1940-05-22 — Page 1

FIGHTING ALLIED SPEECHES See Pages

RICKSHAW

BRAND CEYLON TEA

4 and 6

CHINA MAIL

OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN THE FAR EAST. ESTABLISHED 1845.

No. 310,36

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1940

Price: 10 Cts.

LATE FINAL

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Germans Concentrating On Drive To Channel CAMBRAI STILL IN ALLIED HANDS

(SPECIAL TO “CHINA MAIL "')

LONDON, TO-DAY. HOW NINTH

MILITARY QUarters staTE THE MAIN GERMAN EFFORTS ARE UN- DOUBTEDLY DIRECTED TOWARDS THE CHANNEL PORTS, WITH THE AIM OF CUTTING OFF COMMUNICATIONS OF THE NORTH- ERN WING OF THE ALLIED ARMIES.

The British Expeditionary Force is fighting well on the positions assigned to it. Authoritative quarters declare it is impossible to give a clear pic- ture of the general situation on the western front.

DIPLOMATIC TALKS IN WASHINGTON

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL") Washington, To-day.

Mr. Sumner Welles, Under-Secretary of State, conferred at length yes- terday with the British and French Ambassadors on the recent develop- ments on the Western Front. Havas.

B.E.F. IN FIERCE FIGHTING

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

Paris, To-day.

The French forces covering Laon, 70 miles north-east of Paris, were yesterday ordered to evacuate, but all Ger- man efforts to press forward since their occupation of the town have been easily thrown back.

ARMY FAILED

(SPECIAL, TO "CHINA MAIL")

Paris, To-day. During his address to the Senate yesterday, M. Rey- naud was highly critical of

the German break-through and creation of the "bulge."

The line of the Aisne is secure at all points, and the severest the collapse of the defence of fighting is taking place north of the Somme, round the Meuse which permitted Cambrai which is in Allied hands. Occupation of Arras and Amiens by ́ German forces came as a shock, but it is pointed out that in the present stage of the battle, in a war of and counter-manœuvre, infiltrations of this nature cannot al- ways be prevented.

manœuvre

(Continued from next Column.) destroyed and over these bridges passed German armoured divisions which completely disorganised troops still in process of deployment.

Not First Time

ed. At the outset of the last war. we found ourselves at tremendous dis- advantage in heavy artillery and machine-guns. Then there came the treacherous weapon of gas.

"We overcame those surprises then and we shall do it again." Havas.

The German troops at these two towns are In a highly precarious position unless the narrow gaps

But, said M. Reynaud, this is not through which the ground forces the first time we have been surpris- passed can be considerably widened. They may cause much disorganisa- tion, but cannot hold on except they get support from large forces. The French are loud in their praise for the magnificent work of the R.A.F. which they say will go down in his- tory as an example of heroic triumph over tremendous odds. They have in- tervened at critical stages of the battle on several occasions to smash the re- soluteness of German attacks.-Havas. Rhythm Of Attacks (SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL") Paris, To-day. The German attacks are continuing with their by now well-known rhythm -a push forward one day and then relative quiet.

Monday was apparently used to organlee the supply of their five or alx mechanised and armoured divisions.

(Continued on Page 20.)

(SPECIAL TO: “CHINA MAIL") Rome, To-day. Mussolini yesterday received · Gan- oral von Epp, leader of the German Colonial League. Havan

While no official confirma- VON EPP SEES IL DUCE tion has been received of the German capture of Abbeville military quarters assert that the German light -elements who captured Amiens and Arras number only thousands.

Very flerce fighting is

few

have repulsed all German attempts to cross the Aisne either east or west -pro- or at Rethel itself.

ceeding between the snow and The lines along the Somme

German forces.

Strenuous fighting is also

equally well held. pro- BESZFrom t

Bre

mohomme- to - the Rhine

geeding in the Cambra region, the French

where all German" Morte

been stopped..

Is in perfect condi

havo | tlon, and is settling."downrand best

The French forces are now taking. up new positions from which they

ng Itself. In the fade of --

aoks) with the maximum

He explained that when Germany invaded Belgium, the French and British troops moved rapidly into Belgium using Sedan as the pivot of·· the deployment..

Although they had the shortest distance to cover to reach their alloted position, more than half the French troops.con the Namur- Sedan sector had not reached, the Meuse when the German blow was atruck.

As a result, many bridges were not (Continued at foot of preceding Col.)

WEATHER FORECAST:—~East winds, fresh; cloudy, probably some rain.

HAVE AN H.B.-

HR

AND THEN TRY!