The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-05-20
Allied Armies Check
Nazi Drive For Paris
CONTINUED From Page -


regularly by the way Of Landrecies
and lie 'Cateau (Which the French
claimed TO hold. 10 the Perrone front
on the Somme and thence back
eastward to ST. quentin and along
the canal TO La Fere, on the Disc
river. This line protected the I'M
portant railroad crossroads Of
Amiens and Tergnier
From La Fere, the line ran
through the Laon sector to Rethel
on the Aisne river and thence to
Montmedy.
Military sources said that the
German drive from Rethel on Paris
had been abandoned because OF the
threat OF Allied counter attacks
which would permit the British
forces retiring through western Bel
gium to wheel and attack the Ger
man right flank.
Counter Attacks Frequent
(Weygand attempted two or per-
liaps three counter.aLsacks today,
designed 10 strike at the base Of the
German wedge. One was In the
Maubcge sector, another near Aon
and possibly a third on the Rethel-
Montmedy front. The Germans
claimed that both the Maubeuge
and l.aon threats had been re-
pulsed.>
All fighting continued extremely
confused, a military informant said,
witt, French, British and German
tanks interlaced and fighting q
series Of running engagements.
Gen. Maxine Weygand, new Al.
lied commander In chief, had thrown
specially armed anti-blltzgrieg units
and powerful tank attachments In
che lighting to Join the infantry
and the famous French 75-millimetre
field guns, firing point black at Ger
man tanks, into the battle.
The Germans were now using
motorcycle raiders to contact the
Allied advanced forces. As soon
as they had reached the Allied posi-
lions they raced back before their
own mechanical units arrived.
Repulsc German Attacks
This mornings communicate talked
OF repulsing German attacks, where
last week--until the French drove
the Germans back nine miles satur-
day In recapturing lie Cateau and
Landrecies-the communicates had
told only Of the power OF the Ger
man drive, and had shown the
French retreating, II slowly and
stubbornly.
Military experts figures that the
Germans had swung their south
westward drive to the west and
northwest In O new attempt to reach
the channel ports. 'r/
In the sector south Of the Serre
and along the Aisne river the Ger
mans made two futile attempts to
cross the AiSne and establish two
bridgeheads, an informant said.
The French drove back both at
tacks the informant asserted. Small
attachments did succeed In crossing
the Aisne yesterday afternoon, he
said. but were captured during the
night.
Beat Back Nasi Infantry
Informants said that the French
had repulsed heavy German infan-
try attacks In the Montmedy sector
at the end OF the Maginot Line;
throughout yesterday and during the
early hours Of this morning.
The German attack was preceded
by heaviest artillery preparation
Then the infantry attacked In waves
which the French, O military infor-
niant said, broke with considerable
losses to the Germans. The Germans
got one machine gun pill box for
their pains, 1t was said, q pill box
situated well In front OF the French
advanced fortifications.
Through the week, II was assert
ed, German attempts to pierce the
end Of the Maginot line In the Mont
medy sector had been repulsed with
heavy losses.
Gen. Weygand was expected 10 Or
der o general counters offensive 90
soon as opportunity might offer.
II was intimated that within q
few minutes Of his assumption OF
inadasai1fta faak night fr0ssa Gan