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Dedicated To The Progress Of 1^4^ £ Served by Leased Wire of the I ilraingtoit Morning l^tar =S’ __ WILMINGTON, N. C., THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1940-ft -ft__ESTABLISHED 1867. ALLIES RETREA T AND FLOOD SECTION AROUND DUNKERQUE TO GUARD PORT OF ESCAPE BLOODY CAMPAIGN ALL BUT OVER Germans Left In Control Of France’s North ern Industrial Region And Her North west Coast, Across From England ALLIES BUILD SOUTHERN FRONT Bv HENRY C. CASSIDY PARIS, May 29.—(AP)—The Allies tonight gave up as lost the battle of Flanders and, in a great retreat, opened the flood sluices around Dunkerque to guard their last port of escape on the sea. The b’oody conflict in the north was all but over. The Germans, thus, were left substantially in control of France’s northern industrial region and her northwest coast, across from England. At least, however, the battle had given the Allies time to build a strong southern front along the Somme and Aisne rivers, for 200 miles across France. The virtual collapse of the Allied cause in Flanders, after the Belgian army’s surrender ordered by King Leo pold, left their flanks laid open—came amid scenes of fire ana iiooa. Defend Rear While the waters rose steadily in the vast system }f streams around Dun kerque, French divisions fought across the tortured landscape to hold the rear while British troops defend ed the main points of pass age for the main forces seeking the coastline. The Allies brought on the inundation by opening the locks southwest and north east of Dunkerque, on the great canal that flows by the city and follows the mast for many miles. In Dunkerque, the last Al lied resistance was rallied under Vice Admiral Jean Marie Abriai, 61-year-old commander of the port. The Allied armies, navies and air forces fought together in an effort to save as much as possible from the wreckage af Flanders. The retreat wras harassed by heavy German fire. Some Belgian units, refusing to lay town their arms despite their king’s order to capitulate, were reported still fighting beside the British and Oppose Nazi Push A single French division which had bee nstationed with the Belgians as the backbone of their front tried to hold back the nazi rush in the Nieu port-Dixmude sector, a World was battlefield on the coast northeast of Dunkerque. Suicide squads also held out on the eastern and southern sides of the Allied path to the sea. Some Allied units had to fight through German columns Dunkerque, manned by French sailors, was the last island of soU4 Allied positions. The rest of the battlefield was a maelstrom of free-for-all fighting, ighted up by blazing fires. Airplanes Tangle Airplanes tangTed in the heavy clouds hanging over the battle area. Allied navy dive-bombers, using the ow-flying tactics they employ tgainst submarines and warships, plunged no German tanks. American-made bombers, newly ar "ived, operated effectively, but too ate to turn the tide. Still other battles must be fought pn the Aisne-Somme front before the var itself can be called decided. The Germans made Lille, the in lustrial center of northern France, tnd Calais, on the Channel Straits of Dover, particular battlegrounds. But :heir advance was slowed by Allied sharpshooters waging guerilla war fare in the fields and fighting in he streets of the cities. And tongiht, toward the vital city >f Dunkerque, the bulk of an entrap ped army of half a million was back ng. “Satisfied” The French admiral in command here reported that he was “satisfied (Continued on Page Three, Col- Si IR. To Ask For Increase In ArmsJFund Will Cali On Congress To Add $750,000,000 To Extraordinary Amount LARGER GUNS NEEDED Doughton Plans Jo Intro duce New Defense Tax Bill; Hearings Slated WASHINGTON. May 29 —<£)— Military lessons learned from Ger man's blitzkrieg 1 e d President Roosevelt today to rush prepara tion of a request that congress and ,'n'other large sum—probably $750, *,000- to the $1,182,000,000 ex traordinary defense fund. General George C. Marshall, army chief of staff, was reported t0 have told a house appropria tions sub-committee that $750,000, 000"would be necessary to buy more powerful anti-tank guns, a new type of light machine gun, additional mechanized equipment and other weapons. Guns Ineffective Committee members said that the general testified the relentless march of German troops already had demonstrated the comparative ineffectiveness of the 37 millimeter anti-tank guns. ■That’s why the French were forced to use their 75 millimeter field guns at point blank range,” one legislator said. ‘‘We may have to develop a 90 millimeter weapon, the same size as our newest anti aircraft guns, to meet the situ ation." Members said the European war also had demonstrated the need for a light machine gun which sol diers