GERMAN CLAIMS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 200, 1 June 1940, Page 5

GERMAN CLAIMS

“BRITISH FORCE WIPED OUT.”

SOME SUCCESSES IN THE AIR.

SINKING OF A DESTROYER.

(United Press Association.—Copyright.) (Received This Dav, 10.40 a.m.) LONDON, May 31.

The Gorman High Command communique states: “We destroyed or took prisoners a mass of French troops in north-eastern France, but encircled units are still resisting at a few points. We are continuing our attacks against the remainder of the British troops in the loop between Furnes, Bergues and west of Dunkirk. The loop has been flooded. Tlje enemy is resisting stubbornly, trying to rescue as many soldiers as possible with ships, regardless of losses of material. "We wiped out a British force which attempted to escape from Cassel. The German forces at Artois and Flanders are how freed for further tasks.

“Bad weather yesterday handicapped our air forces but we repeatedly attacked the docks at Dunkirk. We shot down three French planes in Northern France and one British ’plane at Stavanger. Two of our ’planes are missing. British ’planes, one of which was shot down, again attacked nonmilitary objectives in North Germany. The damage was not serious. “The German Navy has taken over the coastal defence of all Dutch ports, also of Belgian and French ports in our possession.' A German high-speed torpedo-boat sank a destroyer off the Belgian coast.”