21 May 1940
Page 1
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Newspaper
Canberra Times
Location
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Date
May 21, 1940
Page
1
OCR text shows jumbled lines about backs forwards and lines with partial names like Jackson and North. Mentions a feast of backs, a starved wing, and teams or divisions with unclear context. Overall, a messy practice or game recap fragment with insufficient clarity to identify a full event.
Allied reports say the bulge base between Sedan and Maubeuges widened slightly but not deeply. Fighting rages east of Cambrai with French morale rising under Weygand as German armour pushes toward St Quentin and Le Cateau. The British claim Liege Namur forts hinder rail movement while French counterattacks continue. The German advance at dawn along the Sambre and Oise fronts shows uncertain gains.
A wartime communique reports heavy fighting northeast of St Quentin with French troops stubbornly resisting and repelling German assaults. It notes Allied counterattacks, air action, and German losses, including a group of 15 planes crippled. Allied forces push toward Belgium and the Somme area amid fortifications held near Namur and Liège.
German dispatches report exceptionally heavy losses for the Allies as 75s sweep the front. German claims say an Allied tank and armoured car attack south-west of Brussels was repulsed with 20 tanks destroyed. French and British forces retreat in parts with Belgian troops holding lines, while Belgian army earns praise for steadfast defense and staff precision amid coordinated Allied efforts.
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The Air Ministry announced Saturday night RAF operations over Belgium France and Germany harassed German advance lines and disrupted rail and road communications. At least 20 enemy aircraft were shot down with heavy bomber efforts damaging fuel tanks at Hanover and oil tanks at Hamburg and Bremen. New aerial engagements near Brussels and off the Dutch coast yielded additional enemy losses.
A German aircraft attacked a steamer carrying Belgian refugees in the North Sea on Saturday evening. Two planes targeted the vessel with five bombs, all missing. Anti aircraft fire from the ship repelled the raid and one plane was seen on fire and crashed into the sea while a second fell away. Refugees, mostly women and children, landed at a Channel port today.
In Milan the Foreign Minister Count Ciano says Italy must join European events and pursue new tasks. Crowds wave pro Italian slogans for Savoy and Nice while press voices claim Italy's hour is near and that Allied and German victors endure looming conflicts.
Reliable European reports say Germany seeks the right to move troops across Sweden to reinforce Narvik. Sweden weighs the demand while increasing military preparations.
Berlin reports heavy cruiser sighted by German air scouts stranded on a reef off Bodo as Allied planes and a destroyer guard it in South Belgium. Paris says five German planes bomb Dieppe, killing one and wounding another.
General Weygand is named Chief of the French General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of all theatres, replacing General Gamelin. The decree was signed by M. Lebrun after talks with M. Reynaud and Marshal Petain. The press hails Weygand’s promotion as meeting conditions for victory.
Churchill declares it foolish to lose heart as Britain fights to the end in a vast battle across France and Flanders. He warns of German air raids and armored advances piercing defences north of the Maginot Line as infantry and tanks move forward.
A World War II dispatch notes French regroupments to counter an invading wedge with aid from the RAF. It praises French leaders and soldiers, foresees dangerous, shifting fronts, and expresses confidence in French recovery and British endurance despite heavy enemy losses.
A wartime bulletin reports Premier Mair extending gas and electricity restrictions until coal deliveries meet public utility needs amid a strike. Churchill notes improving air balance for Britain, bomber strikes against German refineries, and resolve to endure and retaliate as strategic targets shift.
The Dutch Legation reports 100000 deaths, a fifth of Rotter dam's population, and a third of the city destroyed after German bombing. Bombers dropped delayed action bombs in tight formations, returning repeatedly to widen the carnage. The devastation is likened to Dante's Inferno.
Colonel Lindbergh calls for American unity to repulse air or sea attack and argues no danger of European invasion, claiming no time remains for U S intervention and warning against an infernal minority seeking involvement.
Report from London on Monday states enemy aircraft appeared off the British coast and to the French side of the Channel. Details on air actions are sparse amid wartime censorship and ongoing aerial activity over the sea.
Fragmentary text shows a person named Sow declaring readiness for all with a reference to gundam cena on Ee. Other details are unreadable.
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