IN NORWAY

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1940, Page 5

IN NORWAY

1 NAMOS BOMBED

DESTROYED BY ENEMY.

(United Press Association—By Electric . ; .Telegraph-Copyright).

LONDON, April 29. Tlie town of Namsos (at the head of. Folden Fiord, about 90 miles north of Trondheim) lias been completely, destroyed, but Namsos harbour is functioning.. . British sailors are, directing the salvage of stores from the lumberstrewn waters of Folden Fiord. A British officer said that there was a German air attack on Namsos, diabolical-in; its fury... The bombs fell at the rate of seventy per hour, but the; casualties were slight; as the civilians had been evacuated and only a 1 few troops remained in the town.;/; The Norwegian j Government, in a statementj said: “The war will go oil; until the usurpers are hurled out of the country. The Germans are waging war without respect for international law. .. Their bgingers have cl evastated' defenceless - tillages and towns which are not militarily equipped and which cannot be regarded as military- objectives; -Members of the Norwegian Government witnessed the Germans firing on civilians who took ! no part in the fighting. • ■ ’• A- Norwegian communique stated-Urie German |flane was shot down, 'ahd tliree made forced landings, during the bombing -attacks • on the Allied arid Norwegian troops. ; . .i , Tlie German' radio claimed that ' two British : cruisers and four trailsports were hit by bombs, 1 oft Trondheim. ' r • " BRITISH AIR RAIDS. • LONDON, April 28. Formations of the Royal 1 Air Force, carried out extensive operations yesterday afternoon and again last night. Aerodromes' and supply ships were raided and a difect hit was* scored on a ship of 5,000 'tons, while a number of oil 4anks oil shore were set on fire. -

Another direct hit was scored on the quayside 'at one of -the supply bases established By the Germans, and in another Fiord a ship was left lying, on its side partly submerged. On the way home one of the British bombers' shot down a Dornier flyingboat.

DROMES BOMBED

GOTHENBURG, April 29.

British bombers are reported to have destrbyhd a large l "6il tank during a raid on aerodromes near .Oslo.

ENEMY SUCCESS,

LONDON, April 28. A Norwegian communique says: Our

troops seriously engaged the Germans A in the Hallin and Numed Valleys, in ' the Bergen-Oslo sector, but were forced to retire to new positions. The communique described the German advance at unimportant, but admitted the loss of Voss. Swedish sources report that fighting between British and German forces was begun at Jerkin on Sunday.

ALLIED HEADS,

CONFIDENT OF POSITION

LONDON, April 29

General Dewiart, the Commander of the British 'Forces in Norway (whom the Rome Radio on Wednes-1 day last, reported to have been slightly wounded in operations in the Trondheim district), gav« an interview to a British war correspondent. He said: “Our position is much better. Ihe nien are settling down. Reinforcements are arriving in good numbers. German air attacks have greatly diminished since Allied anti-aircraft guns and fighter planes have.gone into action. The fighters already have brought down two German bombers at Namsos.” General Dewiart added: “We must r.jt be impatient if there is little fiction in the early stages. Big things are likely to happen soon.” He admitted that the bringing of food supplies was a difficult,.problem, owing to the destruction of some of the Allied stores at Namsos. He emphasised, however, that the situation would quickly be remediable. Regarding the Allied campaign in Norway, the French General • Staff are equally as confident ais General Dewiart, British Commander. They said that more , and more troops are arriving at frequent intervals. French Alpine troops are operating in Norway. They are accustomed to the conditions existing there. The troops are cheerful. They are often labouring waist deep in snow.

ARMY STRENGTHS IN NORWAY

LONDON, April 29. Neutral estimates place the respective strengths in Norway at sixty thousand Germans, and forty thousand Anglo-French troops. The Norwegian strength is not guessable. NORWAY’S NEUTRALITY. LONDON, April 29. From “somewhere in Norway,” Dr Koht (Foreign Minister) describes as false Herr Von Ribbentrops’s allegation that Norway knew that Britain intended to mine the Norwegian waters, and had even approved the plan,

“which justified the German invasion.” He said that German navaL units must liaA r e been despatched long before the British mine-laying. Nobody could prove that Norway did not adhere to neutrality.

THE “TIMES” WARNING

LONDON, April 28

The military writer of “The Times” says: It is frankly recognised that the Allies are under the necessity of recasting their plans in Norway, and the prospect immediately of the capture of Tronheim has disappeared. To-night’s dispatches indicate that the Germans are endeavouring to speed up the left wing advance in the Gudbrandsdal Valley ,in order to keep pace with the central drive along the Osterdal Valley, but the Allies are holding them to the vicinity of Quam The Allies’ forces at'Storen are still baring a German approach towards Tronheim from Osterdal, and tie Nazis now appear to have halted in the vicinity of Roros, where they are fortifying positions, and awaiting the arriving of reinforcements from Oslo. The thrust made by a German mechanised column across the mountains has slowed down, according to a, reliable source, and strong British units are reported to have occupied a high plateau in the region of Jerkin, commanding the Dombas-Storen railway-. in order to meet any German attempt to cut the railway. The German newspaper “Frankfurter Zeitung” makes some interesting comment on the position in Norway. The German people are warned not to over-rate successes ;in Norway and not to expect final victories at the present stage. It is pointed out that operations are only in the initial stages. Victories the article continues, would only come if every German soldier in Noway gave his utmost to the effort. . - • Success or failure in Norway might be decisive for Germany herself, the newspaper declares.

A LIE NAILED. (Received this day at 12.40 p.m.) NEW YORK. April 29. Captain William McHale, of the American freighter Mormacsen, disputes Herr Ribbontrop’s assertion that troops were not given sailing order for the invasion of Norway until April 8. “T photographed the German auxiliary Seattle, at Trondheim Fiord at 2 n.m. <ei April 7. headed towards Bergen, high out of the water. She would not be returning to Germany empty, and undoubtedly carried troops. She was idling along apparently awaiting orders.’’