NAZI’S TRIPLE OFFENSIVE CHECKED; MR. CHURCHILL’S NEW CABINET

Northern Advocate, 13 May 1940, Page 5

NAZI’S TRIPLE OFFENSIVE CHECKED; MR. CHURCHILL’S NEW CABINET

Heavy Fighting On All Fronts; Particularly In Belgium

Attacks On Liege Forts Repulsed

' (Received 2.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 12. Q-ERMANY’S TRIPLE OFFENSIVE AGAINST BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND LUXEMBURG, WHICH WAS FOLLOWED UP TODAY BY A 40 MILES FRONTAL ATTACK ON THE MAGINOT LINE, HAS BEEN CHECKED. The in vn cling armies penetrated the Loav Countries at several strategic points, but tonight’s report, says that the Allies are holding them. 'Heavy fighting is taking place on all. fronts, particularly in Belgium, accompanied by intense bombing of troop concentrations by both sides. Hundreds of planes were active over a vast battlefront. British and French troops are now operating both in Belgium and Holland, but the disposition of forces is not revealed. War correspondents with the B.E.F. say the main body of the B.E.F. must have nearly completed its advance to battle stations. A vast rearguard is forming fast on the heels of the main body;

Belgian Counter-Offensive

The Belgian Prime. Minister (M. Pierlot.) announced by radio that the Belgian counter-attack in the Maastricht sector had halted the German advance. He added that latest reports state that the Germans nowhere have resumed their advance. ‘'Our lines eastward from the canal and further north have not yet been dented.” he added. ‘‘The violent German attacks on Liege forts were all repulsed and approaches to them are covered with German corpses. “Allies’ pianos shot down 100 German machines,” he reported. “Tin? enemy was unable to penetrate our territory at any point on a considerable scale. ‘‘Thorough demolition cheeked the German advance. “Their crossing of the Albert Canal was due to the failure to blow up two bridges. “The death of the officer in charge of operations caused a delay, enabling the enemy to occupy the bridges and cross them with motorised forces. “Another officer later penetrated the German lines, readied the powder chambers and blew himself up with the bridge.

Govt® Staying Ist Brussels

“The Germans attacked across another bridge with an enormous mass of tanks and aircraft. “The Belgians withdrew to Tongres. “Our eastern defences along the Albert Canal are still intact. “The Belgians withdrew according to plan from various points eastward of the River flense in Luxemburg. ' “French motorised troops attacked the enemy in Luxemburg, which is partly an enemy possession. “Near Brussels and elsewhere, the enemy dropped parachutists. “We are actively hunting them down. “The Allies are advancing satisfactorily.” M. Pierlot denied that the Government intended leaving the capital. The Belgian forces counter-attacking this morning forced the Germans to.retire in the direction of Hasselt. A Berlin commmunique says a passage of the Albert Canal was forced between Ilasselt and Maestrieht.

General Winkelman, Dutch Commander-in-Chief, has issued an order of the day stating - the German invasion of Holland has been a failure.

The German High Command, he states, was profoundly mistaken in under-rating the Dutch Army.

Canal Break-Through Malted

The French War Ministry spokesman said Belgian forces were withdrawing in good order in the face of heavy pressure from the Germans, who .after taking Maestrieht, crossed the Albert Canal and are progressing westward. The spokesman added that the general situation was not alarming, though it was serious in the Maestrieht region. The spokesman said that terrific fighting is proceeding in the Ardennes, north of Neufchateau. The Germans are making heavy and repeated attacks. The Paris radio says the Belgian counter-offensive in the Maetsricht district was so vigorous that a German division is in grave danger of being cut off from its base and forced to retreat. The French spokesman sai'd that columns of French and British troops are continuing to pour into Belgium all night without loss. The Allied forces made contact with the Belgians, and are fighting the Germans. Situation Stabilised. A serious situation developed in Maestrieht area when German columns broke through the Albert Canal defences, but the Belgian counterattack relieved the pressure. The Belgian Foreign Minister (Dr. Spaak) tonight said:

“The situation has stabilised even on the worst parts of the front. Terrific fighting is still going on, but the Allied help is proving effective.” It appears that the Germans crossed the Albert Canal by a bridge on the. Maestricht-Tongres Road, after Which they debouched in the direction of Tongres.

