THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 23, 1940.
SPEARHEAD OF NAZI THRUST HEAVILY BOMBED Column Intercepted On Road To Abbeville
Indescribable
Confusion On The Roads
London, To-day.
AN AIR MINISTRY BULLETIN describing Tues- day's attacks on the spearhead of the German thrust says that from the air the German ad- vance presented at times a picture of utter chaos.
Often bombing was made impossible because of the difficulty of identifying the enemy columns among the stream of refugees overtaken by the enemy's rapid advance.
On one enemy road 40 to 50 German lorries were
OVER MILLION UNDER ARMS IN RUMANIA
Paris, To-day.
A telegram from Bucharest says the majority of Rumania's reser- vists have been ordered to rejoin their units within 24 hours.
The measure does not affect workers on fortifications, rallways and road construction or those en- gaged in the oil and coal indus- tries.
it is estimated that 1,300,000 Rumanians are under arms.- Router.
RUMOUR
seen to be hopelessly intermingled with pedes- MONGERS
trians, ambulances, civilian cars, tradesmen's
vans and bicycles.
A convoy of armoured lorries three miles long was bombed by two low- flying Blenheims and fires were seen to break out among the vehicles,
Fast moving columns of light amoured fighting vehicles, escorted by motorcycle combinations, were intercepted on the main road north of Abbeville and successfully at- tacked.
Another column of amoured vehicles partially hidden in a wood near Abbe- ville was heavily bombed by a forma- tion of 11 Blenheims.
150 Bombs Dropped More than 150 bombs were dropped on this target and salvos were seen to fall close on each side of the column.
Main roads and railway bridges at strategic points were also bombed with the object of Impeding supplies and reinforcements to the enemy's advanced positions.
Throughout the day opposition was encountered from anti-aircraft batter- ies and pom-pom guns operating from mobile platforms and concentrated rifle fire-Reuter,
Rhineland Bombing
London, To-day.
The Air Ministry announce that during Tuesday night large forma- tions of R.A.F. bombers carried out
operations on military objectives and key points in Rhenish Prussia.
Many direct hits were registered on bridges, railway junctions and roll- ing stock.
was
again and a
Stavanger aerodrome bombed on Tuesday night large fire was seen to be burning as our aircraft left.
All day Tuesday our fighter air- craft carried out protective patrols. for our bombers over the battle areas in Belgium and northern France.
Many engagements were fought and at least 24 enemy aircraft destroyed or seriously damaged. Eight of our fighters are missing.
Of the very large force of aircraft engaged-in-both-day-and-night-bomb-- ing operations over-the battle areas in northern France and Belgium and Scandinavia, only five failed to re- turn.
ANOTHER MEDAL FOR GOERING
AT WORK
Paris, To-day.
A warning against tenden- tious rumours about condi- tions in France is given by an authorised French source.
Rome, To-day. King Victor has conferred the Su- preme Order of the Annunciation, Italy's highest decoration, on Field- Marshal Goering, to mark the first He declared that contrary to anniversary of the signing of the ports of seditious movementa and Italo-German Alliance.
risings and the alleged abandonment The order makes Goering a "cousin" of Paris by the Government, the of the King. Reuter.
(Continued at foot of Next Column)
re-
NAZI BOMBING ATTACK ON OSTEND
London, To-day.
A NAZI BOMBER ATTACK on Ostend was describ- ed yesterday by the South African Minister to the Netherlands and Belgium, on his arrival in London.
He and his family had to lie on the floor of their
hotel, the windows of which were all smashed.
There are thousands of refugees in
Eventually, they persuaded a farmer Belgium and Holland, and on the way to let them sleep in their car in a to France from Ostend they found the barn.-Reuter. roads simply covered with women
and children.
A member of his staff who ar rived in Paris a day later than he did told him that German 'planes had bombed and machine-gunned refugees on the road. "I did not see Minister.
it myself," said the
On their way to France, they had the greatest difficulty in finding shelter for the night. Two farms, scared of parachute troops, refused to open their doors.
a standstill.
Subacquent bombing raids were Interspersed with low level ma- ohinegun attacks, carried out by the light of slov.ly desconding para- chute flarus.
#
A direct hit was secured on train near Kerkade, a bomb burst- ing a third of the way down the line' of trucks..
Trains Bombed Threefold object of the raids was to attack roads and bridges across the River Meuse at Namur and to derail trains on railway lines west of the Rhine and to destroy w dam-way track south of Glesenkirchen. age railway centrés, junctio.is and marshalling yards in the east Ruhr.
A supply train ́on' the Aachen- Krefeld line was bombed four times within a few minutes by a Hampden bomber whose first salvo wrecked the track ahead bringing, the train to
Another hit-was-registered from a height of 600 feet on the main” rail-
yard
near
In a marshalling Aachen hits were acorad with 36 high explosive bombs. Two long wagons were seen to blow up following an attack by a Hampden bomber on a supply train Erkelenz.-Reuter.
near
ZORIC
"Odourless
Air Condition Dry Cleaning
with "WINDO" Moth Proof Storage Bags
MAKES SUMMER. STORAGE DOUBLY
SAFE
THE
STEAM LAUNDRY COMPANY
::་
Head Office & Works Gloucester Bldg, 2nd Flr, . Hong Kong Depot Peak Depot
Kowloon Depot.
Tel.
MORE TANKS SHELLS AND GUNS DEMANDED
tanks
London, To-day. More shells, more and more guns were de- manded by Mr. Herbert Mor- rison, the new Minister of Supply, in a broadcast last night.
"Now that the full pressure of the war is upon us," he declared, "the drive behind the work must increase, its pace must quicken, its scope ex- tend.
"The Department which I con- trol must lay hands
upon those materials which are needed for its work and will leave for the civil population a harder and sterner way of life than we have been used to.
""The workers were right to expect fair play but what neither we nor you can tolerate is the fooling about of irresponsible mischief-makers who, for all you know, may be Fifth Co-
lumn elements.
"We are going to curtall our plea- sures and our comforts, and blot out every thought of private sectional alms, thinking only of arms for our men-arms for vic- tory and liberty."-Reuter.
SAVINGS NOT AFFECTED BY NEW POWERS
London, To-day.
Sir Robert Kindersley, the famous economist, in a speech yesterday said he was authorised by Mr. Attlee. to. give an assurance that personal sav the Emergency Powers Act. Reuter. ings would be in no way affected by
normal public services are in opera- tion.
Impartial observers in Paris and the provinces bear testimony to the sang-froid and patriotic resolution with which the nation has received the influx of refugees from the north.
-Reuter.
FREE -
until
further notice
"Windo" ONE...
and Moth Proof 8tor-
Bag age
57082
Tel. 28938.
Tel. 21279
Tel. 39952
Tel, 58845
Dry Garment Hanger
with
each
oleaning Order of
Clothing
ONLY
amounting to
$2.75
or