BRITISH TROOPS CLASH WITH GERMANS

Southland Times, Issue 24109, 24 April 1940, Page 5

BRITISH TROOPS CLASH WITH GERMANS

FIERCE FIGHTING REPORTED NEAR TRONDHEIM ALLIED FORCES CLOSING IN ON NARVIK (United Press Association—Telegraph Copyright) (Received April 23, 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 23. The recapture of both Hamar and Elverum by British and Norwegian troops, supported by tanks, is confirmed by the Norwegian Legation at Stockholm. Reuters correspondent on the Swedish-Norwegian frontier says that fierce fighting is occurring between British and German forces at Stiklestad, which is about 30 miles north of Trondheim. A War Office communique issued last evening states: “In our operations in support of the Norwegians our troops, landing at many places, have achieved considerable success in the face of great difficulties. They have gained touch with the Norwegian forces to whom they are giving all the support in their power.” The Stockholm correspondent of the British United Press quotes an authorized Norwegian military source as stating that the Allies have begun a final assault on Narvik. The Germans have been surrounded in three groups —1000 in the town itself, 1500 in Gratangen, which is 25 miles north, and nearly 2000 on the Rombak heights. The French and Norwegians are reported to be operating at Gratangen. The British landed at Beis Fiord, between Elvegaard and Narvik. The Allies’ positions in Norway are obscure, but optimism prevails that the initial operations are proceeding according to plan. The Germans are reported to be falling back both to the north and south of Trondheim, and French forces are mopping up north of Narvik. It is reported that British troops from Romsdals Fiord occupied the railway to Dovre, including Dombaas.

VALUE OF BRITISH SEA POWER

Apart from laconic official communiques, the news reaching England from Norway comes almost entirely through Sweden and is based on reports, inevitably sketchy, carried across the frontier. These are treated with appropriate reserve by the newspapers, which, recognizing the necessity for withholding information which may be of value to the enemy, commend the brevity of the Allied communiques. “Whatever the outcome, of the campaign in Norway may be, it seems certain that this initial stage has been characterized by remarkably good staff work and organization,” says The Times in an editorial. “It has also furnished triumphant proof of the value of sea power. The result of the clash in which tire Germans may well have hoped to damage our fleet 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.” Military experts in London express keen satisfaction at the speed with which the extremely successful operation of effecting the junction of the British and Norwegian Forces in East Norway was conducted. The Germans appear to have been definitely puzzled about the whereabouts of the British troops. Broadcasts suggest that in Germany they have been completely puzzled as to the whereabouts of the British during these early stages of the Norwegian campaign. The fact that one recent German broadcast roundly declared that,there were no British troops in or near Narvik which, according to a later broadcast was of no strategic importance whatever, suggests that in Germany the authorities were without informa-

tion about what was going on. The mountainous nature of the country over which the Norwegian campaign will be waged will involve the employment of small mobile forces. There will, it is anticipated, be no room for big attacks. Consequently junior officers, N.C.O.’s and private soldiers will have full scope to show individual initiative. The artillery employed will probably be confined to light mountain guns. It is now clear that the next few weeks will test the possibility of the Germans maintaining a force upon land by air alone in the northern part of the country. The British forces who have made contact with them found the morale of the officers and men of the Norwegian Army very high.. Hitherto equipment has been lacking but more arms are now being supplied. GERMAN CLAIMS The German High Command reports that enemy naval units yesterday again bombarded Narvik but that no troops were landed. The German forces in the Trondheim area reached important points. No serious fighting occurred. Contact was established with the land forces operating in the Oslo, Christiansand and Stavanger areas. A British destroyer was hit by a bomb and two Allied merchantmen and two submarines were destroyed. The German Official News Agency says that German planes bombed and set fire to Namsos and Andalsnes. The British' positions at Namsos were bombed for six hours. The Norwegian High Command announces the capture from 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 date in the war.

AMERICAN KILLED IN NORWAY

The Minister of Supply (Dr Leslie Burgin) stated that the equipment of the British troops in Norway had been specially designed after consultation with such experts as Mr F. S. Smythe, the famous climber, and Mr Edward Shackleton, a son of the polar explorer, as well as Canadian experts, to meet the conditons of ice and snow likely to be encountered during the operations in Norway. Mr Burgin said that the equipment included special socks, footless stockings, special sledges, ski-ing boots and specially-lined overcoats and snow shoes, Arctic tents, wood-burning stoves, fur caps and sleeping bags. All this equipment was obtained from British and Canadian manufacturers. “I don’t think that any force has been so splendidly equipped in so short a time,” he said.

U.S. ATTACHE KILLED A Washington message says that Captain Robert Losey, American air attache, was killed in a German airraid in Norway. He was the United States Army’s leading aeronautical and meteorological expert. The State Department is seeking fuller information about the manner of Captain Losey’s death but officials expressed the opinion it is unlikely to lead to a diplomatic incident if it is found, as expected, that Captain Losey was acting in line with his duty. The German official news agency says that German aeroplanes bombed and

sank two British transports and set fire to a third at Andalsnes and Namsos yesterday. It also claims to have damaged severely two accompanying warships. It is officially announced from Rugby that the British trawler sunk during enemy air activity at Namsos was the Rutlandshire. All the crew were saved. Watchers on the west coast of Sweden report that the Germans are carefully sweeping the minefields along the coast.