The Wilmington morning star., 1940-05-23
TRANCE
CHECK
GERMAN DRIVES

NIOllLllluCu lloll 0SS NV
with Premier Paul Reynaud and
General Weygand.
Their talk was not discussed in
detail, but many naturally believed
that when two forces like Weygand
and Churchill met some sort of bold
counterstroke might be expected.
Receives Bullitt
Premier Reynaud, after comforting
with Prime Minister Churchill, re-
ceived U. S. Ambassador William
Bullitt.
Hourly over the national radio was
repeated this message from General
Maxine Weygand, the Allied COM
mander-in-chief:
II am full of confidence if each
man does his duty with. a fierce
%energy!"
In an effort to present proof that
the German drive in northern
France had not cut communications
between the French army and the
Allied forces operating in Belgium,
the ministry of information declared
that Weygand had conferred with
the chiefs of the Franco-Belgian
commands in the north.
The Somme-Aisne line gave the AL.
lies their first firm positions since
the Germans broke through the
Meuse front on Frances northern
frontier last week and took from the
rear the Notifications lining the Bel.
gian border.
The line, running from west to
east through Amiens, Laon and
Rethel roughly rs miles north OF
Paris, was designed primarily to pre-
vent any new German drive deeper
into France.
1t backed up the British forces
who are fighting in the coastal sec.
tor north of the line in an effort to
keep a path open for the Allied
units coming back from Belgium and
to prevent the Germans from in
stalling their aviation on the Erg.
lish channel.
The bulk of the German forces
were reported in the Cambria sector
IS miles from the channel, in their
thrust west, and in the Neufchate]
sector Just above the Aisne in their
push south.
Rethel Occupied
French military dispatches &C.
knowledged that Rethel was occu'
pied by the Germans, but said they
had been unable to cross the Aisne
at Rethel or any other point.
This report was published by the
| semi-official Tolerance agency along
with a vigorous denial Of Italian re-
ports that the Germans already had
reached the channel and cut off the
Allied armies in Belgium.
1.-THE situation can in no way be
considered desperate" the agency
said.
Reporting that the Germans had
only 5000 men at Amiens, Tolerance
added: 1.-THE weakness Of these eff
f%ectives constituted the risk of the
operation. a risk which becomes all
the greater now that u armies are
completely in place on the positions
chosen after the break in the line
from Namur to Sedan"
Among the days declarations by
the ministry of information was
that the bridges of the Somme had
been destroyed to bar a further Ger
man thrust to the south.
Thus, said a military spokesman,
to cross the river the Germans would
need to bring up much heavier forces
than now seemed at hand. The Ger
mans were described fatty as having
been CHASED out" of Abbeville,
which is but II miles from the Eng
fish channel.
Of Arras-where % years ago 1872
900 Britishers fell before the city
was taken on May 5, 1917-a com.
munique said:
ENEMY pressure continued in the
! direction of the coast, taking the
form of raids carried out by small
motorized detachments. Arras is
now in OUR hands,"
French morale was the concern
not only of General Weygand but of
Premier Reynaud.
If France could but hold out for
one more month, he told the people.
she would be three quarters of the
way to victory"