THE CAPTURE OF TRONDHEIM

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23001, 22 April 1940, Page 7

THE CAPTURE OF TRONDHEIM

RUSE BY GERMAN FLEET (BETTI SB OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) RUGBY, April 19. A Norwegian official who has just arrived in London and who-has been in contact with the Norwegian Government since the German invasion, has given an account of recent events. He said that the fact that the fortress of Agdeness, in Trondheim fjord was passed by the invading German warships was explained, as he himself witnessed, By sweeping a great number of captured Norwegian passenger ships and fishing boats in front of the German fleet, so that the fortress could not fire on the Germans without the gravest danger of massacring their own countrymen. Thus the German ships passed the fortress without a shot being fired. The Norwegian official also referred to the treachery attributed to followers of Major Quisling, the leader of the puppet government, by whom Oslo is alleged to have been taken. He suggested that these rumours should be treated with a certain reserve. He emphasised the unreliability of the Norwegian .broadcast news, the bulk of which has been in German hands since the beginning of the invasion. Some announcements made in the name of the Norwegian Government had temporarily caused considerable confusion. Three attempts, this spokesman said, had been made by the Germans to capture King Haakon, but in each case he had been able to escape. BRITISH AIRMEN DECORATED CONDUCT IN NORWEGIAN CAMPAIGN (BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) RUGBY. April 19. Four awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross have been made to Royal Air Force airmen for their part in flights over Bergen. One award is to Squadron Leader Peacock for remarkable courage and determination when leading a formation of aircraft in an attack on enemy warships, and the others are to Flying Officer French and Pilot Officer Mulloy for their work in a successful attack on a German cruiser, and Acting Plight Lieutenant Ryder, whose courage and coolness when investigating an enemy raid at sea set a splendid example to his squadron. The official report on the award to Flying Officer French, who is from Melbourne, said: “In the face of intense anti-aircraft fire, Flying Officer French attacked a German cruiser in the Bergen roadstead, enabling his bomb-aimer to secure a direct hit. The operation necessitated more than 1000 miles of flying over sea.” > , NORWAY’S MINISTER IN BERLIN ORDER TO LEAVE COUNTRY (BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) RUGBY, April 19. The Norwegian Minister and his staff have been ordered to leave Germany within 24 hours “because of the hostile attitude of King Haakon and the former Norwegian Government.” ESPIONAGE ARRESTS IN SWITZERLAND (Received April 21, 7.5 p.m.) BERNE, April 20. Lieutehant-Colonel Hans Treub, connected with a Federal ministry department, and . several civilians, were arrested on charges of espionage. for Germany. BAN ON COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS AUSTRALIAN DECISION announced (Received April 21, 7 p.m.) CANBERRA, April 20. The Apting Minister for Information (Sir Henry Gullett) announced that “Communist newspapers, as such, will cease publication within the next fortnight.” All Communist pamphlets and leaflets will be subject to the most rigorous censorship and will be forbidden altogether to deal with certain subjects. Sir Henry Gullett said that Communist publications were the voice of avowed enemies, of both the Australian and Allied. war efforts and of the constitutional Government of Australian and the Empire. LOSS OF THE SWAINBY (Received. April 21, 7 p.m.) LONDON, April 19. Thirty-eight officers and men of the British steamer Swainby, which was torpedoed off the Scottish Coast on Wednesday, arrived at a northern port to-day. The U-boat which attacked was never seen by the men of the Swainby, which'sank in eight minutes. The master of the vessel was torpedoed two months ago, and one of her firemen was a prisoner on the Admiral Graf Spee.^ Train Accident in U.S.—Twentyfive were killed and 100 r injured when a New York-Chicago limited 16-coach train speeding through a rainstorm was wrecked. The locomotive and six carriages were derailed and piled up against the side of a cliff.—New York, April 20.