1940-06-08 — Page 1

'

Flying Standard Features The fitting of independent suspension: on à popular car 8 h.p. was hailed as a bold, move, but it is one which has bean widely endorsed, for the advan- tages of this system are readily apparent in vastly improved riding qualities and the fact that bad surface "coase to have an adverse effect on.

riding comfort,

Although capable of speeds of over 60 m.p.h., patrol.consumption works out at 45-48 m.p.g. on each of the various types in the Standard "Eight" range.

FAR EAST MOTORS

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for The South China Morning Post, Ltd,

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Dollar. TT. 18. 2/id. TVT- Nuw York-21 Lighting-Up Time:-7.00pm) High Waler: 10.02. Low Waler:-17.35.

Diprem

Hongkong Telegraph.

FOUNDED 3001

No. 10172

六拜禮 號八月六英港香

SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 1940.

日三月五

SINGLE COPY 10 CENTS

$38.00 PER ANNUM

NEW SELECTION. KLEINERT'S

BATHING CAPS

All cols. from $1.50 ea.

SNAPPY

BEACH HATS from $2.50 ea

WHITEAWAY'S

Destruction of Enemy Mechanised Battle Fleet Continues On Fabulous Scale As French Hold Advance at all Points: Unprecedented Fire of Shells and Bombs

GREAT BATTLE OF FRANCE RAGES WITH UNDIMINISHED FEROCITY

VON BRAUCHITSCH THROWS ALL RESERVES INTO BATTLE IN WIN OR LOSE GAMBLE

By RALPH HEINZEN

UNITED PRESS WAR CORRESPONDENT

PARIS, June 7 (UP).-In obedience to Generalissimo Weygand's famous Order of the Day ordering them "to keep the soul of France moving only ahead," the French Army to a man is now engaged between the English Chan- nel and Chemin-des-Dames in a great battle which has assumed such historical significance that it is now officially described as the "Battle of France."

The French Army is not only holding the advante of the hordes of German infantry: everywhere along the entire front they are continu- ing the destruction on a fabulous scale of enemy tanks and armoured

cars.

IN THE THREE DAYS OF the great' BATTLE, THE French have wiped OUT A QUARTER OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TANKS HITLER HAS THROWN

INTO THE BATTLE.

Cantigny

Assassinters

Gulscord Chauny

Lassigny NOYON

Moutdidier

Canny

remont

Sempigny-

Ribecourt

Clermont

DENTS

General Weygand's new tactics of permitting a limited number of PARIS the German Panzer divisions to rush through prepared holes in the French front lines to their own destruction is meeting with unqualified

-success.

Unprecedented Fire

Simultaneously, the Allies are concentrating an unprecedented fire of shells and bombs on tanks in other sections and on the infantry along the entire line.

As dawn broke this morning, General von Brauchitsch threw all his of men, tanks and artillery into the battle.

reserves

Forty German divisions behind two thousand tanks tried to emulate the earlier successes in Flanders.

Spirit of Verdun

But the spirit of Verdun has penetrated the French armies.

Every inch of abandoned territory has been ceded only at a terrific cost in

blood and lives-both German and French.

By dusk to-night von Brauchitsch's cover of tanks had been cut to barely 1,500 by the decimating of the large mechanised force which tried to penetrate the French rear-without-covering-protection from .. infantry and artillery.

Tempo Unabated

A French G.H.Q. spokesman told me to-night that the tempo of destruction had continued unabated throughout the day, but there has been no official estimate since this morning's announcement by the War Office that 400 land battleships and other armoured vehicles had been destroyed yesterday.

With the loss of these units of penetration the German pressure was noticeably weakened at several points to-day.

Three Main Axis

But there were still three main axis of German attacks-along the lower Somme around Abbeville in the direction of Dieppe and Blangy; against the great mass of French troops between Amiens and Peronne and chiefly at Péronne itself and against Chemins des Dames, the famous battlefield of the World War which lies between Soissons and Rethel.

Destruction of Tanks

The operation in the Chemins des Dames area appears to be halted in the Allotte River valley, the French continuing to hold both the northern crests along the river and stand across along the rolling hills south of the heights of the Aisne.

The Front Line

The approximate frönt to-night stretched from Rothel to the banks of the River Allette in the Chemin-dos-Dames aren, From near Laon the front curves sharply northwards to La Fere, and then to Paronne, on the River Somme. Westwards towards the English Channel, the front lines roughly follow the liver Semme through Amiens to Abbeville.

The Germans have advance positions on the Laon Road at La Fere, seven miles north of

Solssons.

