BETTER POSITION AT NAMSOS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 183, 30 April 1940, Page 7

BETTER POSITION AT NAMSOS

General Interviewed EARLIER BOMBING OF NEAR-EMPTY TOWN LONDON, April 28. The British commander at Namsos, General Dewiart, in an interview with a British war correspondent said: “Our position is much better. The men are settling down and reinforcements are arriving in good numbers. The German air attacks have been greatly diminished since the Allied anti-aircraft guns and fighters have gone into action. Fighters have already brought down two German bombers at Namsos.” General Dewiart added: “We must not be impatient if there is little action in the early stages. Big things are likely to happen soon.”

He admitted that food supplies were a difficult problem because of the destruction of some of the stores at Namsos, but he emphasized that the situation would be quickly remedied.

The French General Staff were equally confident, and said that more and more troops were arriving at frequent intervals.

The troops are cheerful, though often labouring waist-deep in snow —conditions to which the French Alpine troops are accustomed.

Namsos is completely destroyed, having hardly a house or a street left, but the harbour is functioning. British sailors are directing the salvage of stores from the lumber strewn in the waters of the fiord. A British officer said that the German attacks were diabolical in their fury. Bombs fell at the rate of 70 an hour, but the casualties were slight, as the civilians had been evacuated and only a few troops remained. The correspondent adds Hint many thousands of men have been disembarked and moved unopposed to points arounds the head of Trondheim Fiord. On his way to Namsos be saw Allied troops moving up the railway and taking cover when enemy bombers were heard.

There is no substantial change in the disposition of the land forces. Tonight’s dispatches indicate that the Germans are endeavouring to speed up the advance of the left wing in the Gudbrandsal Valley in order to keep pace with the central drive along the Osterdal Valley, but the Allies are holding them in the vicinity of Kytun. The Allies’ forces at Storen are still barring the German approach toward Trondheim from the Osterdal Valley, and the Nazis now appear to have halted in the vicinity of Roros, where they are fortifying their positions and awaiting the arrival of reinforcements from Oslo. German Air Attacks. The thrust of the German mechanized column across the mountains westward from Roros has slowed down, according to a reliable source, and strong British uhits are reported to have occupied a high plateau in the region of lljerkiu commanding the railway between bombas and Storen. to meet *ny German attempt to cut the railway.

German aeroplanes again attacked British landing points and Norwegian towns and villages in waves at tire weekend, according to unconfirmed Swedish sources, but the growing power of the Allied anti-aircraft batteries and lighting planes has reduced the harassing effect of such attacks, and further Allied reinforcements have disembarked. In addition to Andalsnes. Nazi bombers are reported to have raided the harbour* al Ale sund. Molde and Nnmsos.

The Norwegian news agency says that Alesund was seriously damaged during a two-hour bombing raid, but

that the raiders over Namsos were repelled, one being shot down. . A Norwegian communique says that troops had serious engagements with Germans in the Hallingdal and Numedal Valleys in the Bergen-Oslo sector, but were forced to retire to new positions. It described the German advance as unimportant, but admitted the loss of Voss, 50 miles north east of Bergen. It added that one German plane was shot down and that three made forced landings during bombing attacks on Allied and Norwegian forces. The German radio claimed that two British cruisers and four transports were bit by bombs off Trondheim. Tiie military correspondent of “The Times” says it is frankly recognized that the Allies are under the necessity of recasting their plans in Norway and that the prospect of the immediate capture of Trondheim has disappeared.

TRUTHLESS CLAIM

German Capture Of Commanders (British Official Wireless.) (Received April 29, 7.5 p.m.i RUGBY, April 28. According to the Rome radio, a message from Berlin slates tliai tiie supreme commander of the Norwegian forces and the commander of the Allied forces were both captured yesterday and members of their two stall's were being taken to Berlin by air. This statement is quite untrue. Belli commanders have been in ordinary routine communication with London this afternoon

DUTCH MAY DAY

LONDON, April 28.

There will bo no May bay demonstration in Holland. The national councils of the butch Socialist Party anil ihe Trade Union Federal ion decided on this step after consultation with the Minister of National befenee in view of the state of tension.