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六拜體 號八十月五英港香 SATURDAY, MAY 18, 1940.
日二十月四:
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Whiteaway's
Communique Claims Brussels Fall, Government Moves to Ostend
"CONQUER OR DIE," TROOPS TOLD AS GERMAN OFFENSIVE BROADENS
FATE OF ALLIES BOUND UP IN PRESENT BATTLE
SPECIAL TO THE "TELEGRAPH"
PARIS, May 17 (UP).-General Gamelin, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied forces, has issued an Order for the Day which is reminiscent of the famous "Backs to the Wall" declaration by Field-Marshal Douglas Haig in the last world
war.
General Gamelin, in a gravely worded Order, declares) that the catchword to-day must be “Conquer or Dic."
Here is the text of his statement:
"The fate of our country, the Allies and the destiny of the world is bound up in the battle now taking place.
"English, Belgian and Polish soldiers, and foreign volun- teers are fighting on our side.
"The British air force is engaged up to the hilt like our own. "As always in the critical hours of history, the watchword to-day is 'Conquer or Die.'
"We must conquer."
Arras
St Quentin
Brussels
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Laan Mezieres
ARIS Reims
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Duisburg Essen
Aathen
Liege Cologne
"A arch
Longus
Verdun
FRANCE
Troyes
Dijon
50
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BRUSSELS-Grand'Place
POSITION ON A WESTERN FRONT GRAVE "REUTER"
INVADERS NOW WITHIN 25 MILES OF RHEIMS: "SERIOUS", SAYS FRENCH
PARIS, MAY 17 (REUTER)—THE MILITARY SITUATION ON THE WESTERN-FRONT-REMAINS VERY SERIOUS, ALTHOUGH THE IMPRESSION-THIS AFTERNOON IS THAT THINGS ARE SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN THEY WERE ON WEDNESDAY.
A French military spokesman to-day said that the Germans had resumed three attacks at dawn yesterday in three main directions as follows: 1-Against the positions held by the British troops in central
Belgium, notably at Louvain:
2-Into the large salient driven into France, north of Sedan. 3. At Sedan itself and south of it.
500 SQUARE MILE SALIENT
For the immediate present the most serious is the second drive north of Sedan. This is between Sambre and Rethel, which is about 25 miles south-west of Sedan and about the same distance north-east of Rheims.
A French communique issued this morning indicated that the Nazi salient here is from a line some 50 miles long along the frontier and LONDON, May 17 (Reuter).-It was learnt here extends anything up to 10 miles into France. from authoritative quarters this afternoon that the IMPORTANT SALIENT
position is considered grave and that the German armour-
ed divisions have broken through the French lines and penetrated some distance into French territory.
A French military spokesman said that this was an important salient.
The first thing to do is to run a ring round
BRUSSELS ENTERED,
The place which they have broken through is not the real the salient and curtain it by sending units to take SAYS NAZI
-Maginot Line-but-is-an-extension-covering-the-Belgian-frontier,---- which has been built in the last 12 months.
The dent in the line has now become a bulge.
410
The German successes mainly due to the new technique in clearing ground by heavy tank attacks, supported by low flying bombers:
In this respect, authoritative quar- ters say that the British Air Force has already put up a magnificent show.
R.A.F. Superior
The German
INTENSIVE AIR WAR
Big Fights Over The B.E.F. Area
LONDON, May 17 (Reuter).
up positions to stop further advances.
Then one must make up one's mind whether to counter-attack here or to counter-attack elsewhere. That job is for the High Command, he said. He indicated that good progress had been made towards curtaining the enemy's advance positions. MASSED TANKS AND PLANES
CLAIM
SPECIAL TO THE "TELEGRAPH"
BERLIN, MAY 17 (UP),- THE GERMANS CLAIM TO HAVE ENTERED BRUSSELS. A COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE NAZI High COMMAND TO. NIGHT READ; "AFTER THE | COLLAPSE OF THE BRITISH AND
LOUVAIN, GERMAN TROOPS THIS
FRENCH POSITIONS SOUTH OF EVENING MARCHED INTO BRUS-
SELS."
According to DNB, the official Nazi
Nothing is yet known about yesterday morning's All last night and throughout attacks. It is reliably reported that the Germans again neroplanes have to-day, intense air activity con-used massed tanks with bombing planes in close support. avolded conflict whenever possible tinued over the B.E.F. arca, says and man to man and machine to "Reuter's" special correspondent) The losses which the enemy must have suffered German nows agency,
during the last few days cannot possibly be estimated troops have reoccupied Louvain due to the lack of petrol in Germany Squadrons of British bombers but there is every reason to believe that they must have northern France.
therefore lack of practice for again attacked Nazi mechanised Die German pilots.
columns and tanks thrusting been heavy. The Germans, according to latest northwards.
machine the British Air Forces are with the B.E.F. definitely superior.
It is thought that this was possibly
Stuttgart Reutlingen
and
SWITZERLAND
havn
Germans Lost Thousand
the
The whole of the operation reports this afternoon, had gained considerable ground and on points Strong formations of enemy war-
seems to have been a desperate! have won the first round:-
planes also unched attacks but meragamble-in which the Nazis-ure! But it was only the first round have been beater off with heavy flinging all their strength into and statesmen in both London and los90s. Parls were equally confident of the ultimate result.
