June 14.
With the German forces maintaining their pressure all along the line from the Channel to the French eastern frontier, it is appar= ent that the extra efforts which they have made between Rouen and Vernon, north of Paris, and from Crepy to Fore en Tardenois to the east bring the danger all the closer to Paris, Judging from the various reports to hand it seems ikely that General Weygand will fall back on Paris which may become the centre of a new defence line stretching along the Seine, and the Marne affording a natural obstacle' against which it is believed the Germans will expend their last efforts in this present attack. For the moment the Germans appear to be endeavouring to en trap large Allied forces in the area north and north-east of Paris, but it appears unlikely to "succeed because the two arms of the pincers have not bitten deeply enough Into the' Allied position to prevent the orderly withdrawal which it is reported already proceeding. The evacuation of Paris by the majority of its residents has been carried out in a manner least calculated to hinder the movements of the Allied troops, and the French Government apparently expects that the capital will, unless a miracle occurs, be invested on at least two slides, That is an unfortunate event which may have to be faced, for with the completest recklessness Herr Hitler is, throwing everything he has into the push'on Paris, and it will not be until the German forces are more completely exhausted than they are reported to be at present that any counter-stroke is to be expected from the Allies, It must here be emphasized that, despite the masses mon and material flung against them, the Allied line has not broken, remains intact, and that a determined rear-guard action being fought in a manner which does them infinite credit, Consequently, it during the next few days the present gradual retreat continues it need be no cause for surprise, and the situation though serious may rightly bbe regarded as by no means desperate, It Is as well to face the possibility that the enemy may reach Paris in the comparatively near future, and to face the prospect now is largely to discount it, If they suc-coed in doing so, they will have paid an er ormous price for it, for to the grievous losses inflicted upon the Germans during the Battle of Flanders must now be added the ormous casualties inflicted upon them in this rearguard action from the Somme, which; if anything, has been sterner than any seen up to the present in this gigantic struggle, place Germany's casualties in the neighbourhood of a million is, in the circumstances, no exaggeration, and the only question is as to how long the German high command can continue to sacrifice men in this wanton fashion. It has been suggested that Herr Hitler will seck to make good the wastage by calling upon Ttaly for reinforcements, It would be an enormous blow to his pride
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.