could strap on and fire at any angle in front of them. They said German parachute troops and oth er units used such guns with dead ly effect. New anti-aircraft gun to combat the dive bombers also is being de veloped by the army, members said. This weapon was described a- designed for use in synchro nized batteries of 16 guns which would move on a half sphere and tnus be capable of firing at 16 different angles at once so as to take care of bombers diving at Iheir targets from many directions. Legislators said the supplemen tal estimates also would include lends for about 1.800 new air planes, chiefly training and pur suit types. The place of aviation in the de fense program was emphasized again during the day when Mr. Roosevelt requested immediate appropriation of $1,200,000 to im prove the research laboratory of the national advisory committee for aeronautics at Langley Field, Va. I WEATHER FORECAST '"ill) Carolina and South Carolina— Mostly cloudy, occasional showers inursday, probably clearing Friday. (Meteorological data for the 24 hours NinK":30 p. m. yesterday), i Temperature 1:;7 a:m. 69; 7:30 a. m. 72; 1:30 p. ! • 1 ;30 p. m. 69: maximum 77; nimum 66: mean 72; normal 74. ! , Humidity ! .I'," a- m. 89; 7:30 a. m. 77: 1:30 p. ! ' ‘ -30 p. m. 82. ( ... Precipitation i, i i.u hf>urs ending 7:30 p. m. !n''n. total since first of the month inches. .. ^ Tides For Today < .•r',n,1 Tables published by XI. ; '*■ and Geodetic Survey). Wiimil1w. High Low [ n?lon.4:23a 11:47a Ma*onborn inlet.-AAoa "iTSia l Snnri-* - 2:52p 9:06p moons‘e?:i;3TpSet 7:17p: m00nrise "'•'lthe?It^.GT0X■ May 20 - W> - «m| ',1,re.au records of temperature n. 3 ",a“ f°r .the 24 hours ending 8 nr;-;. . , '“e principal cotton growing Stati«delsewhere: Asheville High Low Prec Atlanta r.101 <ly. 68 52 0.14 -,i8 fil °-4] rn.sron' •, doudY — 77 63 0.7f flncago l'T\. 57 47 <>•<* -. 56 48 °-0( r>etroitati» "oudy --79 54 0.01 '"'IvestondMdy - 72 48 0.(X -'"■hsonviiie eaf 83 «5 0.0( Hat.sa. c'ondy .. S3 69 0.7( •us - 7(5 56 0M "'■im-iiie »•, tl0,udy — 74 54 0.0( w1"f,1>i!.'clii,dvy —74 7,4 °-0( floudy y-84 57 0.0( Orlr-.n 88 78 0.0( York tl?1 - 85 88 0.0( phrfolk. eli nHvdS - 63 57 0.0< i'h'hmona ■ ,-88 fil O.OI i il — —— ■■---★ A Little Girl Who Got In The Way It was this little girl’s misfortune to get in the way of the German invaders. According to Allied censor’s caption, she lies in agony in a French hospital, machine-gunned through head and body by a low flying Nazi plane. A French nun is trying to comfort her. St. Pauls Bank Is Robbed Of $2,100 By Man, Woman _ + FLEE IN AUTOMOBILE Assistant Cashier Ward De scribes Robbery; Hunt started By Officers ST. PAULS, May 29—UP)—A well dressed man and woman held up the St. Paula branch of the Bank of Rowland today and fled with an esti mated $2,100 in cash. E. B. Ward, assistant cashier, de scribed the pair as slender and ap pearing each to be about 30 years of age. Ward gave this version of the holdup: He was alone in the bank when about 1:30 p. m. the woman came in and asked for change for a $5 bill. As he handed her the change, the man walked up, drew a pistol and told the woman to get the cash be hind the counter. She quickly scoop ed up about $2,000 in bills and about $100 in silver and went out. Her escort meanw'hile ordered Ward to lie flat on the floor and not to get up within three minutes. He aroused in time to see the car turn a corner. Officers were summoned, and Sheriff Clyde Wade said he would use “every man I can get” in the hunt. SOUTH IS FAVORED FOR AIR TRAINING General Fickel Says Dixie Schools And Training Centers Will Be Used WASHINGTON, May 29,-1®— The south will be the training ground for virtually all of the 7, 000 new pilots to be turned out an nually under the array’s program of air force expansion. Brig. Gen. Jacob E. Fickel, as sistant chief in charge of training, said the general policy would be to use schools and training centers south of the 37th degree latitude. Roughly, this follows the northern boundaries of North Carolina, Ten nessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nev. Mexico and Arizona. Southern California is south of the line. Mild winter weather is more fav orable to uninterrupted work, it was explained. Of nine civilian schools giving primary training to air corps fledglings for the last year, three are located north of the new limit, and officials said the work of one particularly was ser iously hampered last winter by un favorable weather. All nine will be retained, how over, it was indicated, when the training is stepped up to the new rate of 7,00° pilots a year propos ed in war department plans sub mitted to congress. The projected training centers for advanced schooling are all lo cated in the south. March Field, Calif., Barksdale Field, La., and Maxwell Field, Ala., among others, have been under consideration to supplement the existing air corps training center at San Antonio, ■ Texas. Hatch Bill Approved By House Committee WASHINGTON, May 29.