GERMANS IN FRANCE

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21177, 29 July 1940, Page 7

GERMANS IN FRANCE

SIGNIFICANT MOVE BY NAZIS OPERATIONS AGAINST BRITAIN IMMINENT TRAFFIC STOPPED RESTRICTIONS ON REFUGEES (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received July 29, 11 a.m.) LONDON, July 28 The \ ichy correspondent of the British United Press says the Germans have closed road as well as rail traffic between occupied and unoccupied France. Some quarters consider the step indicated that operations against Britain from Northern Fiance are imminent. An official French communique states: “The return of refugees to the occupied zones and the transfer of the Government services to Paris have been provisionally stopped.” The French radio announced that German-occupied France has been split up into live zones. Refugees are forbidden to enter or leave the two most strategic areas. One embraces the Channel ports and the Hinterland, and the other takes in the Maginot Line from Switzerland to Belgium. Special permission to travel must be obtained in the other zones and can only be granted to farmers, doctors, nurses and officials. It is learned that trains are being held up at Moulins, preventing refugees from reaching Paris, including 1000 bank workers. “Lord Haw Haw” of the German radio, today repeats that a great attack against England is only a question of day's, possibly hours. The coastal raids were only a mild preliminary attack.

FORMER MINISTERS ! | MILITARY TRIAL IN FRANCE PLOTTING WITH BRITAIN PUNISHABLE BY DEATH (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received July 29 12.15 p.m.) LONDON, July 28 The Vichy correspondent of the British United Press says that the Military Court has opened an inquiry into the activities of M. Mandel, former Minister for the Colonies, on orders from the Petain Government. It is reliably stated that the inquiry involves charges that M Mandel attempted to communicate with Mr A. Duff-Cooper and Viscount Gort against the interests of France, which are punishable with death. Mr Duff-Cooper and Viscount Gort, it is alleged, arrived at Casablanca by seaplane and sought contact with M. Mandel, who was aboard the Massiglia. The French authorities are reported to have ordered the seaplane to leave and M. Mandel was held aboard the Massiglia. The court is believed to be seeking to determine whether M. Mandel planned to fly to England to join General de Gaulle’s group. M. Daladier is reported to be held in a Marseilles hotel, M. Reynaud is under house arrest near Vichy, and M. Camprnchi and M. Delbos are under strict surveillance in North Africa. Appeal by General It Is reported from Vichy that General De Gaulle, head of the French National Committee in London, has filed an appeal against the courU martial sentences imposed on him. Immediately after his action in broadcasting an appeal to Frenchmen urging them to join him in carrying on the fight against Germany in alliance with Great Britain, the Petain Government announced that General de Gaulle had been relieved of his military command and would be court-martialled and charged with refusing to return to his post and with addressing an appeal to French soldiers from foreign territory. DANGER TO CHILDREN VITAL WEEKS AHEAD MUCH SAFER IN COUNTRY (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received July 29, 10.15 a.m.) LONDON, July 28 **The month ahead may be the most dangerous period,” said Mr Malcolm Macdonald, Minister of Health, in urging parents not to bring evacuated children home for the summer holidays. He stressed the fact that casualties so far have been much smaller in the country than in the towns. SUCCESSFUL RAIDS GERMANY AND HOLLAND £QYAL AIR FORCE ACTIVITY DAMAGE TO AERODROME (United Pres? \?~n.—E!e<*. Tel. r (Received July 29, 10,35 a.m.) LONDON, July 23 The Air Ministry states: The Royal Air Force yesterday and last night bombed the Nordsee Canal in Holland, barges at Stavoren, oil depots at Hamburg and Amsterdam, docks and wharves at Wilhelmshaven and Bremen, and eight enemy aerodromes in Holland and Germany. All our machines returned. We shot down an enemy lighter yesterday off Norway and bombed another supply-ship which was sinking off the Dutch coast.

CLAIMS BY GERMANY • ** BRITISH SHIPPING SUNK ENGLISH TOWNS BOMBED ABUSE OF RED CROSS (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received July 29, 11 a.m.) BERLIN, July 28 A communique states: Despite bad weather our planes sank a 7000-ton auxiliary cruiser, two destroyers and a 5000-ton merchantman, and prob- j ably sank a destroyer and two mer- j chantmen. They also bombed Swansea and several Cornish aerodromes. British planes dropped a few bombs over Northern Germany. There was no damage. We shot down five British planes over the Channel. Two of ours are missing. The British shot down an unarmed German seaplane marked with the Red Cross when the German was attempting to save the crew of a plane which had been forced down in the sea. A special communique issued later 1 stated that a U-boat attacked a strongly-guarded convoy and sank five armed ships, totalling 48,000tons, within a brief period, including \ an auxiliary cruiser of 18,000 tons. The submarine also torpedoed an armed merchantman. BRITAIN AND FRANCE COMMERCIAL EXCHANGES END LEAFLETS DROPPED ON VICHY (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, July 27 The Vichy Government has blocked British accounts in France as a reprisal for similar British action, thus ending all Anglo-French commercial exchanges. A British aeroplane dropped leaflets over Vichy yesterday, in spite of anti-aircraft fire. SWEDEN’S POLICY STATUS OF FREE PEOPLE STATEMENT BY PREMIER CONCESSION TO GERMANY United Press Assn. — Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received July 29, 1.5 p.m.) STOCKHOLM, July 28 1 The Prime Minister, in a speech, j admitted that the concessions to Geri many for transit through Sweden j represented a change of policy ! adopted during the Norwegian hos- ! tililies, but there was no ground for j the suggestion that Sweden was ! changing its basic policy—namely, ■ the refusal to become a “brick” of any Power or group of Powers. uld be a mistake to suppose j that Sweden did not realise her de- : pendente on the rest of the world, * but Sweden must retain the status of j a free people. BOMBED AT ADEN i MERCHANTMAN DAMAGED MEMBER OF CREW KILLED united l’ress Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received Julj’ 29. 1 p.m.) ADEN. .July 28 Italian planes slightly damaged a merchantman with bomb in Aden Harbour. A member the crew war LrUed-