Evening star., 1940-05-25

changed hands three times in 1914.
Between Roubaix and Valen-
ciennes, another sector Of the en-
velopment front, southeast Of Lille,
German troops attacked French
border Notifications, the high COM
mand said.
To the south, between Valen-
ciennes and Vimy, 1t was said that
"the attack on both sides of Douai
Is progressing In q northwestern
direction"
South Of Sedan, near the hinge Of
the big and little Maginot Lines,
sector Of the first German penetra-
tion into France, German troops I'm
recent days wrenched an important
hillside strong point from the en-
emey after stout fighting and kept it
despite heavy counterattacks."
Channel Ports Bombed.
The German air force lashed at
Allied lines threatening the two
sides Of its salient to the Channel,
which forms the lower jaw OF the
trap, and crashed bombs into Bel
gian and French Channel ports,
destroying or heavily damaging one
destroyer and seven merchant ships
or transports with a total tonnage
Of roughly 10000"
"An additional destroyer, as pre-
viously reported, was sunk by anti
aircraft artillery" said the COM
munique.
This destroyer had been identi-
fled by DNB, official news agency,
as French and the scene of the sink
ing as the English Channel.
German airmen were said to have
scored bomb hits on troop and tank
concentrations, marching columns,
rail lines, airports, anti-aircraft po-
sitions inland and artillery positions,
quays, shipyards, docks, moles and
gasoline storage tanks in Belgian
and French Channel ports.
The high command acknowledged
only seven planes missing In yes
terday's operations, as against an
Allied total Of 84-27 shot down in
air fighting, IA by anti-aircraft and
the remainder destroyed on the
ground.
New Air Attack st Narvik.
The air force was said to have
wrought fresh destruction in the
Narvik sector of far Northern Nor
way, where two cruisers were 80
seriously hit May 23 that they can
be regarded a total loss" and a
transport and two supply ships were
sunk and another damaged and a
large tanker hit.
The Germans holding Narvik
under Allied siege were reported
reinforced by mountain chasseur
units parachuted into the German
camp.
The German radio-apparently in
partial duplication Of the high COM
mand's communique - announced
that of Norway warplanes badly
damaged a British aircraft carrier,
put out Of commission a battleship,
sank one cruiser and two supply
ships and damaged still another
cruiser, two more supply ships and
a tanker.
"The battleship, which as pre-
viously reported, was badly hit in
the bow on the day before, was hit
on the stern by three new bombs, !"
the broadcast said. 'The vessel lay
motionless and made no further at
tempt to defend ITSELF"
Silent on Island Attack.
The German troops engaged in
the march on Calais were inspired
by the belief that their swift-mov-
ing assault was laying the ground
work for the long attack on
Great Britain.
Military authorities refused to
discuss this, but in some quarters
1t was predicted this phase in the
development Of the war might be-
come apparent within the next week.
Before any large-scale operation
can be aimed directly at England,
however, these sources pointed out,
1t would be highly desirable, If not
absolutely necessary, first to "elim-
mate the half million to a million
Allied forces trapped in the triangle
bounded on one side by the sea and
on the two other sides by German
armies.
Roughly, they drew the land sides
OF this triangle from Calais SOUTH
east for 80 miles to Cambria, and
from there almost due north to q
point on the coast north of the an
cient Belgian city Of Ghent.
To achieve elimination" of these
French, Belgian and British troops
and capture Of as much as possible
Of their excellent motorized equip
ment, increasing pressure was be-
ing applied from both sides.
Smash West Across Belgium.
In addition to the force driving
northwest from the Somme, other
German columns smashed west
across Belgium, cracking Scheldt
River fortif1cations and driving into
Ghent and Tournai.
It was admitted that the Allied
troops In what the Germans called
the sack" were putting up stub
born resistance, especially in the
regions Of Arras and Cambria. But
the Germans, who placed the center
OF Allied concentration in the
sack" at the strongly fortified in
dustrial city Of Lille, insisted they
had frustrated all Allied attempts In
this area to fight southwark and
effect q junction with the main
French Army along the Somme.
Public attention in Germany was
being focused more and more on
England as the chief enemy. Thus
q German air attack on two British
cr1,ianra NJ thu Norwaoiop nrA v,o,,t