Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-22
Weygand Puzzled
Over Mystery Of
British Recall
They Did Not Obey
Me- French General
Reported us Saying

NSRSI tS0 Va ~ NY
CLANCY, ON THE FRENCH
SWISS FRONTIER Correspondence
of the Associated Press).-Ofhcers of
the high command, who talk freely
to friends from abroad say the war
still holds one great mystery for
them-why were the British forces
recalled through Dunkerque on the
very day they say all Allied COM
manders had chosen for a counter
offensive?
Gen. Maxine Weygand. the Allied
eeneralissimo at that time, Is re-
ported to express himself in talks
with friends as follows:
ON ma pas obeit"-"They did
not obey me"
BY they" he is said not to mean
his own troops, but the English first,
and then the Belgians
Veteran high officers of the French
Army in their post mortems say
without exception, however, to their
friends that the main cause of
Frances defeat was her own lack of
preparedness for modern warfare.
This is the story these officers tell
Of the counteroffensive that misfired:
Planned COMMUNICATIVE.
When Gen. Weygand took over,
the Germans already had sliced
through to the coast, chopping off
Belgian Army, a few Dutch units,
some French troops and the greater
part of the British.
Gen. Weygand whipped together
plans for a counteroffensive, and,
leaving his aides to carry out orders
to establish a solid French line on
the Somme, flew to confer with the
British commander. Lord Gort, and
King Leopold of the BelgianS.
The French say Lord Gort enthu-
siastically approved Weygand's plans
and that King Leopold also ap-
proved, although Gen Weygand was
uneasy at the apathy" of the Kings
army commander.
Gen. Weygand urge.i that the at
tack be made May 25, but Lord Gort
said he could not get ready by then,
and the two agreed or May 26.
The French were to strike at dawn
with artillery preparation, striking
north from Amiens and Peronne.
where the German corridor was less
than 20 miles wide The British,
who held Arras, were to launch a
drive south after the French had
reached certain objective, believed
to be hill near Bapaume.
Learn of British Retreat.
But, on the night of May Is, the
French say, they heard reports the
British were retreating from Dun
kerque. Later came Gort's official
confirmation, orders from London"
British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill said June that from the
moment that French defenses at
Sedan and on the Mouse were broken
at the end of the second week of
May, only a rapid retreat to Amiens
and the south would have saved the
British and French armies who had
entered Belgium at the appeal of the
Belgian King. But this strategical
plan was not Immediately realized
The French high command hoped
they would be able to close, the gap.
and the armies of the north were
under their tFrench) orders"
Despite British efforts to keep con-
tact with the French who were ito
have advanced across the Somme in
great strength" he said, the Ger
man eruption swept like a sharp
scythe" to Abbeville, and afterward
as far north as Boulogne.
This point, which the French ad-
mitted May 26 had been lost to the
Germans, Mr.. Churchill said, was
surrendered when the guards were
withdrawn by orders from this
country"
"A week ago. May 28), he said,
he feared only 10000 or 10000 of
Britain's army could be "re-em-
barked" This was the speech in
which he announced the successful
evacuation of 5000 men.
Brought About Collapse.
The disappointment at inability to
carry out the counter offensive after
all preparations were made, the
French say, had much to do with
the outnumbered, outarmed French
Army's rapid collapse thereafter.
Gen. Weygand's attitude Is said to
be: IF was commander in chief,
my orders, agreed upon by the high
commands of Britain and France,
should have been obeyed. I was
called in desperate hour to do a
desperate job. 1 did my best, but
I was not obeyed."
Even King Leopolds capitulation,
q bitter pill at the time, does not
worry French commanding officers
now as much as those orders from
London" and the rea sons for them