Arnhem, north
of the Rhine.
Fighting along Belgium's Albert
Canal was reported hourly increas-
ing in intensity.
On the soil of the little grand
(See PARIS, Page A-40