R.A.F. MACHINES .BOMB DANISH AIRPORT

Southland Times, Issue 24107, 22 April 1940, Page 5

R.A.F. MACHINES .BOMB DANISH AIRPORT

PLACE OF DEPARTURE OF NAZI TROOP PLANES GERMAN ADVANCE HELD UP IN NORWAY

(By Radio —1.15 a.m.) LONDON, April 21. The Royal Air Force inflicted heavy blows on the enemy yesterday when it carried out bombing attacks on three aerodromes at present in the hands of the Germans. These were the Kristiansand and Stavanger bases in Norway and the Aalborg aerodrome in Denmark. British aeroplanes swooped over Aalborg last night and succeeded in damaging a hangar. Fires were seen to start in several places and a German transport that was about to lanc| was bombed. At Kristiansand German aeroplanes were dispersed on the ground and were subjected to a bombing attack by a British squadron. Bombs dropped at Stavanger caused further damage to the runways. A violent explosion followed the bursting of one bomb that landed on the field. A nearby seaplane base was also attacked. Latest news of the fighting in Norway is contained in an official Norwegian communique, which says that Norwegian troops have taken up new positions. Advanced detachments are maintaining contact with the enemy. British troops are now taking part in operations in eastern Norway. At a fiord 25 miles west of Oslo some German tanks are reported to have been destroyed. The German Official News Agency admits that the advance from Oslo is being held up by blasted bridges and blocked roads. In making a deviation from a blocked road a German detachment made an attempt to cross some ice, but met with such a furious machine-gun fire that it had to retreat. At one spot a cliff face was dynamited and a company of German troops on the roadway below were killed. At Narvik German forces are believed to be hemmed in between British forces on the coast and Norwegian troops further inland.

ALLIES IN VANTAGE POINTS

Messages from Sweden state that two British divisions and one French division are reported to have landed at Molde, Laerdal and Namsos. The British force which landed at Molde includes Canadians. The forces arrived without the loss of a single man. They are now in positions for major operations in Norway. The War Office announced that, operations in Norway are proceeding according to plan. Allied troops occupied certain points of vantage yesterday. . . . A communique issued m Condon states: “Our submarines attacked an enemy convoy. Two transports were hit by torpedoes. Three German aeroplanes were shot down during attacks on our naval units and transports. The enemy did not register a hit.’ The Admiralty and War Office declare that the Berlin radio report that a transport was sunk or damaged off the Norwegian coast is untrue.

The lulca correspondent of the British United Press states that heavy German bombers and transport aeroplanes have been bringing food and munitions, including mountain artillery, to Narvik for the last two days. The German landing party is trying to consolidate its position before the British and Norwegian forces strike. A message from Stockholm states that all foreigners, except Finns, have been ordered to leave Nordbotten, Sweden’s northernmost province, where the iron-ore fields are situated. The province is being placed under military control. Iron ore trains are arriving regularly at Lulea, but the harbour is not expected to be free of ice for three weeks. The German News Agency claims that German aeroplanes while repelling British attempts to land at Romsdal Fiord, near Molde, sank a British cruiser and set on fire and sank a 15,000ton troopship. They also successfully bombed British troops who had landed at Andenes, off Narvik This may be a new version of last night's claims, which the Allies officially denied.

The first engagement between British and German troops in Norway occurred near the Namsos railhead, north of Trondheim, states a report received in London. The Germans were driven back.

In London the keenest interest is still concentrated on the Narvik landing.

FRENCH PARTICIPATION

The Paris Press suggests that the French participated in the landings. There has been no official statement concerning this but a Paris correspondent says: “It is thought that when the full story is revealed it will be seen that the French share will prove as glorious as that of the British.” The French papers publish no more news than do the British but Le Petit Parisien’s headline is: “New Allied forces disembark at several points.” The Norwegian Government announces that it has established full liaison with all arms of the British forces. A British staff office has been established at the Norwegian headquarters. The British and Norwegian forces appear to be massing for the expulsion of the Germans from the north and the consolidation of a line of advance, running roughly eastward from Namsos and Trondheim. Swedish reports state that the British and Norwegian forces control the railway from Namsos to Stenkjaer, but engagements in this area apparently are the result of German troops landed by parachute. The Germans are meeting difficulty in this method of troop transportation because of the mountainous country and the havoc the British have wrought in aerodromes. Reinforcement by rail is eliminated because of the destruction of bridges. The Germans are reported to have advanced to Levanger, but it is now ascertained that 100 Norwegians still hold the fortress of Hegre, on which the most bitter German offensive has not made an impression. It is reported that the Germans, pushing out from Oslo and Kongsvinger, advanced to Flisa, 36 miles south-east of Elverum.

8.8. C. NORWEGIAN BROADCASTS

According to the head of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, who is now in Stockholm, there is no doubt that the British Broadcasting Corporation in its Norwegian broadcasts is playing a great part in keeping up the spirits of the Norwegian people, which, he says, are rising daily. The shortwave broadcasts in Norwegian from Britain would be heard in the whole of south Norway more clearly than those of any of the Norwegian stations now in Government hands. All the most powerful Norwegian wireless stations had been in German hands since the beginning of the invasion. A number of reports from Stockholm and the Swedish-Ncrwegian frontier indicate that co-operation between the British and Norwegian forces is being developed from Narvik, complete control of which is considered only a matter of time down to the region of Trondheim. Other unconfirmed reports suggest that the German troops at Trondheim are experiencing difficulties in obtaining supplies because of the dominance of the sea route by the British Navy and the difficulties of landing at the aerodrome because of melting snows and damage by British bombs. Varnes aerodrome is stated to have been abandoned since the Allied air attack. In the south the Germans appear to be slowly expanding the area under their control and it is considered by some correspondents that following the report of the German capture of Elisa, 36 miles south-east of Elverum, the battle for Elverum has now begun. King Haakon and the Norwegian Crown Prince, Prince Olav, are stated to be still with the members of the Nygaardsvold Cabinet who are moving from place to place.

In the Oslo area it seems that German troops are seriously hampered by obstructions in and are suffering from a food shortage. A German proclamation issued in Oslo admits that great delay has been caused in this way in food transportation and a good deal of labour and expense is involved in -epairing the damage. “If supplies do not reach the various centres any quicker than at present the German authorities will have, to commandeer trucks and cars ‘o effect improvement in the transportation of foodstuffs,” it states. “Also if necessary, local authorities must take immediate and energetic steps to have the damage repaired.” A member of the British Legation staff from Copenhagen said that it was to be expected that the German grip on Denmark would be tightened steadily. It waj already obvious that the forces of occupation were being rapidly augmented while the forces of penetration —German advisers, German controllers and German overseers—were likewise expanding.

BRITISH STEAMERS SUNK (Received April 21, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 20. The British steamer Hawnby (5404 tons) sank after an explosion off the south-east coast. Naval pinnaces picked -up the crew of 39. The Mersey (1037 tons) sank off the south-east coast. Seven members of the crew were taken to hospital and one died. An eye-witness described a terrific explosion before the ship disappeared.