ESCAPE FROM NORWAY

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 280, 21 August 1940, Page 12

ESCAPE FROM NORWAY

Adventures Of British Soldiers

HARDSHIPS AND PERILS

LONDON, July X

A motor lishiug boat arrived at dawn a few days ago. In it were a British otlieer ami seven men, mostly of lhe Sherwood Foresters. They are almost eoriainly the last Britons who will escape from Norway. They had ’been cut off nine weeks before at Lillehammer. Their battalion, with oilier British troops, was hurried down the Gudbrands Valley to Lillehammer, whore it took up a position between two big Norwegian forces. The object was to

take the main shock of the German attack in the valley while the Norwegians held the Hanks. Two companies of the Sherwood Foresters found themselves surrounded, wilh the Germans firing from all directions. They decided that (he only thing they could do was to try to light their way back lo Andalsnos, along the. road cut through the towering mountains. In the first two days of the retreat, the Germans were attacking from the mountains dominating the valley, tiring from behind trees with "gangster" guns.

By the third night, effective resistance had ended ami Ki fugitives hiding in a hayfield barn throughout the night watched the Germans streaming northwest along the Gudbrands Valley. All night, cars and trucks and motor-cycles tore past. It was evident that the Germans had commandeered hundreds

of vehicles at Oslo. Private soldiers, driving alone in powerful Norwegian private cars, motor-cycles, and tradesmen’s vans, were racing to Namsos. The party of soldiers decided that the best course was to climb overland to the coast. So they began trudging up the snow-covered slopes which towered thousands of feel above. After a day of trying elimb, the icy cliffs became so steep I bat when a I in hat dropped, it bumped its way hundreds of feet below. They gave up this plan and began working their way along the lower slopes. Men began to fall sick, chiefly frostbite, which produced red and swollen calves and feet. One subaltern was allotted to three men. who soon became sick, and he was compelled to fall behind the others. For nine weeks, this party of fourlater joined by three other escapees—tramped from farm to farm and village

to village, begging food and clothes. Everywhere they went, German propaganda bad been so successful that the villagers imagined Iliac the Germans wore supermen, who know all and saw all. They asked the British soldiers to go away, because if the Germans found out. that they were there, the. villagers would be shot. After a week or so. every Norwegian village ami group of farm bouses contained German soldiers.

After weeks of trekking among the .mountains, the parly, clad in ragged peasant clothing.' without weapons and without food, arrived at Sogne Fiord, far to the south of Trondheim. They learnt that the Allies bad long ago abandoned Namsos. By creeping into villages after dusk, their tried to negotiate for a boat which would take them to Narvik. At village after village, the peasants implored them to go

away, because they were terrified of the consequences if British soldiers were found nearby. They were told that it was impossible to get a boat. So they began to walk to Narvik, and reached a place near the town, which must be nameless. Tin- villagers told them that the British had evacuated Narvik. The soldiers built huts of branches and cautiously wandered among the local fishermen, inquiring whether they were willing to sail them. The fishermen protested that every boat was watched by the Germans.

There were incidents hero, and a pad was made, which cannot bo related, since it would involve people whom the German ‘‘gangsters’’ might identify. All that can safely be said is that one night the eight men rowed to a waiting fishing boat, which set off.

Just out of sight of land, a German armed trawler appeared. The soldiers began throwing out nets and buoys and cutting up their only food—a few dried fish—and Hinging the bits into the water. They tried to give the appearance of Iwing industrious fishermen. The trawler captain waved to them in a friendly manner and they’ drew breath again. After three days of seasickness, they met a British armed trawler, which trained guns on them and demanded, ‘‘Who tire you?” They replied, ‘‘A British officer and men from Norway reporting, sir." The officer was ordered aboard the trawler and climbed to the bridge. The captain listened to his statement and said, “Good show. Have a gin.” It took several days for them to reach home. They were given 48 hours’ leave and have now resumed duty.