The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-05
GERMANY
GERMANS THREATEN
TOTAL DESTRUCTION
OF ALLIED ARMIES
Continued From Page One)

aged 10 cruisers, "a destroyers,
three torpedo boats, % other war
vessels, III transports and COM
mercial vessels in the Flanders
action-"one of the greatest catas-
trophies Of history"
German lives lost in the Fland-
ers battle were put at 1O,252, with
S,463 missing and 45,523 wounded.
1t was acknowledged that 432
German planes were lost, but it
was declared that the German ma
Wy lost no ships whatever.
The figure of 10,252 German dead
was almost exactly the loss an.
nounced by Adolf Hitler for the
Polish campaign.
Enemy Surprised
In short, curt phrases, the high
commands statement went on to
say that an unprepared enemy had
been so surprised by the great
force of the German attack and
by the novel German strategy that
the resistance of the worlds most
powerful Notifications crumbled
like cardboard.
1t said the rush of the German
mechanical troops to the English
channel was so swift as to be un-
precedented in military history.
AS an example of speed, it said
the Germans who reached Abbe-
vile, France, caught French troops
marching on the drill field, un-
aware that an enemy was within
miles. l
The announcement of the fall of
Conference.-The last Allied strong
hold in the north and the channel
port through which their fleeing
armies had streamed for days in the
historic retreat from Flanders-was
accompanied by the jubilant observa-
ton that now the entire French and
Belgian channel coast clear down
to the Somme estuary was in Ger
man control.
(The French said they had aban-
doned Dunkerque).
Smashing End
1t was the smashing end of cam
paign which the Germans claimed
brought them nearly 100000 prison
ers, sent the British expeditionary
force back to Dover and broke off
the spear point of the Allied defense
by the destruction of massed mech
anized forces.
A preliminary tabulation had de-
clared 100000 prisoners were taken
before the fall of Dunkerque.
But even more portentous than
this substantial end to the long and
bloody battle of Flanders was the
high command declaration that yes
terday's raids over the Paris area
had "succeeded in eliminating the
enemy air defense" and that 1O4
French planes had been shot down
in the skies and between 300 and
200 destroyed in sheds and on the
ground.
1t is a familiar German strategy
to insure air control before beginning
any vast ground movement and the
surprise attack on Paris was frank
ly termed by informed sources as a
mere aerial overture" to something
Csc.
Use Many BOmbers
The air raid on Paris was de-
scribed by eyewitnesses quoted in Of
ficial accounts as made by hundreds
of bombers-battle squadrons black.
ing the sky as far as the eye could
see.
Not only was the French air de-
fense declared to have been over
come, but it was said as we'll that
waves of dive-bombers which fol-
lowed the higher-flying machines had
caused destruction of French airport
facilities and runways and started
many fires and explosions.
After all this, said the high COM
mand, only nine Nazi planes were
missing.
The announcement of the capture
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