Norwegians Recover From Shock, Flock To Colours

Northern Advocate, 12 April 1940, Page 6

Norwegians Recover From Shock, Flock To Colours

(Received o p.m.) LONDON, April 11. r fHE NORWEGIANS, TEMPORARILY NONPLUSSED UNDER TH$! FIRST SHOCK OF THE INVASION, ARE NOW FLOCKING TO THE COLOURS. Increasing' resistance is a salient fact emerging from the confused position of Norway. A correspondent of tbe Stockholm newspaper “Aftoiibladet ’ says the Norwegians are barricading and guarding all bridges on a long front running south, cast and north of Oslo, parallel to the Swedish border. Other sources indicate that the Norwegians elsewhere are holding up or pressing back the invaders, notably at Bergen, which the Norwegian troops apparently recaptured, although Swedish reports declare that the Germans are holding the fortress at the entrance to the harbour.

On the contrary, the German news agency claims that the Germans not only hold Bergen, besides other ports originally occupied, hut have reinforced troops at Bergen, Oslo and Stavanger.

TROOPS BY AIR < FROM DENMARK.

The Germans at Elverum were thrown back at all points and are isolated by blowing up of bridges Rebind them. 1 Five thousand Germans landed at Bergen, but Norwegians yesterday halted the invaders’ march to the interior.

A Swedish journalist, sending a message from occupied territory, reports that the Germans are transporting troops by air from advanced Danish bases, while according to a message from Marstrand, Sweden, more German warships and transports have arrived in the Oslo Fiord. The correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain says the Norwegian commander at Bergen reported a big concentration of invaders at Trondheim, against which the Norwegians, whose commander-in-chief is now' General Otto Ruge, are preparing a strong attack. Norwegians are reported to be advancing from the north and attempting to cut off the Germans, who are operating between Trondheim and the Swedish frontier. Meanwhile, Norwegians at Stordal held up the Germans advancing from Trondheim. Further difficulties to the invaders are likely to result from the blowing up of the railway between Oslo and Charlottenberg.

REICH TROOPS ON KEY TO BALTIC

■The German High Command claims that troops were landed on the Danish island of Bornholm, which Swedish circles describe as the key to the Baltic. The Stockholm “Dagens Nyheter” correspondent at Berlin says Swedish and Norwegian frontier reports say German planes bombed and destroyed the headquarters of the Norwegian Army. It is reported from Berlin that German troops at Oslo found 50 new American Curtiss planes, which arrived this week, and have not yet been assembled. The official German news agency says that there is neither de facto nor de jure state of war between Germany and Norway. The Norwegian Government has made a declaration that it is at war with Germany. The crews of the sunken cruisers Blucher and Karlsruhe are manning coastal batteries at unnamed points in Norway. GERMANS MAY BE TRAPPED AT NARVIK The British United correspondent on the North Swedish frontier says the Germans at Narvik are likely to be trapped. The Norwegians believe that the British destroyers’ attack caused the blocking up of Ofoten Fiord, one of the channels leading to Narvik, where three German troopships, each carrying 4000 men, are reported to have arrived on Tuesday night, despite the British naval onslaught. The Swedish radio declares that ■a battle occurred near Narvik, also that the Norwegians repulsed the Germans between Oslo and Elverum. M. Hambro confirms that the Norwegians stopped the German advance eastward of Narvik by a surprise counter-attack. The local Norwegian commander at Narvik (Colonel Sundlo) has been arrested because he made contact, without authority, with the invaders. Colonel Sundlo fs a friend of Major -Quisling, head of the .Nazi Puppet Government at Oslo. The commander of the North Norwegian forces has been instructed to make contact with the British commander at the earliest opportunity.

GOVERNMENT MOVES AGAIN

The Norwegian Government moved from Elverum to Nybergsund, which is 15 miles from the Swedish border. The Government ordered the Chief of Police at Oslo to arrest members of the Puppet Government. The Berlin news agency reported from Narvik the arrest of a British journalist (Giles Romilly), a nephew of Mr Winston Churchill. It is not explained whether he was arrested by Germans or by Norwegians. A communique declared that the Government and Parliament still exist since the withdrawal from Oslo. A Stockholm message says that a battle between British and Gerrpan forces is reported to be raging furiously in Trondheim Fiord. British planes attacked German warships and aircraft this. evening.