The Belgians fell back to Tongres, but, supported by R.A.F. planes, counter-attacked and stopped the advance. There is no confirmation of an earlier report that the Germans are now reported to be keeping up terrific pressure. Withering Fire From Liege Forts. A second German force crossed the Meuse by a bridge at Argenteau, eight miles north from Liege, and struck south, but Liege forts loosed a withering fire and inflicted heavy casualties. Stern fighting fs also progressing in Southern Belgium, in the Ardennes region and north from Neuschateau, but no details are available. The French are reported to be making seme advance in Luxemburg sector, where fighting died down after the Germans fell back, leaving many dead. Holland Front. Tonight’s despatches do not present a definite picture of hostilities on Holland’s Eastern Front. The Dutch, fighting tenaciously, halted Germany’s thrust at the Yssel and Naas water defences, although the Germans have made an infiltration at several points. It is reported that they are making some progress west of Arnhem, with the Dutch fighting back strongly. The Germans claim to have made considerable advance in the extreme north of Holland and say they have penetrated Groningen Province and reached the East Coast of the Zuider Zee. They also claim to, have prisoner 5000 Dutch border soldiers.

Main Nazi Attacks

The Belgians contradict a claim by the Germans to have captured a fort in front of Liege.

The Germans so far apparently have not debouched southward from the frontier of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg. The Allied advance to Belgium is proceeding according to plan, although it is as yet early to be optimistic. Military circles state that yesterday’s operations can be regarded as satisfactory. The Air Ministry announces that German mechanised troops, advancing from the Rhine to the Meuse, were again harassed yesterday by a series of attacks by the Royal Air Force. A French military spokesman emphasised that while there was no doubt of an ultimate victory for the Allies, ill-balanced optimism should not be entertained. He said: “We are entering the greatest battle in history and must be prepared for anything.’’ The main German advance into Holland appears to be north of the Rhine, towards Almelo, Hengelo and Arnhem, where fighting is going oh. The Germans are reported to have penerated as far as Groningen, in Northern Holland. Butch troops appear to be holding the Germans at Delfzijl and along the rivers Yssel and Maas. Some experts state that German troops have nowhere penetrated Dutch territory more than 12 miles. Dutch troops, assisted by armed police and civilians, hunted German parachutists al lnight, and members of Holland’s tiny but efficient air force were continuously engaged.

Berlin Claims

A Berlin communique states that the German armies defeated the enemy frontier forces everywhere in Belgium and Holland, and are rapidly advancing, in spite of the destruction of bridges and the raising of barriers. The German Air Force carried out the first big attack on French, Belgian and Dutch airbases on Friday, it is stated. It bombed 72 aerodromes and destroyed between 300 and 400 aeroplanes on the ground, in addition to numerous hangars. The German radio claims that only seven aeroplanes were lost over Holland on Friday. It adds that the Germans destroyed 19 French aeroplanes on one aerodrome. The German High Command claims that the strongest fortress of the fortifications, commanding the passage of the River Maas and the Albert Canal westward of Maestrieht, surrendered this after-

For the third morning in succession, waves of German aeroplanes flew over Holland and Belgium today, dropping hundreds of parachute troops, while the land forces attacked the defences from the f.ar North of Holland to the Maginot Line south of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg. The German armies have advanced into Holland at a number of points, but their new strategy of “torpedoing” the defences by landing troops from .aircraft to seize key points far in the rear does not seem to have achieved the results expected of it. Bitter fighting is going on both along the defence lines and at the places in the interior of Holland, where German soldiers have been landed. The French Air Force has been vigorously .assisting the Belgians on the Dutch-Belgian border*, where the Germans have gained a foothold. It may be that the German “blitzkrieg” tactics have been frustrated by the swift Butch action in destroying the bridges over the Maas, all of which except one have been destroyed. The British headquarters in France has issued a communique stating that the Germans are attempting to prevent the movement of Allied troops in the direction of the Belgian frontier by machine-gunning roads, particularly points and communications. The Allied air forces are replying vigorously, as also are anti-aircraft units, which are accompanying the convoys, or which have taken up positions for the protection of open towns and engineering works. The populations of Belgium and France continue to be calm.

Rapid Advance

noon, and that the commander and 1000 men were taken prisoner. The German wireless brings to the microphone every half-hour alleged Belgian war prisoners, probably sometimes Flemish Nationalists, who urge listeners against resistance. 300 Allied Planes Downed. A special announcement of the German High Command claims that 58 Allied planes were shot down in the morning, including 20 Spitfire fighters. It also claims that planes sank a British cruiser in the North Sea. A communique says that in North Holland the Germans occupied the province of Groningen and reached Harlingen. A further 64 Allied planes were shot down, making a total of 300. A single enemy plane last night flew over West Germany and attacked nonmilitary objectives without result. Our loss of planes in comparison with our success, is slight; 35 are missing, the communique added.