The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-05-31
ALLIES STRIKE
COUNTER-BLOW
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alton have re.capturcd the Abbevillc
Germans who suffered heavy losses
region, wholly hopping up the
Germans who suffered heavy losses,
including 200 prisoners and several
entire motorized columns" the an
alysis said.
The official analysis did not defin-
ltely define the Abbeyille area re-
taken by the French. The import.
ant section there, however, lies
north OF the Somme river and that
would presumably give the Allies q
brldgehead and the basis Tor pos
siblc stab UP the coast toward bou-
lognc and Calais.
french sources indicated that this
thrust ut The German rear might
be OF much importance.
The French losses Included one
tank but were comparatively slight,
was stated
The official analysis said that
previous reports mat Germans
planes had bombed and sunk ITO
Briti6h hospital ships oil Dlcppe
had been confirmed.
There was little new information
concerning the fighting In FLANDERS.
Reports described the entire area,
on and IN from the Flanders coast
~ Ike great Volcano, and mill.
tary experts asserted that there had
never DGen u battle, tnu AL the
world, IN which 10 many men ana
machines were fighting N such q
bmall area.
Use Of Destructive Arms
Never tncy said, WAS " Ilkcly that
there had been such Intensity OF IRE
and such use OF destructive WGaps
onB 70 the square mile.
France had not given up hope
for its lost army, the rear guard, Jar
IN from the enamel, fighting iLB
way mile by bitter mile toward the
coaSt--to NEE, " they got there
nercile8S rain OF bombs and ma
machine gun bullets from German
planes SWGGplng the entire Sh0f0line,
TWO divisions " Wa8 now believed
had fought their way through; the
Allies had succeeded, " was now
known. IN opening the User river
DluiceB and flooding the area IN
from Neuport, They held the User
river line. ~ waB known that they
had succeeded IN flooding Oh area
south and southeast OF Dunkirk,
10 hold off any attack from tho Ger
man channel wedge side.
Race IN SIN On
- uIau ailii "a paaD nhiW1Dn tHn
French rear guard and the Ger
mans attacking from the Brugeb DE-
rection, only 80 miles away from
Dunnklrk that the British and
French were holding the Ysor line
while the lost army fought ltS way
There was q marrow corridor open |
gtiI for the French rear guard ~
the little pocket. ~ ran between
series Of hills N the CasBel region.
The Germans had Bt0rmed ana
taken M, Ca8BeI, But " was be-
lieyed, on the basis Of reports here,
that the allies SIN held others, ana
the French refused W give lp hope |
no long ~ their men had life lcft
IN them, Mothers and fathers,
sWecthGarts, children, oil over
France waited for BeWS OF the mon
who were fighting, many Of thcln
wounded, against Germans mhBbed
on three sides Of them and threat.
enlng 10 close IN on tho fourth Side.
Pressure On Lost Army
Strong German relnf0fGemchb |
reached the Mont CaBScl sector t0s
day, high military informant said,
and put eXGruClatlng pressure on
the lost army, How many men had
broken through and how many re-
manned entrapped WaB not known,
the informant said, but he ADDED
that II WAS hoped that the proper
ton could be aBG6rtalnGd late tos
day or tomorrow,
II was admitted that because Of
laek OF information, The high com
m0nd WAS able neither 70 confirm
nor deny claims that Gen, Rene
pri0ux, commanding the French
rear guard, had been captured A
military informant expressed doubt
Of the German claims, but sald that
certainly PrlOuX had chosen for
himself u most eHD0s6d position
IL personal command OF The rear
guard,
Belgian Cabinet Acts
parlb, May 81 up The Bel
glaH cabinet, ~ the name OF tbc
Belgian people, dcCreed today that
King Leopold could reign no longer
beGallge he WAB ~ tbG power u ~
invader and that the cabinet should
exert governmental power through"
out the war
The cabinet met NJ P0tlcfB last
night, N formal council Of NM
listers, 10 consider The position which
had arisen 81 The result Of W. Kings
gubmlBslni TO Adolf Hitler, ~ ags
reed Oh two deCreos and these we're
promulgated officially, M law, IN 81
Issue Of Tho Belgian official gov
eminent publication M0nltcur thls
morning,
cThe position was understood "
be- that the cabinet held that The
King could not be detbr0Bcd by The
government but that he could b.