The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-06-25
FRANCE IS DONE
in PRESENT WAR
Continued from Page u

Albert Canal defenses, where the
Allies had planned to make their
first big stand.
Responding to the call for help
from King Leopold Of Belgium and
Queen Wilhelmina of the Neither
lands, the French army Of the north
and the British eXpeditionary force
left their bases behind the Belgian
French frontier Notifications and
rushed into Belgium.
The Allies original plan had been
to take up positions along the AL
bert Canal which formed the Bull
wark Of the Belgian defenses In the
east. But the speed with which the
Germans broke the Albert line
obliged the Allies to dig In on the
Antwery-Nam line.
The battle Of Flanders followed.
While o large German force was
hammering the Allies back in Bel
GUM, formidable German me-
chani2ed army rushed through
Luxembourg and crossed the Meuse
river on the Mamur-D inant- 0ivet
line.
5000 Naxi Tanks
The Germans opened the attack
along O S7-mile front held by two
French divisions of the Ninth army.
The Germans used 5000 tanks in
the drive. The French retired and
permitted the Germans to break
through o pivot Of the French front
formed by q line running from Sedan
to MeZieres 10 Charleville. The
Germans then drove southwest to-
ward the sea,
Their armies In Belgium threat
ened with isolation, the Allied high
commands issued an order to retreat
on May Is. The Belgian capitula-
ton and the withdrawal from Dun
kird followed.
The rout OF the French Ninth
Army resulted In the change in the
French high command. General
Maxine Weygand was recalled from
Syria to replace General Maurice
Gamelin. Weygand ordered gen.
eral withdrawal TO the Somme River
where he hoped - establish O new
line. But the Germans were too
strong. The German command was
able constantly to throw fresh re-
serves into the field,
. Pierce Somme Front
The Somme front was pierced as
the Germans hurled still new
mechanical divisions into the com.
bat. The French retired to the
Aisne River, but the Germans also
cracked that position.
BY this time the French hac
exhausted their reserves and the
Germans drove down TO the lower
Seine River sweeping southwark
along the channel coast,
Threatened by two linking move
ments, the French withdrew theil
forces defending Paris and REFORMED
their lines south Of the capital.
Traversing the lower Seine ant
the Marine, In the east, the Ger,
mans continued TO advance and the
French retired to line along thu
Loire. The piercing OF the French
defenses along the Marine was de-
cisive. Plunging southwark, tht
Germans occupied Dion. Lyon ans
Bellegarde, on the Swiss frontier
They took AK Les Bains on thu
last day Of the Battle OF France.
On the central front, meanwhile
the Germans crossed the Loire ant
pushed TO the new French position
along the Cher River where II joins
the Loire about u miles south o.
Tours. Successfully, the French
lost Orleans, Blois and Tours.
On the coast, the Germans pushet
southwark past Rochefert, taking
the shipbuildings port Of st. Naair'
and reached the estuary OF the
Gironde River, about IS miles north
Of Bordeaux.
During the armistice negotiations
the Germans had agreed to respect
o i5-mile circle around Bordeaux
where the French government hat
established O temporary capital az
ter fleeing from Tours.
One OF the last operations, ir
which the Germans reached thu
Swiss frontier, the French evacuated
the Maginot Line completely ane
were ordered to fight their way
southwark through o German rinG
Of troops.