ALLIES’ EARLY SUCCESS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 123, 23 April 1940, Page 7

ALLIES’ EARLY SUCCESS

EXCELLENCE OF ORGANISATION WELL-PLANNED NAZI COUP ' (United Press Association. —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) [Received April 23, 10.10 a.m. RUGBY, April 22. Whatever the outcome of the campaign in Norway may be, it seems certain that this initial stage has been characterised by remarkably good staff work and organisation, says the Times. It has also furnished triumphant proof of the value of sea power. The result of the clash in which the Germans may well , have hoped to damage our Meet severely has been, in fact, to cripple their own, so that at the moment our relative preponderance is greater than a fortnight ago, and* we find ourselves in a position to make other use of a proportion of our naval forces if the. international situation should appear to demand it.

REVELATION IN MAPS. The Norwegian High Command announces the capture trom the Germans of copies of war maps of Norway based on Norwegian rectangle maps and neutral maps which were specially printed in Germany in February last. It is obvious that the plans of the German General Staff for the invasion of neutral Norway go back to an early dato in the war. Apart from a laconic official communique, the news reaching England from Norway comes almost entirely through Sweden and is based on reports, inevitably sketchy, carried across tile frontier. These arc treated with appropriate reserve by the newspapers which, recognising the necessity for withholding information which may be of value to the enemy, commend the brevity of the Allied communiques. BIG ALLIEeTaDVANCE. ELVERUM RECAPTURED. WAR THEATRE EXTENDS. LONDON, April 22. The British Associated Press’s Stockholm correspondent says that the Norwegian Legation confirms that the British, supported by the Norwegians, have recaptured Elverum (north-east of Hamar), also that a French division has landed at Namsos (the railhead north of Trondheim, on the west coast). The Exchange Telegraph Company’s Stockholm correspondent describes the mopping up of the last of the German parachute troops at Dombaas (southeast from Romsdals Fiord) on Sunday. The parachutists occupied a farmhouse, which the Norwegians surrounded and advanced under cover of machine-guns. A grenade was thrown into the cellar and wrecked the farmhouse, and the Germans capitulated alter the loss of 25 killed and 25 wounded, 150 being taken prisoner. The parachutists carried a surprising amount of equipment, including ma-chine-guns, collapsible bicycles, two-way radios, saws, cameras, and welding apparatus. The Germans had compelled 50 civilians to carry their equipment. The Norwegians shot down three large German ’planes at Dombaas on Sunday and the British shot down a fourth. A Stockholm message says reports from the frontier state that the Brit- ' ish and German troops are fighting at Vaerdalsoren, north-east of Trondheim, at the junction of the road from Trondheim to Grong with the road to the Swedish frontier. Swedish correspondents say reports of ■ fighting between Namsos and Grong are incorrect and affirm that Namsos was severely damaged by German bombers, eome civilians being injured. PROGRESS OF BRITISH. It appears to be established that German forces advancing north from Oslo are now faced with Allied as well as Norwegian troops near the heart of Norway. Swedish Press reports are more specific than the recent British and Norwegian communiques, bat are unconfirmed. These persist that British troops, advancing nearly 200 miles along the Gudbrnndsdal Valley equipped with tanks and other heavy arm a-1 ments, made contact with Norwegians north of Lake Mjosa. There is no confirmation of earlier reports that the Allies have captured Hamar. The Germans have bombed Lillehammer, 00 miles from Hamar in Gudbrandsdal Valley, indicating the presence of strong forces at least close to Hamar. The suggestion that the Allied troops reached Eastern Norway by rail is supported by German accounts of bombing of the coastal termini of the railways and at Lillehammer and Dombas. It is in this area that the Germans have made repeated attempts to cut the line by landing parachute troops. • NAZI PLANS FAIL. The Stockholm correspondent of the News-Cfironicle says that 5000 Germans are feverishly attempting to strengthen the defences at Trondheim, from which 55,000 civilians, representing half the population, have been evacuated to the hills. The Germans are fearful. of being trapped from the north and south. The German attempts to link up their forces in Bergen, Trondheim and Oslo have now been completely foiled. A Norwegian communique says: “The Germans on Saturday, supported bv ’planes and attacked on both sides of Lake Mjosa, but our troops held their positions. The Germans also machine gunned and bombed 4 Lillehammer and dropped leaflets. A \ house near the railway was set on 1 fire The Germans bombed other towns, | including Andalsnes (in Uonisdals Wiord). Many ’planes were seen flying "northward, and one was shot down. f The German Official News Agency Lavs that the German troops advancing rapidly from the south, have reached Lillehammer A German communique claims the bombing of Britjsli troops at Andalsnes. Tt is reported that two German -p anes bombed and machine-gunned , Jo places on flie railway near Hamar A other reports deal with a German ra d # • , U town north-east of Hamar, and fe t /destruction of a number of German p/ Iks a few miles further west.