—</» —The Hatch political practices bill was approved today by the same house judiciary committee which four weeks ago consigned it to a pigeon hole. The legislation, passed by the senate, prohibits states and lo cal government employes who are paid with federal funds from taking active part in political campaigns. It is a companion measure to an existing law ap plying to federal employes. Today’s action by a vote of 10 to 8, climaxed nearly two months of committee deliberations. On May 1, the committee voted se cretly, 14 to 10, to table the measure. The action later was rescinded and deliberations were resumed. NAZI SUBMARINES RENEW OFFENSIVE Account For Three Ships, Including Argentine Craft, Off Spain VIGO, Spain, May 29— (IP) —Ger man submarines, lurking of! the Spanish coast, accounted for three ships yesterday and today, sinking the Argentine freighter Uruguay, 3, 425 tons, and a British tanker and French merchantman. A Spanish fighting boat brought to Ua Coruna 13 survivors of the Uru guay’s crew of 28. The ship was tor pedoed yesterday. The Uruguay left Buenos Aires April 26 en route to Antwerp with a cargo of wheat and other grains. Today the U-boats, suddenly re newing their offensive against Allied shipping, sank the French ship Marie Jose, 5,000 tons, with a cluster of torpedoes, and shelled and fired the British tanker, Telena, 7,400 tons, with the probable loss of 25 members of their crews of 87. The Telena's crew dumped the oil load and abandoned the burning ves sel. Tonight fishermen were towing her to port. The attacks were, so sudden the crew had not time to man the guns._; Cooper Plans To Work For W. P. Horton ; Second Primary, Will Campaign For Lieutenant Governor GRAVELY GIVES STAND Fourth-Place Man Avers He Will Support Brough ton On June 22 RALEIGH, May 29.—UP)—L. Lee Gravely today joined two other un successful gubernatorial candidates in expressing the belief there should be no second primary, but a fourth, Mayor Thomas E. Cooper, of Wil mington, said he favored a second primary and would actively campaign for the runner-up in the race, Lieut Gov. W. P. Horton. Gravely, who polled 60.000 votes for fourth place in last Saturday’s first primary, said he would sup port the leader, J. M. Broughton, if the second primary was held June 22. Will Continue Horton himself countered with a reiteration of his statement that he would continue his campaign, and Cooper asserted that ‘'some of these also-rans for governor are speaking out of turn when they advise Mr. Horton not to enter a second pri mary.” Broughton himse'if issued , ment tonight saying "it is. c- course, to be hoped that the state and the counties will be spared the heavy ex pense of a second primary.” “Unless a second primary is called in the gubernatorial contest, it seems quite likely that there will be no state-wide second primary and few, if any, second primaries in counties of the state,” Broughton said. "It is certain that such a result would be highly gratifying to the people of the state and particularly to the mem bers of the democratic party who are interested in the preservation of part harmony.” It was reiiably reported here that W. Erskine Smith of Albemarle, who was second in a four-man field for the democratic nomination for lieu tenant-governor, would not ask a second primary. R. L■ Harris of Roxboro was high man in the race. In declaring himself for Broughton, Gravely went further than the two who had made earlier statements—A. J. Maxwell, who was third, and Paul Grady, who was sixth. Both of them, in expressing the hope there would be no second primary, said by im plication they would support Brough ton. Headquarters Confident Horton headquarters, meanwhile, continued to voice confidence that Maxwell’s chief lieutenants, State Manager Burgin Pennel, Mrs. W. B. Murphy, state manager for women, and Associate Manager Ronald Wil son, would support the lieutenant governor. There was still no definite an nouncement, however, as to how the three would line up. Members of Maxwell’s family said they doubted if the revenue commis sioner, who is i'il at his home here with paralysis, would make any fur ther statement. His friends had said they expected him to make a flat declaration of support for Broughton. “I hope the people of North Caro lina will have the opportunity to vote their choice between a govern (Continued on Page Three; Col. 1) AIR FIGHTS RAGE Waves Of Planes Battle For Air Mastery Over Vital Port Of Dunkerque BRITISH TAKE NARVIK BRITAIN LONDON. May 29—(iT)—British hurled her air force into mass bat tle tonight with waves of German fighters and bombers over the vi tal English Channel port of Dun kerque—last back door