Evening star., 1940-05-27
Paris
Continued From First Page.)

| VAAO AA0AAOW 6dP III VIC AlllCu ullCS
north Of the Somme.
The French declared the corridor
was being raked by Allied artillery
and bombed without rest and that
the Germans were paying terrific
price to keep the breach open.
North of the corridor French,
British and Belgian forces were said
by the high command to be putting
up a successful defensive fight
against repeated German assaults.
Although slowly withdrawing from
Belgium, military spokesmen said
these forces were giving the Ger
mans so much trouble that they
could not concentrate on their op-
erations in Northern France.
Description of Lines.
The Allied lines in the North were
said to extend from point north OF
Ostend southwark to Courtrai and
thence along the west bank 0 the
Scheldt River toward Cambria.
From Cambria the line turns north
| west through Arras and st. Omer
to strike the coast between Boulogne
and Calais.
Gen. Maxine Weygand, the Allied
commander in chief, was reported
to have flown over the northern
armies yesterday to study their
position and later landed to confer
with their leaders
Military sources said these troops
were being kept we'll supplied
through Zeebrugge and Channel
ports further south. They also min
imized the danger the Allied forces
IN Belgium might be attacked from
the rear by German troops sepa-
rating them from the French armies
along the Somme.
Motorized troops who have played
large part in the Nazi drive to
the Channel would find the wet
clay ground Of Flanders, studded
everywhere with rugged vegetations
and criss-crossed by canals, an un-
propitious battlefield" one COM
mentator said.
The flying trip which Gen. Wey-
gand made to the army Of the north
duplicated a similar inspection tour
he made May 81.
On tnat occasion it was reported
that he and his aide-de-camp were
fired upon by German anti-aircraft
guns as they flew over the Nazl
lines in a powerful bomber. Three
German Messerschmitt fighters also
were said to have attacked the plane
only to be driven off by. six French
Moranes.
Hold on Southern Front.
South of the Somme and along
the front extending eastward to
Montmedy and the Luxembourg
border the French were said to be
holding everywhere.
At several points, according to the
high command, they took the initia-
tive along the Somme, establishing
new bridgeheads on the northern
oank and further narrowing the
Peronne Bapaume corridor - now
something less than 20 miles wide.
Further east, between the Aisne
and the Meuse Rivers, the deadly
accuracy of the famous French "75s"
were reported to have taken q tre-
mendouS toll as German infantry
attempted unsuccessfully to pierce
the Allied lines.
Stunned German soldiers wander
ing into the French positions were
said to have confirmed reports that
complete companies of .Nazi foot
troops were wiped out.
The French said bodies of Ger
mans were piled high" between the
lines.
Another German assault in the
Montmedy sector also was reported
repulsed with severe losses for the
attackers.
French military men gave high
praise to the Belgians for the part
they have been playing in the fight
ing in the north.
At Courtrai, 1t was said, the Bel
gians first gave ground under heavy
German attacks and surrendered
their foothold on the banks of the
Lys. A subsequent Belgian counter
attack, which the French War
Ministry described as exceptionally
courageous, was said to have re-
covered the lost ground.
Reviewing the general military
situation, Gen. Duval, writing in
lie Journal, said it appeared that
the first rush of the enemy has
almost come to an end"
Our soldiers" he said, 'lnave
maintained under fire all the ira
ditions'of valor and discipline Of our
army. Good blood will tell"