Position at La Fere

Crépy.

Honteuil lenaudouin

Dammartin

Yorrcddest

ZAP

Sting lan

Audignicours *Epigny

Juvigny! SOISSONS

Courtecon

V.Brimant

CORMITY „Bermericourt

St Thierry-

Aithery REIMS An

ATTICHY tem

Nouv

CHEMIN DRY DAMS Craonne

Portavert

Pant Act

"Chomes Laverse sec

Terry

Broine

Villers

Chaudun Vilémonjare. Vierzy Harlennos

FISMES

Chouy Dulchy. Fere

-1

Neuilly

Mantra

RIHARGE

Lagny

Signy Sigarit

Crecy

Villeneuve

ຕ

SCALE OF MILED

10

15

Height & in Metres FIOMIPO-31SFO

20

Verneust

Javigonne,

Bunny

aint, Ach. Chatillon

Damery

Bchais

Coulommiers

Grand

Laferie.

Gaucher

Degny

Sth Moni

Montmira

ternay Séz

Champenoise

Machzu

Auderived

Thuity

SCENE OF THe mergest NAZI ALIAWN.—ine Quiminis nave launched their greatest attack with mechanised tultus in the Chemin-des-Domes area between Soissons and Laon, whose relationship to Paris is shown in the above map,

DIEPPE

ROUEN

Miles

CALAIS

BRLIGES. CHENT-

BRUSSELS.

TWERP

MALINES

LANDI

LIEGE

THE MAP ABOVE. shows relationship of Chemin-des-Dames to the general front, which is along the line of the Somme from the English Channideat Abbeville to Amiens; thence to Peronne. La Fare, Laon, Rethel and up to the frontier near Sedan.

BRITISH, ITALIAN TROOPS MASS ON ETHIOPIA BORDER

By Reynolds Packard

ROME, June 8, (UP) —Italy's entry into the war is considered inevitable to-day, as authorised circlos reported border incidents and the heavy massing of British and Italian troops on both sides of the Konya Ethiopia frontler.

These circle claim to day that either Haile Selassie The position at La Fere is being held by tanks and infantry because at that point the or one of his lowers is leading an army of 8,000 towards Germans engaged their heaviest amount of both tanks and Infantry in any singlo sector along the Abyssinia, despite the fact that London claims that the

Negus is still

Bathr

Page-5, Third Column

Naval Officer's Gallantry At Narvik

FIRST VICTORIA CROSS AWARDED

LONDON, June 7 (Reuter).

The first Victoria Cross of the war has been awarded to the late Captain G. M. Warburton- Lee.

Captain Warburton-Lee led the first destroyer attack on Narvik on April 10.

Orders were given by the Admiral- ty to attack the enemy and especially the store ships in whleh the Nazis had smuggled their soldiers up the Norwegian corridor and ani which they must depend for the efficiency of their defence. .

The following is an account of the. raid by Mr. Winston Churchill, who was then First Lard of the Admiral-*

ty:

"From nil we had heard, we thought the operations so hazardous! that we told the, Commander of the Destroyer Flotilia (Copt. Warburton- Leo) that he must be the sole judge whether to attack or not, and that: would support him whatever he; did and whatever happened,

wo

"He decided to attack. Five Dri-

tish destroyers steamed up Narvik Captain Warburton Lee, who had Fjord and engaged six Germun de- become the Arst recipient of the: V.0 stroyers of the latest and largest type in the present war. He commanded which were also supported by shore the Brillah destroyers which took batteries and guns newly

mounted part in the action in Narvik Fjord

ashore. HMS. Hunter was sunk and against superior: enemy forces. the Hardy was zo severely Injured

that she had to run ashore and be-

came a wreck. The Hotspur also re-unloaded stores of the German

-20

ceived serious damage and the de-pedition were sunk. In the action by stroyer Hostile received slight damage, the British destroyers. The remaining vessel, Havoc, * was untouched.

nction

"On the way out they met the German ship, Ravensteld, which was

"After a most determined against a superior force of larger and found to be carrying reserve ammuni more modern ships and in the face of tion to the landed German force. Tho gunfire from the share, the damaged vessel was blown up. Hotspur withdrow, covered by two Chpfala Warburton-Læc, vlio com- other destroyers,

Versanded the Hardy, WAT The German destroyers appeared jured in the operatit l'in no condition to attempt purnit. A fikcje wyna, kináchod, the

1,600 ton/German destroyar was, dork to swim abmal 200KYAKA apedoed-and believed sunk, and three cold water to itve A were left heavily' hit and burning, put their captainkon

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