Progress Of The War

Northern Advocate, 13 May 1940, Page 4

Progress Of The War

THE announcement that the long-expected western offensive has started has stirred the whole world, and all eyes are focussed on the Low Countries, against which Hitler has ' thrown his weight despite his solemn assurances that their neutrality would be strictly safeguarded. This latest evidence of the worthlessness of a Nazi promise has very rightly horrified world opinion. It is impossible to sum up with any degree of accuracy the position as it stands today, but it seems to be fairly clear that the German hope of achieving a lightning success in Holland and Belgium has miscarried. The Germans have depended very largely on the conveyance of troops into Holland by means of air transports and parachutes. This is a new development in western warfare, for though the Russians were reported to have made use of parachuting during the Finnish war, it is only now being given a real trial. So far as can be gathered, this method of landing troops behind the defending forces has not been as successful as the Germans had hoped. Apparently the Dutch were surprised in some instances, for there have come reports of aerodromes being seized largely as a result of parachutists’ attacks, but it would seem that the numbers were not sufficient to hold the captured positions, which have been retaken by the Dutch, aided by Allied troops. The same story is told of Belgium, where any successes gained by the Germans have been close to the border. Luxemburg has been over-run, but there are reports of fierce fighting between Allied and German forces, with results not yet known. . . It is believed that the Germans’ plan is to drive a wedge between Holland and Belgium in order to lessen the pressure to be withstood when the enemy tries to outflank the Maginot Line, as is believed to be its, principal purpose in launching an offensive against the Low Countries. At the moment, the Germans’ chances of getting behind the Maginot Line are slight, the Allies being in readiness for such an attempt, while the co-operation of Belgians and Dutch will ■be of great .assistance. It is for this reason that the Germans may be expected to throw every ounce of weight into their effort to overcome Belgium and Holland. Fuller information relative to the operations in the Low Countries will be eagerly awaited, and there will also be a turning of eyes towards France, where it is reported that enemy activity is already being manifested, especially from the air.