“CORUNNA LINE”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 June 1940, Page 5

“CORUNNA LINE”

HELD BY THE ALLIES ROUND DUNKIRK FORCE UNDER GENERAL PRIOUX ARRIVES. WAY SMASHED THROUGH STEEL RING. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON, May 31. It is authoritatively stated that the evacuation of the British and French troops from 1 northern France continues. It is not permitted to give the figures of the evacuation, but they are very large. The German Air Force is admittedly in great numerical superiority, but it has been unable either to prevent the re-embarkation of the Allied troops or to inflict more than minor damage to the ships carrynig out the embarkation.

The Allied troops are now holding a line a certain distance from the coast. The line round Dunkirk is becoming known as the “Corunna Line,” recalling the retreat to Corunna in 1809 mention in the poem, “The Burial of Sir John Moore.”

Reports from Paris say that the line has now been reinforced by the arrival of the French force under General Prioux, which smashed its way toward Dunkirk through the steel ring tne uermans were endeavouring to form round the Allied divisions that were cut off following the surrender of the Belgian forces. This morning’s French communique states “Operations in the north are continuing with the same bitterness round Dunkirk. On the Somme and Aisne there were several scattered local infantry actions. Between the Meuse and the Moselle we repulsed an attack.” GERMAN REPORT VARIOUS SUCCESSES CLAIMED. (Received This Day, 10.40 a.m.) LONDON. May 31. A German High Commad communique states: “We destroyed or took prisoners the mass of French troops in North-eastern France, but encircled units are still resisting at a few points. “We are continuing our attacks against the remainder of the British troops in the loop between Fumes, Bergues and westward of Dunkirk. The loop has been flooded and the enemy is resisting stubbornly, trying to rescue as many soldiers as possible with ships, regardless of losses of material. We wiped out a British force which attempted to escape from Cassel.

“The German forces in Artois and Flanders are now freed for further tasks.

“Bad weather yesterday handicapped our. air forces, but we repeatedly attacked the docks at Dunkirk. -We shot down three French planes in Northern France, and one British

plane at Stavanger. Two of our planes are missing. British planes, one of which was shot down, again attacked non-military objectives in North Germany. The damage was not serious. The German Navy has taken over the coastal defence of all Dutch ports, also the Belgian and French ports in our possession. “A German high-speed torpedo-boat sank a destroyer o(T the Belgian coast.”