The Southland Times TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1940. Allied Forces in Norway

Southland Times, Issue 24108, 23 April 1940, Page 4

The Southland Times TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1940. Allied Forces in Norway

A CCORDING to a Rugby wire•A. less message, printed this morning, the British public is “greatly impressed” with the news that Allied troops have so far been convoyed to Norway without “effective interference” from sea or air forces. There is, indeed, every reason for gratification in a feat which has once again shown that Britain commands the North Sea. There is less reason to feel sure, however, that British people will remain satisfied with the War Office’s tight-lipped policy. They may recognize, willingly enough, the need for secrecy; but this will not stop them from examining with deep interest every report and rumour that comes out of Sweden. The authorities have declared that such news must be treated with “the greatest reserve,” a phrase which may shortly lose its efficacy through sheer repetition. But although there may be gaps in the picture of events supplied by correspondents in Sweden, they seem to agree in certain significant points. Several different messages have referred to the presence of British troops near the waistline of Norway. One report said that two British divisions and one French division landed at Molde, Laerdal and Namsos. Another message spoke of a first engagement between British and German troops near the Namsos railhead, north of Trondheim. More important than these reports, however, is a Norwegian official statement which declares that British troops are now fighting in Eastern Norway, and a British Official Wireless message which announces that there was ‘ considerable enemy air activity” at Namsos on Saturday, although no casualties were caused among Allied troops. It seems rather a strange policy which insists on the need for secrecy, refuses to release any except the barest information, and leaves the world to infer, from the fact that bombing raids occurred at Namsos, that landings have been effected at this port. From such scraps of evidence it appears that Allied forces are near the centre of Norway as well as in the far north., Namsos is barely 80 miles north-west of Trondheim, where the German commander is reported to be hurriedly organizing defences outside the town. The next few days should bring news of military action on an increasingly large scale. In the meantime it is interesting to notice that the swift advance of mechanized forces which paralysed the Polish resistance has not so far been repeated in Norway. Apart from the differences of terrain, there are special and probably serious difficulties for the invaders. They can have landed only a limited number of tanks and motor-vehicles, and unless Sweden can be made to relax her strict neutrality there will be few replacements from Germany. The Norwegians have impeded the Nazi advance by blowing up bridges and sections of the railway lines. And finally, aware of their dwindling reinforcements, and uncertain of the full extent of the Allied opposition, the Germans already show signs of adopting a defensive strategy. It would be foolish to make arbitrary deductions from facts which have had to be pieced together from scattered reports. But it can at least be suggested that the Nazis have been unable to exploit their tactics of a lightning warfare. If the Allies can later claim to have forced the enemy to occupy defensive positions they will have gained an initial and important advantage.