to safety tor the Allies’ lost battalions in the Flanders death trap. The fight for air mastery raged on into the twilight of an anxious day for England. These were the highlights: 1— In the Flanders “die-or-sur render’ triangle, 500.000 Allied veterans under Lord Gort, com mander-in-chief of the BEF. fought off repeated German thrusts with “stiff rear guard action’ as they pushed doggedly down a narrow ing corridor toward the coast. Half Million Ready 2— Out of the million and a half i cn now actually under arms in Britain, half a million, especially equipped for modern mechanized warfare, are ready for action in France. They can join the French in any gouge into German defenses to ease the pressure on their com rades in Flanders. 3— The war ministry announced the capture of the strategic Arctic iron ore port of Narvik, Norway, held by Germans through a month of fighting. 4— On the home front, Britain extended wartime restrictions to Americans and other neutrals, brought its home defense forces up to 1,500,000 armed men, and heard the grim prophecy that mass invasion might be imminent. Latest Wave An air ministry communique de scribed the fight over Dunkerque as the latest of a recent wave of air attacks designed to ease the German pressure on the Flanders pocket and to shatter communica tions and bases behind the lines. Twenty-two of the "large num ber’ of German planes over Dun kerque were reported shot down. One British bomber failed to re turn. Exact location of the 500,000 Al lied troops hemmed in the steel girt triangle was not disclosed, but a Nazi military spokesman said they had pushed ‘some miles to ward the coast.’ Their morale was described as "unshaken’ and their units com pact as they fell back behind stiff rear guard action.’ Fighting was unceasing on their rear and flanks as overwhelming German forces thrust hard to cut off retreat and slice them into scattered commands, easy to over come. Word of Encouragement From their king came the word of encouragement echoed by the entire nation. ‘The hearts of every one of us at home are with you and your magnificent troops in this hour of peril.’ King George VI said in a (Continued on Page Three; Col. 4) LOSSES ARE GREAT Nazi Army Expects Capitu lation Of Half Million Allies In Trap PARISPUSH SEEN GERMANY | BERLIN, May 29.—LT?)—Admit tedly taking great losses themselves in a crunching drive against cor nered British and French who were selling themselves dearly, the Ger man army today nevertheless ex pected the capitulation at any mo ment of the half million troops fighting a suicide battle in Fland ers. The Germans w ere reported smashing furiously with hundreds of dive bombers, tanks and massed artillery in an effort to ring down speedily the curtain on the Flan ders carnage. Allies Divided The British and French were cut apart in the general vicinity ot Lille, the British to the north and the French o the south of that city, their predicament turned to disas ter by the sudden surrender yester day of 300,000 Belbians. Only a mi racle Germans said, could prevent their annihilation or capitulation. They spoke of the desirability of a quick Allied surrender to endd “this futile waste of blood." Then, if wide speculation is dous push on Paris—not England, borne out, there will be a tremen triangle, pushed against the chan In the main part of the Allied triangle, pushed against the chan nel and blazing Dunkerque, are the men of the Britsih expedition ary force which rushed in 19 days ago to resist the invasion of Bel gium. French Penned In In the broken-off tip of the triangle; south of Dille, stand the Frenshmen who tried to break out of the German trap toward the south, at Valeniiennes. Separated from the British, they are reported penned in a segment of 12 square miles. With them are thousands of hapless, homeless refugees. The German advance sheared off this trianggle tip today. Forces fighting from the northeast and southwest met at Lille, taking that city of French industry. The trap ped French are below them. On the sides of the triangle the Germans engulfed the Belgian chan nel port of Ostend, passed Bruges and reached Dixmude; occupied Langemarck; raised the swastika over Armentieres, near Lille; broke up a fortified French border posi tion near Cassel through a rear guard attack, and stormed Ypres and Kemmel, of tragic World war memory. Fight In Streets Street fighting was reported in Dunkerque (presumably oetween the Allies and advanced Nazi ar mored columns.) Dunkerque, the Germans say, has been burning for three days. It remains the only port where it is barely possible to embark British forces. REFUGEE BELGIAN PARLIAMENT MEETS TOMORROW TO SEAL FATE OF LEOPOLD PARIS, May 29.