Evening star., 1940-05-20
Aim Now to Destroy British Army;
Germans Claim 2O-3OMi|e Gains:
Allies Prepare Counter-Offensives
Enemy's Attacks
Beaten Back,
Berlin Says
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BERLIN, May 20.-The Ger
man drive across France veered
today toward the English Chan
mel, apparently with the aim of
destroying the British Army.
Although the high command
did not definitely state its OBJ
jectives, the German commu-
nique pointed out that Nazi
forces had struck westward
off the road to Paris-and had
gained 20 to 80 miles on line
northward from St. Quentin be-
tween Peronne and Cambria.
Germans estimated that a
successful drive to the coast
might isolate 100000 British
soldiers on the allies northern
flank.
Counter Attacks Beaten Back.
They said allied counter attacks
In the st. Quentin -Peronne-C Cam
brai salient-the Somme Battlefield
of 19l6-and near the Belgian bor-
der between Maubeuge and Valen-
ciennes had been beaten back.
The high command declared the
pounding German onslaughts were
splitting the allies--the British fall
ing back toward the channel and the
Belgians and French seeking
southern outlet toward Valenciennes
and Maubeuge.
Capture of the inner fort system
at Liege as we'll as all but one fort
at Namur, was claimed by the high
command. CA British military
spokesman said the Belgians still
were holding Liege and Namur)
Germans, it said. are pursuing the
allies in Belgium, have crossed the
Dendre River west of Brussels and
reached the upper Scheldt River
west of Antwerp.
Allies Severely Shattered"
The retreat between Valenciennes
ana Maubeuge, the communique de-
clared. cost the allies their heaviest
losses especially armored
troops"
The enemy, after vain attempt
to break through, is retreating west
ward severely shattered" it said
Southwest of there our motorized
and armored troops reached the
Somme battlefield of 1916 on the
line of Cambrai-Peronne.
"Stukas dive-bombers), fighting
and destroyer plane squadrons de-
stroyed an armored column moving
north from Laon and forced them
to turn back"
The whole German maneuver of
plunging deeply into France-al-
most half way to Paris in 10 days
regardless of the masses of French,
Belgian and British forces on both.
f1anks. is testimony to the Nazis'
amazing confidence in their air
force and armored divisions.
To protect their exposed fanks,
which are as far west and south
as st. Quentin and LIE Cateau,' and
as far east as Rethel, the high
command has stressed for three days
running how the air force has been
hammering allied efforts to bring up
reinforcements.
Weygand Naming Derided.
That the allies realize the gravity
of their situation Germans said
was disclosed in their replacement
of Gen. Maurice Gustave Gamelin
by Gen. Maxine Weygand as allied
commander in chief.
The switch brought only derision
from German commentators, who
declared Gen. Weygand was an old
style fighter, who cannot meet the
modern German attack.
One authorized source, remarking
that the French cling to "the magic
of the past to rejuvenate the pres
ent." declared it is beyond German
understanding that the general staff
could be changed at the present,
critical hour unless it means mill
tary confusion in France.
In their thrust into France to the
vicinity of ST. Quentin, the Ger
mans advanced on an extremely
narrow line, which easily might
have been pinched off with heavy
losses except for the evident over
whelming Nazi air and armored
superiority
Since that -day-old drive,
the Germans have broadened their
narrow hold to salient fully as
wide as it is deep, an irregular
block 40 or SO miles long.
Anglo-French Rift Seen.
The Germans express confidence
that there is serious rift between
the British and French. They insist
the British are demanding pro-
lection for the channel ports-op-
posite England-and are withdraw
ing their army in that direction
while the French want to protect
Paris and as much of northern
France as possible.
1t seems likely that the heavy
drive toward the channel has been
launched on the heels of the first