The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-06-10
France, Germany Are
Locked In Death Grip
Continued From Page u

Continued
Of the Seine and Disc rivers, about
Is miles northwest of Paris, mill
tary experts said.
The Germans had already reached
the Seine In unknown force.
Can Nazis Keep On?
The question now was whether the
Germans could continue, despite
trightful losses, the almost irresis-
tible momentum Of an offensive that
had forced the allied line to yield
and had brought the Germans to
within striking distance Of Gisoprs,
IS miles from Paris.
Military quarters described the
situation as extremely serious but
not desperate. French troops were
reported to be fighting with the
greatest determination and to be
making the Germans pay terrible
price for every mile they gained.
The great battle had spread as far
eastward as the Argonne forest yes
terday, after days of preparatory ar
tillery bombardment.
In the Gisors region, and at Rouen
and Point De L'Arche on the Seine,
to which German armored units had
pushed from FORCES Les Faux,
French and British airplanes swept
over the entire country, blasting
German tanks, armored cars and
motorized columns with bombs and
machine gun bullets.
Fight Elbow to Elbow.
On the main fronts, where Ger
man infantry sought to consolidate
the positions that its tanks had
reached, military experts said that
the Germans were fighting almost
elbow to elbow, in massed formation,
and that allied artillery and machine
guns were cutting them down by
thousands. "A veritable slaughter"
one expert called it.
There was anti-aircraft activity
throughout the night in the Paris
region.
The cabinet met at the Elysee
Palace for 90 minutes late last night,
under President Albert Lebrun, in
formal council of ministers TO dis
cuss the general military and diplo-
matte situation. No communique was
issued.
United States Ambassador william
G. Bullitt conferred with Premier
Paul Reynaud after the meeting.
Germans Roll Ahead
Berlin, June 10.(UP)-Germany's
offensive was oficially reported roll
ing forward on a 210-mile front into
France today after Nazi tank and air
forces had smashed the Allied main
defenses. broken up rear line posi-
lions and smashed all counter blows.
At some points, the high COM
mand said, the German advance
turned into a pursuit" of the
enemy. The official press said that
the Germans were smashing nearer
to Paris, Rouen and LIE Havre and
had taken hugh quantities Of food.
ammunition and arms. Allied staff
headquarters near Rheims were re-
ported heavily bombed from the air.
A battle of movement" such as
Is best suited to the German mech
anized forces Is now in progress and
has reached peak on the Eng
lish Channel, on the front south OF
the river Somme and south of Sois-
sons" the newspaper Nacht Ausgabe
said.
1.-THE battle Is now being extended
and the (Allied) defense line has
been broken completely In many
places"
The press generally predicted en-
try of Italy into the war "in a few
hours" as a result Of the German
gains, which included recapture OF
the north Norwegian port of Mar
vik.
| Unexpected Course
The communicate said that opera
lions on the 2l0-mile front were TAX
ing their expected course" in the
direction of the lower Seine river on
the western end OF tn Inc, toward
Champaign in the center and toward
the Marine valley road to Paris in
the east.
German airplanes supported the
advance of the army on the lower
Seine Tin the Rouen sector and pre-
sumably to cut off LIE Havre) and
In the champagne area, the COM
munique said.
Allied counter-attacks were made
with tanks, but failed. 1t added.
French Ports Bombed
The German air force heavily
bombed the harbor and quays at the
important French ports Of Cher
bourge and LIE Havre, according to
the communique. Numerous ships
In both ports as well as on the lower
Seine river were reported hit and
damaged.
One 5000 ton Allied troop ship
was set afire and destroyed, 1t said
THE British announced today that
additional fresh British troops had
been landed IN France.
A German U-boat returning To
port, according to the communicate
reporting the sinking Of $1,000 tons
|of enemy shipping.
Allied barraks, troop conccntra-
tons, Qualifications. batteries and
columns marching on the roads In
France were successfully attacked by
the German air force, the COM
munique said.
The Germans gave considerable
emphasis 10 the recapture Of Narvik
after al Allied forces had been
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