German Armies Bottled Up in Norway

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 45, 22 February 1945, Page 5

German Armies Bottled Up in Norway

Received Wednesday, 9.60 p.m. LONDON, Fell. 21. About 140,000 German troops, the equivalent of 12 divisions, are bottled up in Norway, according to Norwegian underground reports reaching Stockholm. Although the troops are urgently needed on the west and east fronts it is claimed that the Germans would have great difficulty in evacuating them from Norway because of the perfectly coordinated attacks which the R.A.F., Royal Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy are making oh road, rail and sea transport. Only one road and no railway exist between Narvik and tho northern terminal of the Norwegian railway system. The entire coast from Tromso to the Skagerrak is vigilantly patrolled by British and Norwegian ships and aircraft and German shipping along the coast has almost vanished. All German troop movements from north of Oslo Fiord must he made by railway. The German News Agency yesterday said: "We are about to replace many emergency arrangements by planned action. Up to now the German Command did not give up either Norway or the Aegean Islands, hut it would not he true to say that those areas could no longer he abandoned.”