Allied armies smashed into the flanks of the German pocket in France late yesterday at its widest points along the Aisne River on the south and at Maubeuge on the north as fierce Allied counter-attacks marked Gen, Maxime Weygand's assumption of the supreme command of the Allied armies.
Held on the flanks, the Germans fought furiously to prevent Hitler's Blitzkrieg machine from being stalled on the Picardy plains and took the risky chance of throwing ten columns of motor-cycle troops and other motorized cavalry ahead to plant advance elements firmly on the Somme River, reports the United Press staff correspondent.
Although the German army continued its violent attacks today, the motorized Nazi troops failed to advance west of Saint Quentin and were driven back three times in the Rethel sector by French forces, military sources said today. French troops captured many small German detachments which crossed the Aisne River in the Rethel sector, it was stated.
Renewed German assaults in the Montmedy sector were repulsed this morning. Despite many heavy engagements along almost the entire front, there was no important change.
In the face of stubborn Allied resistance, 2,500 German tanks, backed by German motorized divisions, furiously attacked the Allied forces in the Somme Valley, heading for the English Channel, which is 65 miles away.
Constant reinforcements Kept the German divisions at full strength despite the French claims of terrible losses. columns as far as I was allowed to Heavy French concentrations awaitigo without sighting the invaders, aled the command to counter attack though the noise of the battle minute and attempt to halt the German drive. by minute grow louder. It was The military expert of the "Petit sible to judge the progress of the Parisien" pointed out today that the operation by watching the action of situation in the Somme Valley re~ the huge squadrons of German and mained "very grave, but it must not Alllied planes that clustered above be considered Impossible to attempt the battle and above the approaching a manoavre which will halt the columns, enemy despite the immensity of his Returning Allied aviators reported material means." He estimated, the that uninterrupted columns of Ger-Germans were using five motorized man tanks and other armoured cars divisions in the Somme Valley. filled every road through the Arden-"German tanks which are destroyed nes and down the Mouse and Sambre of disabled are immediately, replaced valleys, The German columns rolied such an effective manner," he said, steadily forward at a good speed, "thatthe number of tanks in use they said, maintaining about 30 mile throughout the battle is not less than fan hour when there wag no into those in use at the start of operations.' ference.
Allied bombers one after another Fleree Conflet Near Cambrat dived. in fierce bombing attacks Yesterday's most severe taliting against roads and bridges in an effort occurred on the rolling farm land east to halt the progress of the German thal "forest of Cama onthe Panzer divisions, the aviators said. cast ba ye Eseaut 'River Each time a bomb tore a great funnel found 'Montmedy. Near, Montmedy shaped hole in the road, wiping out the" "Germans.- threw at least Ave four or five tanks, others would divisions into' the murderous fre motely detour to the'side of the road foe Maginot "Line with no more round the obstacle and continue the results than the capture of one advance. Ahead and alongside the The outer Maginot easements, French Panzer divisions "rode motor-cycle Reports said. This outpost held. only troops who played the roles of motor. byrne machine-gun and seven French police, directing trae. Tt was their aid ions "who fought until the last Job to keep the divisions rolling Smoothly and when Allied bombers man was killed.
Pressure within the German pocket tore up the roads these motorcycle was definitely towards the west and troops guided the tanks along new orthewent yesterday, Prench military detours. feporis said The Germans appeared Very Little Actual Fighting To'be anying directly toward Amiens There was little anyone could see Sha Arras with their ultimate obof such a battle. There really was Jectives. the English "Channel ports very little fighting. The main G Calais and Dunkeraue. man army rode in trucks from 20 to 40 miles behind the tanks and the inside! Prance last night although the mow aver, was only thirty miles ain force of he German "Allied armies retreated in good order, always a few miles ahead of the ad-farthest point reached. by Tight vaneing Germans, Eonnalssanee troops itering into the 'Only' Allied artillery and tanks Somme. Valley was sixty miles inside wore useful against the armoured columns and they took an enormous toll. French 7 min. field guns Cambrai Evacuation Witnessed mowed down the German tanks suc-"was with the last troops cessfully, it was reported. The Ger-Ccambral yesterday when the Germans man advance was slowed down but ended inthe direction of that city not stopped by the action of French from the Sombre River, -T saw this artillery and tanks. average-sized city evacuated of all Job of the Allied tanks and its civilian residents. within six hours artillery in attempting to halt the despite the earlier destruction of its Teuton juggernaut was filled with one railway track and railway station terrible difculties, because the 3,000 German dive bombers." reports German planes used in the operation the correspondent, flew barely above the tree tops Gambral is typical of hundreds of front of the tanks to bomb and strafe French towns in that sector. which the Allied troops. are being fought over today after 20 Out at the point of the approach-Years of painful rising. from thelt ing German column were huge tanks Ruins of 1918, They were the marty? weighing as much as 70 tons,-which towns of the Great War, spit fire from two turret guns and Cambrai suffered particularly. Ale from four to six machine-guns, most nothing was ott of the town fast as one of them was damaged or txeept_a church siceple rising. above ran out of munitions or fuel It turn unrecognizable mass of bricks and ed off the road and another sprang fubble when the Great, War ended. up to take its place. Thus the steel Cambrai was built anew after 101 spearhead never weakened, despite the leveled debris of the old el increasingly intense Allied resistance.
Behind the hotel' where foreign correspondents were sheltered during Merciless Rain of Death their visit to Cambrai was an alr raid There were no witnesses to those Trench dug ina small, angular battles except the participants. Tt park." Ditéetly across the street would have" been impossible to rom this hotel was the best bombing Survive five minutes inthe terrific target in town—the railway station. fre which swept the fields, forests, 'The alt mid trenches had been dug roads and village streets knee high through tve feet' of plaster" and from thousands of machine guns, un-ribble and at that depth the diggers less under the protection of the steel lneovered a" sidewalk and paved plates or field guns or inside a tank. street of the old city 'AS the battle shifted back and forth, "Almost everyone living in Cambrai the Allied tanks returned steaming had lived in the city prior to 1014. hot to the rear to take on more fuel They had come back to the martyr ud munitions. The two or three ily knowing the horrors of war. Yet men comprising the crews of the {hey hesitated to believe reports tanks were blackened and sweatea. the German approach yesterday and 'They wore special leather helmets delayed their evacuation until the padded front and back to protect, Siuthorities sent trumpeters through them against' banging their heads ihe ety' and' ordered the mass against the steel walls of the tanks migration, as the monsters lumbered through the ditches of no-man's-land.
Nolse of Battle Grows Louder When a tank goes into battle all "Before leaving Cambrai" the cor-its visors are shut and clamped tight, respondent goes on, went in the leaving only small peepholes for the Gireetion of the approaching German driver to look through and through
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.