WAR IN THE FJORDS

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23003, 24 April 1940, Page 8

WAR IN THE FJORDS

Narvik and its Surroundings DIFFICULTIES OF THE NORWEGIAN COAST [By TOM LAWSON] The author of this article is a sailer whe has spent many years ' ; on the Norwegian eeast. He describes some of the places where Allied troops have been landed.

According to the latest cable news, Allied trOopS have landed in strength near Narvik but 'have not yet dislodged the German defenders from the town itself. The capture of this little industrial seaport, built at the inner end of the Ofoten fjord, is likely to be a difficult task, since the natural formation of the hilly foreshore would be a great asset to the defenders. If one dropped anchor in the middle of the Vest fjord (which couldn’t be done oh account of the extreme depth of water) on a clear day, a beautiful View could be had of the mainland to the east, ana of the Lofoten Islands to the westward. In the distance the latter resemble the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Along the coast of the mainland approaching the .entrance to the fjord from the south, the route all coastal craft take when bound for Narvik, the land is net barren, as it is further north, but extremely fertile; for hills, like our own Port Hills, are scattered in three directions. The majority of the inhabitants in these valleys and inlets are small farmers; indeed, they are 6o small that in the winter months most of them hire themselves to employers in the fishing in* dustry at Lofoten on a share basis. Cosmopolitan Narvik Around Victoria Harbour, Where Narvik is built, there are good roads,and although no farming on a large scale occurs, some farmers employ labour. On account of the severe cold in the winter, all livestock must be housed and cared for as if they Were so many lodgers in a boardinghouse. The harbour here is landlocked, affording good anchorage and plenty of shelter against the hor’-westers. Provision for the accommodation of the most modem ocean-going tramps has been made. A railway starting from the harbour in an easterly direction cuts through much hilly country, where tunnelling operations had to be carried out to make contact With the Swedish iron-ore mines just over the borders. This railway from Narvik to Sweden, was begun more than 40 years ago. At that time the harbour was shallow, and only: coastal craft of 100 tons or so could use the inner harbour, To-day, the inhabitants of Narvik are cosmopolitan— Finns from Finmarken, Kvens from Kvenang fjord, and Laplanders from the far north. The surrounding peat-bogs, which take up much of the flat land, are economically a great advantage. to the people living here. In the fall the peat is cut into slabs, dried, and sold, and in many districts takes the place of coal. Although Norway has for many years had compulsory military train- : ing, it did not include any of the districts north of Mosj oen, which lies roughly 150 miles south from Narvik. Effect of Gulf Stream Most of the buildings in Narvik have been constructed from red brick shipped all the way from NamSos—a .distance of §2O miles. The same applies to wood. The Nor* wegians at the back of the town as well as these fighting further inland should benefit from the snowflelds, being trained in the use of skis from the time they begin school. The spring ih this region hangs fire till the end of the present month, when a break occurs and warm weather sets in. It matters very little how severe the winter is along this part of the coast, since fjords, inlets, and harbours seldom freeze because of the gulf Stream. This is the time of the year that the reindeer herds make their way north after spending the winter months further south in search of special food. With the country under a heavy blanket el anew, these fleet-footed beasts of burden become an asset of great importance to an attacking force. Recruiting for the Norwegian forces in this area should soon be brisk, for the month of April releases thousands of fishermen from

I the Lofoten Islands as well as from ; I other outlying islands, as far south ! as Vigten. 11l normal circumstances, mo§t Of them WdUld go back td get* ting their farms and smallholding? ready for the spring. About this time also the thousands of tons of salted fish loaded in bulk on coasting vessels' during the winter must be taken to various fjords and washed and dried On the rocks. But, to the inhabitants of Narvik and the sur» rounding fjords, the circumstance* are not normal. The ablebodied. men, instead of taking a well-earned rest after a hard fight to wrest a living from the elements in the North Atlantic, will undoubtedly stand shoulder to shoulder with the Allied- troops between Narvik and the Swedish borders for the liberation of the country. Allied Headquarters Bode, the seaport town said to have been held by Germany at the beginning of the invasion of Norway, is situated about 70 milet north-east of the Arctic Circle, and 60 miles from Narvik. According t6 the cable news, the Allies have now established their headquarters here, Bodo is protected by several small islands, and the fiat land the town is built on extends far inland. The shipping accommodation is good and excellent anchorage can be found i& most of the bays, terminating ift White sandy beaches* North of the town is Folden fl&rd, which cuts inland, for a consider* able distance. Some of its off-ahoote reach nearly to the foot of the ranges, forming the borders dt Sweden. In normal times, the tourist traffift brings some revenue to this sea coast town, but apart from that canning on a moderate scale of foodstuffs for export, farming, and fishing are the only sources of income. The normal route for vessel! voyaging South His between the skerries (reeky reefs covered by the sea at high water) and the Nor* wegian coast for a distance of 220 miles to Vigten Island* Here is the southern entrance to the famous Norwegian eorridor, which until re* aently German ore ships used sb tttfeetively and Which Mr Winston Churchill hau called "this accursed eerridof s "- Onee a ship enters this eorridor she must keep to it, for the hundreds of miles of rocks and islands en the seawara side are 6 death=trae to these attempting to get out. Mountainous Coastline The eeastllne between Bodo and Vigten runs roughly north-east and south-West. Salten fjord, just soulii of Bodo, runs east for a few miles, when it bends sharply to south* §euth=eait, and ends up in Saltdalefu This part of the country is mostly given over, to farming, but Sand--horn, at the southern entrance to. the fjord, marks a change in the landscape. A formidable range of; mountains starts here which covers the cO&st line for hundreds ©f miles. Another mountain range starts just south of iaitdaien and gees south for a distance of 40 miles. When it joins up with the coastal ranges at Mo, a small township a few miles north of Mosjoen. Both Mo and Mosjoen are garrison towns ana are of strategic importance, for they are nearer to the gwediih border than any ether towns aleng the cQasl Thren Island, oft this part of the coast, is inhabited by fishermen and a few farmers. Tomo and Luro further south, are also thinly populated With an economic life similar & most respects to that of ether islandl in this region. To the landward, the White-capped snowpeaks of the ranges stretch their majestic grandeur into the inlets as far as the eye can seei One wonders if a war has ever been fought in such majestic iur-1 reußdings, i was net surprised whin an airman who came to the ml&t& m phone the other day in a British Broadcasting C&rperati&n news session spent most of his time talking about the glories of the Norwegian coast in the early morning,