Paris, May 28.
Allied forces retreated along the Escaut River, on the north wall of the German corridor to the French coast again yesterday, French military quarters disclosed here last night.
The Allied retreat, it was said, followed the launching of a fierce, new German offensive which the German commander, Gen, Walter von Reichenau, was reported to have ordered without regard for German losses. French officers said "frightful losses" had been inflicted on the Germans by the retreating Allied troops.
The French military spokesman sai here last night that all available German reserves had been thrown into the wild Battle of Flanders. He said casualties in this battle have been higher than in the Battle of Verdun in the Great War.
Every German plane that could be spared from other fronts took part in the Flanders battle yesterday and at least 100 German planes were shot down, it was said.
French military circles reported at 8 pin. yesterday that the Courtrai-Menin battle was still raging along thirty mile front. The Germans were said to have achieved "partial success ses" but a decisive stage has not yet been reached in this battle.
Calais "Believed" Retained Meanwhile, French military circles here said they were no longer able to deny definitely that Calais had not fallen into German hands. They said, however, that they "believed" the strategic English Channel port was still in French hands, An earlier French war communique had asserted that Calais was in French hands but confirmed German. announcements of two days ago said that the Allies had lost Boulogne.
With only two important English Channel ports, Dunkirk and Ostend, definitely in Allied hands last night, the isolated Allied army of 1,000,000 men in the north was encircled' on three sides, The Germans meanwhile were gradually closing the gap behind the isolated Allied army and were inten-sifting efforts to cut the northern Allied force into three sections. One German column was advancing through the southern half of the Allied army toward Calais via Vimy while another column further north was attempting to reach Dunkirk via Ypres. The manceuvre threatened Dunkirk from the south and east—
United Press.
Allies Carrying On Paris, May 28.
"The military situation became grave in an unexpected manner with the capitulation of the King of the Belgians, whose army was engaged at the side of the French and British," states the latest French war communique, dealing with operations in France.
"The British are making up the situation, and are continuing to fight. On the rest of the front, there is nothing important to report" the communique concludes.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.