Evening star., 1940-05-18
Allies Retreat
Declared Rout
In Some Places
BY LOUIS p. LOCHNER.
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent.

BERLIN, May 18.-Germany's
mighty forces raced into strategic
Antwerp today while to the south
their left wing thundered to within
so miles of Paris, authorized sources
said, and to the north their right
wing mopped up in Southern Hol-
land, where resistance on islands OF
iceland Province crumbled.
Heavy attacks by Nazi warplanes
against enemy troops reeling back
under the impact of the onrushing
warriors were reported by the high
command to have turned the allied
withdrawal into a retreat which "at
q number of places resembled a
rout."
High Points Of Drive.
Three high points of the pounding
drive in the west toward Belgian and
French channel ports facing Eng
land and toward Paris stood out in
German reports:
/. Advance guards in Northern
France cut through to within 80
miles of Paris while the main army
is within 100 miles Of the French
capital. paris, however, insisted
the Germans at no point were
nearer than 100 miles)
2. Antwerp was entered today and
the swastika flag raised over the
City Hall following yesterdays sweep
in Belgium which netted Brussels,
28 miles south Of Antwerp, Mechelen
(Malines) and Louvain.
3. The last vestiges of Dutch re-
sistance on Walcheren Island, part
Of iceland Province, was eliminated
as the Dutch Army commander
offered his capitulation, while on
the islands of Schouwen and South
Beveland more than 1000 Dutch and
French were captured.
Dash at French Capital.
After smashing a 62-mile-wide
wide hole in Northern France ir the
Maubeuge- -Montmery region, the
German Army dashed on madly In
a rush for the French capital.
The German high command
etched in stark language the speed
and the weight of the drive south
of Maubeuge, which is about 120
miles airline northeast of Paris.
1t said:
South of Maubeuge German
armored forces penetrated French
frontier fortifications, dispersed two
enemy divisions and pursued the
receating enemy beyond the upper
sanibre (River) in a southwark
direction as far as the uppor Oise
fEiveD.
Infantry divisions are now closely
following up in tremendous marches.
Many among the defeated French
troops were made prisoners and
large supplies captured"
South of there, south OF Sedan
in the region where the main Magi-
not Line has its western anchorage,
the high command said I'VE gained
ground in a southerly direction"
Forts Broken at 2 Places.
The entry into Antwerp, important
and heavily fortified port at. the
AioI Iilclll cIlu VI OllC duACu AAAASo, "0o
reported by the German official news
agency at almost the same time as
the high command communiQue, re-
viewing yesterdays developments.
had announced I'VE succeeded in
breaking into the outer ring of the
Antwerp fortresses at two places" i"
CA Belgian communique said
Belgian troops "in Antwerp
province especially" inflicted
heavy losses on the Germans.
British and French spokesmen
said the withdrawal in Central
Belgium followed plan and was
made necessary because of devel-
opments in the south0
Cleaning up resistance in the
province of iceland in the Neither
lands northwest of Antwerp and
seizure of Antwerp will enable the
Germans to aim for ciiannel bases
facing England and t. seek to turn
the allied flank downward toward
Paris.
The high command reported that
newly seized Dutch coastal batteries
(See BERLIN page A-1rl