A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 186, 3 May 1940, Page 10

A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

' Twenty-four hours’ news has brought forth little to confirm all the sweeping German claims published yesterday. The main force of the German effort is obviously directed on the Dombas end of the railway from there to Storen, and it appears, that the Germans are still making some progress here, for the Allied forces are said to have made a withdrawal and are referred to as stoutly attempting to stem the main German advance. 'J he possibility that they may have withdrawn from Dombas itself is admitted, but the arrival of heavy artillery may be expected to assist this force.

Along the railway to Storen there is apparently fighting at a number of points, but it is described as heavy only at Jerkin. It remains to be seen how strong the German forces along this line are. In the meantime the fortress of Ilegre, near Storen, whose defenders are emulating the heroic stand of the Poles in the Westerplatte near Danzig, resists all attacks and continues to prove a thorn in the Germans’ side. The fate of Storen itself is not clear. In the Oster Valley tlie Germans have made a long retreat. The main effort of their forces is now elsewhere, but if they have left Tonset they have abandoned the first of the road junctions leading to the Dombas-Storen railway and in the Folia Valley, through which the other two main roads to the west lead to Jerkin, the Norwegians are still reported to be offering some resistance, so the Germans may yet find all not easy with their lines of communication. But for the present the fine of the railway mentioned above remains the centre of interest, and here one unnamed British authority has described the situation as dangerous. The plight of the Germans near Narvik seems to be growing worse, and there is no appreciable change on the front north of Trondheim.

R.A.F. machines are hitting harder and harder at German air bases, thus giving a valuable help to the land forces, and their bombing is reported to have caused heavy damage. There are neutral reports of a British naval and air attack on a German convoy in the Kattegat, with damage to enemy transports. Precautions continue to be taken in the Mediterranean to provide against the possibility of trouble with Italy. Reports that the French do not view too hopefully the chances of Italy staying out of the war are partly offset by a report, apparently without official backing, that Signor Mussolini has assured the American Ambassador that there will be no sudden change in Italy’s position. It is very likely that the United States is lending its influence in support of the cause of peace in the Mediterranean. A statement by Herr Hess seems to indicate that Italy will not enter the war at this juncture. Australia shoulders a heavier war burden in a Budget which calls for some 000,000 more revenue