Hitler yesterday hurled a hundred divisions against the numerically inferior Allied troops who are holding the long line from the sea to Sedan. In the Bresle River area, the Nazi attack slackened off somewhat, while French planes bombed the three hundred tanks which had filtered through the lines as far as Forges-les-Eaux, and the French rushed troops and mechanized forces up to try to wipe out these tanks.
Attempts by the Nazis to break through with infantry in support of the tanks were all repulsed. From Aumale to Noyon, over a ninety mile front, one of the fiercest battles in history was seen, with the French withdrawing to prepared positions between these two points, owing to a possible threat to their flank as a result of German gains east of Soissons. Late last might news of another fierce attack, this time in the east around Rethel, said that the Germans had extended their offensive to include the French front between Chateau-Porcien and Lo Chesne, the former about eight miles to the west of Rethel and the latter about twenty miles to the east of the same city.
Populeux.
circles here declare that ired column which reached Forges-les-Eaux area two days considerable losses 'a violent counter-attack. Only a few units succeeded in effecting a small advance towards, the South-west.
Earlier Drives Fail "The apparent attempt made by strategists to deal a servers here said today, pointing out the change in German tactics.
German military operations yesterday consisted in a further reduction of the fighting front and, according to the theory of the blitzkrieg, a concentration on this reduced front of an enormous force which was believed able to crush all resistance placed in its path.
Consequently, the German High counter- Command abandoned all its efforts along the Bresle river and launched its offensive on a ninety mile front between Aumale and Noyon. Four tanks, forming a solid wall front of 500,000 soldiers, advanced dawn against the French lines to start what is perhaps the most power-push ever seen in his-by positions somewhat behind those they occupied in the morning, but the gigantic drive fell short of its aim:
final decision, The huge German did not carry and the German d suffered enormous losses for a small territorial advance. of terrible fighting. may an extremely important future operations, as the now unmasked their and have shown where they in-their final blow, thus ing the possibility of a sur-on another front. situation makes it again the French High Com-take the initiative in opera-
Finally, while it would be pre-pesterous to declare that the French army has not suffered during the present battle, it is nevertheless true that its losses cannot be compared to those of the Germans, not only in Quantity but also in military impor-Hitler has thrown into the his best-trained troops "and it be difficult for him to replace and non-commissioned form the backbone of who met their death attacks of the past the other hand, ers and N.CO/s, who been acknowledged as being the world, are practically intact and will prove a decisive element in battles to come.—Havas.
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During the eight months -which followed the campaign in Poland, German war factories barely more than replaced the tanks and armoured cars destroyed: by the Polish army, the French reports claimed. At the start of the invasion of Belgium, the French officially estimated the Germans had 5,000 tanks and armoured cars, of which on were said to have been destroyed or temporarily put out of action. Those salvaged, and the Dutch and Belgian tanks picked up by the German armies on the way enabled the Germans to enter the Battle of the Somme with 3500 to 4000 tanks, the French said. Two thousand were said to have been put into action on the second day of this battle, they declared.
More Tanks Thrown In When 600 tanks were destroyed, the French reports continued, the Germans were said to have thrown &n equivalent number of new tanks into the fight,, There are still 000 German ' tanks engaged in action, some as deep as 15 miles behind the French lines, the French reports claim. That left slim reserves, they said, and some French experts considered that Germany had in all, less tanks than the French and British combined, that had the advantage in being able to concentrate them on a narrow front, where their weight would be felt, while the Allies were obliged to scatter their tanks from the north front to the Maginot Line and keep a few to face the uncertain Alpine and Mediterranean frontiers until it is seen what Il Duce intends to do.—United Press.
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