London, June 18.
A delayed dispatch from Reuter's special correspondent with the British Expeditionary Force speaks of the straits to which the French Army was reduced a day or two ago.
With a number of colleagues, the correspondent fell into a German ambush, but by swiftly reversing the cars and stepping on the accelerators, they were able to escape and later to warn French supply columns of the danger.
The correspondent next encountered a column of French horse-drawn artillery two miles long. Evidence of fifth-column activity was given by the fact that a corporal among them said he and his company conditions, hurrying pathetically away from the front line near Bernay and Lisieux. Almost an entire French division streamed down the road-from Bernay to Alencon. Many still marched in their units and bore themselves erect, but others were entirely dispirited. By contrast, a long stream of horse-drawn artillery with fine bearing dragged their 75's behind horses and limbers, but the bulk of the division was unfit for further fighting, insufficiently armed against Germans equipped with Tommy guns, portable mortars and machine-guns, and plentifully aided by tanks and bombers.
"I saw thousands of French troops in retreat who, given better armaments, doubtless could have held Government Resigns Riga, June 18.
Government has re-to have gone to the assistance of the police, The agency adds that Soviet warships, including the battleship Oktiabrskayadarevolutia, dropped anchor in Tallinn harbour.—Reuter, by the population. Special French detachments, however, set fire to oil tanks. The French police have placed themselves at the disposal of the German authorities and are continuing to control traffic—Reuter, at 11 am. or 3 pin, but official sources declined to divulge the exact time of the conference which might decide the fate of France.
(Continued on page & col. 6)
"were withdrawing to the rear because a 48-hour armistice had been declared. This was completely untrue.
The correspondent passed more than 100,000 refugees of all ages and their own against the best German troops. In number, they were probably @ match for the enemy, but in mechanical fighting power they were totally inferior, Reuter—5
Bordeaux, June 18.
The defenders of France mustered their last gasps of resistance in a lost cause against Chancellor Adolf Hitler's Blitzkrieg last night while Marshal Henri Petain, France's new Premier, awaited the German Fuehrers reply to his request for an honourable peace.
(Informed quarters in Berlin said last night that the Reich regards the French surrender a question of complete capitulation and therefore not a matter for negotiation.)
Although Marshal Petain told the nation yesterday that the French armies would be forced to lay down their arms, hostilities continued last night because Chancellor Hitler's peace terms had not yet arrived here.
At 7 pam, last night (4 a.m. Shanghai Daylight Time) the French War vice spokesman said the Germans aad not yet replied to Marshal setain's request for an armistice, The spokesman id fighting was continuing on the western flank of ihe Paris front where the French were admitted to have been split into four sections, Consequently there was. no longer a continuous front and German troops were able to advance at great speed.
France's reserves have been "completely exhausted," the War Office spokesman said.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.