ONLY BEGINNING

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 187, 4 May 1940, Page 11

ONLY BEGINNING

Allies’ Campaign In Norway COMMENT ON NEW PHASE LONDON, May 2. The withdrawal of the British from the Andalsnes area is the only topic of conversation since Mr. Chamberlain said that we had abandoned the idea of capturing Trondheim from the south, but intended to fight the Norwegian affair through to the end. In a commentary on the withdrawal, Mr. Cyril Larkin, assistant editor of the “Sunday Times,” said that some disappointment was pound to be felt over the withdrawal, even in neutral countries, but it was important to look at the facts objectively and get the whole 'thing in its right perspective. This was really only the beginning of the campaign. Opinion in London was unanimous that the British had done a good thing when they went into parts of Norway south of Trondheim. There was a chance that they might have got Trondheim itself. That would have been, a great triumph, particularly with such a small force at their disposal. German air superiority could only have been met by the establishment of air bases. The landing ground they had —a frozen lake —was subject to terrific bombing raids. Analyzing the operations, he said that Norway and the Government had ibeen >saved from almost immediate collapse, and heavy losses had been inflicted on the German forces, one estimate of Which was 100,000 men. If iGermany were to hold southern Norway it would mean a large dispersal of her forces and large concentrations of troops, material, and aircraft would be detached from her main effort. She also had to hold a long coastline which would be open to attack by the Allied navies and air force. The withdrawal was only the beginning of a new phase of the campaign. Britain had gone in south of Trondheim in response to the Norwegian SOS, and having inflicted heavy losses on the enemy and delayed the plan of campaign, it was now time for a withdrawal from that particular sector. If Hitler had thought to draw Britain into a trap in southern Norway, he had failed. Now Britain would start again on a plan carefully and deliberately prepared, and, what was more, at her own timetable.