The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1941-06-16
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warships engaging Z British
force Of two cruisers and four
destroyers.
One destroyer was reported
badly damaged and set afire In
IN attack by French naval
planes.
Counter attacking French
troops were said to have stopped
the British thrust toward Da.
mascus, according to these dis.
patches.
The British gave a different
picture.
Allied troops were said to be
clamping down on Damascus
from two sides less than five
miles from the city's gates,
while French troops defending
Beirut were forced out Of Sidon
and back to . lire only IL miles
nom the Lebanese capital.
Sidon, the French reported,
fell before the combined pound.
ing Of land forces and British
warships offshore and the British
said another column driving In.
land from captured Sidon had
taken Djezzine, II miles to the
east.
Associated Press Correspond
ent Edward Kennedy said that
this column-made up of Aus
tralians reinforced by several
British Observation-Disclosures to
force its way up the Litani river
valley to drive q wedge between
Damascus and Beirut, headquar.
tiers Of the French general, Henri
Dentz.
The French position at Kis-
soue, before which the attackers
have been stalled for several
days, also fell yesterday, the
British said. The French denied
it and made no acknowledgment
of the loss of Djezzine, although
acknowledging that the situation
in that sector was confused"
The greater part of the battle
for Syria will be won, the Brit
ish believe, when Damascus and
Beirut are taken. They are the
largest cities in the French man.
dates.
A British spokesman in Cairo
still voiced hope that things
Geld be settled amicably in
Syria but q London newspaper,
the News Chronicle, commented
that since Britain was fighting
for her life in Syria 1--WE GER
tainly cannot afford to add to
the danger by being over-careful
about saving a few Vich.' lives.
Vichy is not France"
Reports of an imminent break
between Germany and Soviet
Russia continued to engross Brit
ons, who were becoming con-
WINGED that the talk and the
troop movements were designed
to veil q new blow at Britain.
The News Chronicles Ahkars
correspondent said travellers from
Hungary and Rumania reported
the odcs are five to one Ger.
many will invade Russia within
a fortnight" but the Daily Her.
aid commented: 1T is not Russia
but the British commonwealth
which dominates Hitler's dreams
of conquest"
The war at sea had no letdown
during the weekend. The British
announ :ed the loss Of their 50th
destroyer-the new 1,600-ton
Jersey-but claimed they sank q
6,000-ton supply ship off the
Dutch coast.
The Germans said they sank
10 British merchant ships to-
falling $4,000 tons in the At
lantic, five by air attack and five
recently by submarine.
The United States, meanwhile,
placed on the active service list
six Danish ships, the first of a
refugee fleet Of "a foreign YES
sells taken into protective Gus
tody in American waters. The
remainder, including % Italian
and two German, will be taken
over, formally under new legisla-
ton rs fast as possible, the Mari
time Commission said.
The Germans said Britain's
total shipping losses thus far in
the war amounted to nearly
$4,000, 900 tons, or more than
the toll during the entire World
War.
The war in the air went on,
too. British bombers attacked
several cities in northern and
western Germany during the
night and there was light, scat
tered German air activity over
England.
In the Far Fast, u. s. Ambas-
sador TO Japan, Joseph G. Grew,
personally delivered to japanese
Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsu.
Okla . sharp note Of protest
against yesterdays japanese
bombing Of Chunsking. in which
bombs fell In the American safe
ty zone and narrowly missed the
u. s. gunboat Tutuila.
SCLo%o9