Weygand Adopts New Anti-Tank Methods Somme Battle Resumed; French Line Holds Firm

Northern Advocate, 7 June 1940, Page 5

Weygand Adopts New Anti-Tank Methods Somme Battle Resumed; French Line Holds Firm

Smoke Shells Used To Screen Advance (Received noon.) LONDON, June 6. (JENERAL WEYGAND HAS ADOPTED NEW METHODS TO COMBAT THE GERMAN TANK WARFARE. Tanks advancing through openings encountered successive "support points” like field Fortifications. The first points were armed with anti-tank guns on the hanks of numerous canals and streams. Behind were gun nests at crossroads and high ground, while hidden artillery. Further hack, stopped any tanks that succeeded in getting so far. The military spokesman said the battle was resumed this morning with the same intensity and had even been extended on two wings. Preparations For Attack? The Germans, in addition to yesterday’s three thrusts in the regions of Amiens. Peronne and the River Ailette. attacked on the Lower Somme and launrhed a heavy artillery bombardment in the ( hampagne district, winch seems to he preparation for an attack. The new French system of anti-tank defence has been c-n the whole successful. Nearly all support points were held. There was a number of destroyed German tanks behind- the French Front last night, which had succeeded in penetrating the defences, hut had not been Followed hv supporting units. It is officially staled in Paris thaf (Jerman tanks advanced five or six miles at several points without penetrating the Weygand Line. Twenty-five German tanks were destroyed at Chaulnes, on the line between Amiens and Ham, which is the deepest advance.

Labyrinth Of Fire

The French spokesman said the French anti-tank guns were proving highly destructive. The Gei’mans, caught in a labyrinth of fire, had no choice but to step or push forward. Then the French machine-gun-ners halted the German supporting elements, namely, motorcyclists, mechanised units and infantry. Those tanks which were separated from their supports continued to advance even far into the French rear, where they were attacked by special-ly-equipped corps and. lacking support, were destroyed. The enemy at dawn today on the Lower Somme pushed forward a great number of tanks, suggesting that, the principal effort today was being made in this sector. French advance posts withdrew, but the movement was purely tactical. The Germans, on the other wing, to the right of the Ailette River and the Chemin-des-Dames, the region north

of the Marne, launched an artillery bombardment from guns of all calibres in .the neighbourhood of Rethel. The spokesman added that the Germans are employing smoke shells on a vast scale. The battlefield is covered with thick acrid smoke, which is hampering air reconnaissance and screening the German shock troops. The battle in the air is as violent as on the land. The spokesman referred to heavy German raids in the Saar regions, which the French repulsed by coun-ter-attacks. Germans who had surrounded a French outpost were forced to retire. ‘•The Times” correspondent with the French forces says General Weygand’s system of elastic defence is combating German armoured forces and succeeding sc admirably that bitter tears must have been shed about Sedan, where the French line attempted to retreat before German armoured units, instead of letting them pass through, after which the French could have reformed and dealt with the German infantry.

“Day Not Unsatisfactory”

Reports reaching London from Paris indicate that the French authorities, while not dissatisfied with the military position, emphasise that it is yet too early in the battle to give rise to either optimism or pessimism, says a British Official Wireless message. The French military spokesman described the day as “not unsatisfactory” and described the new anti-tank tactics as “working.” He said that arrangements had been made to ensure that tanks were unable to obtain French petrol, and, consequently, a certain degree of penetration could be allowed without much danger.

He emphasised, however, that the battle was only just beginning and the full German strength w’as by no means yet engaged. Information available here regarding the progress of the battle on the Somme and the Aisne is meagre, and adds little to that contained in the latest French communique. The German attacks have been delivered on both sides of Amiens, and in the neighbourhdod of Chauny and Soissons area. Armoured vehicles arc reported in all of these areas, but it is not yet possible to estimate their strength, nor is it possible to say whether this is the main attack. German tactics appear to be the same as before, trampling everything and trying to find a soft spot in preparation for pushing everything through when it is found. The Germans have made some progress, but French defences are in great depth, and nothing has occurred that could be described as penetration.

According to an eye-witness report from “Somewhere in France.” a Highland regiment of a famous division today has been fiercely resisting the Germans attacking along the Somme Front. These troops are part of the British forces holding a section of the line near Abbeville. The Germans, launching a strongpush in the darkness last night from the Somme, where they had already several bridgeheads, isolated several of the positions. There the British troops, although surrounded, fought on tenaciously, living up magnificently to the division’s reputation for toughness and courage. The eye-witness states that German penetrations have made it nesessary to withdraw the British line at certain places to positions several miles south of the Somme, but every inch of the ground is being combated. The British troops are in excellent spirits, despite heavy artillery and machine-gun fire and low-bombing attacks. Probably German attacks on this section of the front would have been even fiercer save for the terrific artillery bombardment of several bridges carried out yesterday. in which more than 30,099 shells were fired. Up to the moment it is not clear whether or not this attack on the Lower Somme is merely a sideshow to distract attention from the much heavier assault further east, which the French armies are so gallantly resisting. The lepcrt from this eye-witness gives the assurance that, whatever should develop, every preparation has been made to meet the situation.

Enemy Retreat, Berlin Claim

The official Berlin News Agency stated?

“In the region of Amiens and Peronne we substantially pushed southward. “We have also thrown back the enemy in the coastal sector and sharply pursued him over heavily fortified positions. “We carried out numerous raids against air bases in England, from which the R.A.F. are attempting to operate against the German Army in France, and also from which machines carried out night flights over Germany. “We set fire to numerous hangars and docks.” A German war correspondent, broadcasting, said the French failure to destroy a railway bridge enabled German armoured divisions to cross the Somme yesterday. The Germans claim that their armies have thrust into the heart of France and that the enemy is retreating at all points. The lines have been pierced at Amiens and on the Ailette Rivulet.

Another German communique says that operations, begun on June 5 and 6, are proceeding according to plan. “Our troops everywhere have gained ground in the south-west. “We have increased the prisoners taken at Dunkirk to 58,000 and have captured war materials beyond estimate. “Our air force yesterday bombed troop concentrations and marching columns behind the enemy front and also attacked important aerodromes in Ceniral France, also the military and merchant harbour at Cherbourg. “Last night our planes successfully attacked numerous aerodromes on the Eastern and South-Eastern Coasts of England. “The enemy lost 143 planes yesterday, while 19 of our planes are missing. “The enemy last night continued attacks on non-military objectives )'n Northern and Western Germany. “No substantial damage was done. “We shot down three planes engaged in these operations.” FRENCH COUNTER* ATTACK—SEE PAGE 6.