— (fP> —The refugee Belgian parliament will meet in Paris Friday to seal the fate of King Leopold III with what power it wields. The uiek action of the Bel gian cabinet in “disowning” him was informally approved yesterday by a parliament meet ing in a Paris dance hall. The Friday assembly in Paris town hall will consider new measures for the government of the fugitive peoples of Bel gium. A new army will be re cruited among the 2,000,000 Belgians already in France as reLeopoW has been returned to Brussels palace by the Ger mans, according to word here but unconfirmed elsewhere. The newspaper Paris Soir said the three royal children, motherless since the lovely Queen Astrid was injured fatal ly in a 1935 automobile acci dent have been taken to Lis bon, Portugal, for the duration of the war; but the Belgian legation in Lisbon denied they were there or coming there. The legation described the king as a German prisoner. Although the man in the street in France and England appeared bitter over Leopold’s surrender, there was some in dication in British high places that the whole story has not yet been told. Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes. sDecial British liaison officer to the Belgian king, emphatically asked for a stay of judgment. “Some very hard things have been said in this country and France,” Sir Roger re marked in London, “about the action of King Leopold. I trust judgment will be suspended on a very gallant soldier until all the facts are known.” The Paris press said all of Belgium’s gold had been re moved before the invasion and will be at the disposal of the new government. The status of foreign diplo mats in Brussels is uncertain. They are in the position of being accredited to a court which has been repudiated. At least four of Belgium’s ministers knew last Friday that King Leopold intended to capit ulate, Belgian spokesmen said. So long did the ministers en treat the king to reconsider that they barely escaped cap ture, according to this story. The king, they said, declared his soldiers were too tired to counter-attack and that he had decided to make peace to pre serve “a relative independence.” Shortly after heir departure, Belgian officials said, the min isters received an urgent re quest from Leopold that a paper be sent him which would per mit him to change the minis try and revoke the government. They refused. -* Suicide Of Gamelin Reported In Italy HOME, May 30.—11 Pop olo d’ltalia’s corespondent in liern, Switzerland, reported briefly today that the French generalissimo, Maurice Gustave Gamelin, is “understood to have killed himself following defi nite instructions of the French high command. General t'orap, who com manded the French 9th army which was overrun in the Ger man break - through at Sedan, the correspondent said, had been executed. Gamelin was removed from command and replaced by Gen eral Maxinie Weygand after the Sedan disaster to the French forces. ITALIANS TEETER ON WAR'S BRINK Many Observers Expect Na tion To Take Plunge Within A Few Days ROME. May 29.—OP)—Italy still teetered tonight on the brink of war. Many foreign and Italian observers expected her to take the plunge with in a few days, but in the Mediter ranean and southward rather than directiy against France. In the “event of an act of aggres sion leading to war in the Mediter ranean area.” according to the Aliied Turkish treaty of alliance, Turkey, guardian of the Dardanelles, is pledged to enter the war on the side of Britain and France. The new view as to the potential theater of attack was supported by Nicola Marchitto. in the semi-month ly political review “Conquista D’lm pro”— "conquest of empire.” Marchitto asserted that Italy's "of fensive objectives” would be actions by the nav> and air force in the Mediterranean and iand war in Afri ca to conquer the BritiSh-French controlled Suez Canal and eventually in the Balkans to “protect” Italian interests. Italian strategy is defensive, he wrote, on the frontiers of France proper and French-protected Tunisia which fronts on Italian Libya; it has a different character, however, on the Egyptian frontiers of Italian Africa. The writer spoke of the Greek port of Salonika, take-off point of the Al lies' Balkan campaign in the World War, and Jibuti, French Somaliland, sea outlet for Italian Ethiopia, as other possible objectives. Italy’s frontiers are defended with greater troop strength than ever. CAPTAIN SENTENCED BERN, May 29—UPi—A Swiss military court sentenced E. M. Mutterer, an army captain, to six years imprisonment today for hav ing secretly copied orders and plans at divisional staff head quarters. A communique said ‘‘it is not proved that Mutterer was guilty of espionage,” but copying of the documents voilated the military secrets act 3
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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May 30, 1940, edition 1
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