Up to 3 p.m. 21 German machines
The future line of German attacks have been destroyed by our alrerafi Is uncertain. It might be in the and many others, were so badly north west to cut off the Allied
damaged at i la very unlikely that munications or in the south west. they reached their buses.
com-
But meanwhile the French are gathering their resources to strike at both flanks of the bulge and there is reason to that
Planes In First Week uppose the Garmin
LONDON, May 17 (Reuter)-It is officially stated
ormoured divisions have already run out of their supplies of petrol.
Authoritative quarters in London estimated to-day that ave-sixths of
the total petrol supplies In Holland
that it is believed the German air force has lost over 1,000 aircraft since the invasion of the Low Countries. were destroyed before the Dutch
surrendered,
the fray regardless of losses. Compared With Vordun
Some quarters compare the battle of the Mcute with that of Verdun In the last war.
The battle at Verdun lasted a con- alderable time and they say that the present battle may go on for `days or
ASSISTANCE FOR even week with varying fortunes on
INDUSTRIES
Roosevelt Statement To Pressmen
elther side.
South of Sedan, where there là no comparable break-through, the Ger- Imana yesterday resumed the heavy altacks of the night and day before.
A French military spokesman, In- ; The Air Ministry states that blocked and marching troops were
dieating the fierceness of the fighting, to the losses - In the Low Pombed and machine-gunnod.
"Now” Positions Taken Up
~~~WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuter), said that the woods and villages-had -President Roosevelt told a Press been taken and re-taken during the Countries must be added losses The enemy were hampered and LONDON, May 17 (Router). The conferences to-day that the Govern-day. Some of them changed hands in Poland and Norway.
harassed at key points and UoBelgian High Command at noon to- ment would assial private industry in about five or alx times. mechanised unita received heavy day issued the following communique extending aircraft industries. The
from "somewhere in Belgium:"
Government might even construct-j
RAF, bombers again raided mili-casualties. tary' objectives in western Germany last night and, many direst hits were
รี
Bombers
mado
French Communique
In
There has been intense activity in connection with the operations new factories but would not operate PARIS, May 17 (Reuter)-TO-
"D underlaken by Allied forces and in them. obtained in these operations. None the BEF..area to-day.
{night's commenunique says "To-day the] of our altcraft`was lost.
close co-operation with Allied troops,
German attack developed on a mas In order to avoid the bottle-neck sive scale, not only in Belgium but repeated and Belgian troops have taken up new **Attacks were made by medium determined attacks on mechanised positions with calm and good order. due to the limited capacity of the the regions of Avesnes and Vervins,
columns, The enemy were supported bombers on enemy transports and by strong fighter protection: never which many units have taken part said that the Government might take the
"Despite many hard engagements in machine tool Industry, the President on those fronts the enemy chgoged petrol reserves round: Sedan and
greater part of his heavy
tank theless our bombers inflicted great since hostilities began, our army te over the machine tools which foreign divisions. The battle took several fires broke out.
on damage in low-flying attacks.
mains intact and retaina high individuals offered,
nepect of a veritable melee. Further Naxi Troops Bombed
Supporting the French army,
Situation Reassuring
Shortly before President Roosevelt to the east, the enemy attacked in the During yesterday enemy thrusts. In Blenheima made a norile to attack a
ppoke, the War Department asked region of Sedan and Montraedy with- the -- Meuson Valley zavero
and Bercely key positiors - at Gembloux
collaboration AGGERY POPCION-The vitnister of war. Belcice. Army Corps as the first step towards PLEASE Turn To Pago 4.
| Congress to remove the existing legla- out success. In close URVASELS DIY 12 (Balak) otrdienu, thy with the Rome All Force-mav bridges were blown up, ronde were PLEASE Turn To Page 4.
Ton continues its energetic PLEASE Turn To Pago 4. | building up the Force to ̃50,000.
morale."
the
LATEST
And
Further:Late Naks
and have also reached parts of
from German reports
the front adopt a jubilant
tone. Soys one: "The German successes in France are sensational. Our troops have broken the through the Maginot Line In south-from-Mastuge to~~Garignan along a 60-mile front. Thus the steel and concrete defence ring with which France was`encompassed от her custern frontier has been burat," Staggering Achievement Another Berlin message anys' that. well-informed military, sources there have described the, alleged. break- through on a 60-mile front as a slag- of German arms. ring.achievement
they express Indicated that this, does not neces- sarily mean the beginning of a de- claive and anal German-victory on the Western Front.
G
However, they spress caution and
Nazi milltary chlefs confess that the French can now be expected to launch a desperate attack from the south against the German flank as it swings to the north, recalling a similar- manoeuvre by the famed French "Taxi-cab" army in the first world war, when they attacked the right finnic of the German forces swinging southeast of Paris, and defeated the (Germans in the battle of the Marne.
Naxis Probable Manoeuvre Neutral experts now 'believe that: the Nazis will probably, attempt. 10 swing in a great are to the north towards the” English Channel, enä closing forces on a large woale many of which are believed to be. Ein north. Belgium and the mortheast corner of France.........
These observera point out that the martaltude
fest toole Namur arid broke through PLEASE Turn To Påga 4,