TOPICS OF THE DAY

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21185, 7 August 1940, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY

Two Evacuations “Landing our troops in Norway without one casualty was difficult enough,” says Lieutenant-Colonel C. B. Costin-Nain, M.C., military j correspondent of the Daily Express. “But to get the men away | under the enemy’s nose also without the loss of a single soldier was the toughest military operation possible. Like all retreats, it is disj couraging. A rearguard heavily equipped with Bren guns, machine guns and light artillery covered the main body while they withdrew ' and embarked. But the work of getting the troops and material | away at night was even more difficult than the Navy’s work at Gallipoli in the last war. They had the tricky business of deceiving I enemy air scouts. Total darkness does not come until after 9 o’clock in Norway at this time of the year, and daylight makes flying possible again soon after 4 o’clock. The embarkation had to be made in open fiords where small boats were used. There were no wharves i or cranes. The numbers handled were not so large as in the Gallipoli j evacuation, but thoro we had. beaches which had been in our hands | fur months.”