A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 188, 6 May 1940, Page 10

A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

The withdrawal of Allied forces from the south of Irondhcini has now been followed by the evacuation of the Namsos area, north of Trondheim. This can hardly be regarded as surprising since the reasons necessitating the first withdrawal would api’ly cqua y to the Namsos troops who, if they had remained, would doubtless have had to face an attack from superior German forces heavily supported by aircraft. So the Allied effort in Norway is now confined to the Naivtk area, whither at least some of the troops withdrawn from the south arc said to have gone. It seems likely that the Allies will tty to take and hold this important strategical point, where 3000 or 4000 Germans, though defending themselves vigorously, are reported to be surrounded and in sore straits. The German air menace should be hardly as serious here as further south. While fuller facts about the Allied intervention m the areas from which thev withdrew arc gradually becoming known, the inevitable widespread discussion of all the circumstances is going on in Britain and elsewhere, with some commentators reserving judgment till Mr. Chamberlain makes his full explanation and others vigorous!v attacking the Government. In a democracy the Press and others may still criticize their Government freely because it is believed that the ultimate outcome of such a conflict of opinion should be all to the good. Similarly, if the Allies did not achieve their objectives in south Norway, and if they made mistakes, the lessons they learnt should not be in vain, lhere is no tendency anywhere to overlook the difficulties of the task they undertook. It has been announced from Moscow that the Russian and German Governments have agreed that both have an inteiest in preserving the neutrality of Sweden. This may mean precisely what it says. Another possibility is that Russia has no desitc to sec the Germans in charge of Sweden. 'Mediterranean events command heightened interest. Latest development is that, coinciding with the arrival of strong Allied naval forces at Alexandria, the Italians have sent large reinforcements of all arms to the Dodecanese Islands, at the entrance to the Aegean Sea on the way to the Dardanelles A ugoslavia apparently still sees reason to believe she is menaced by Germany and Italy, and there is a prediction from Berlin that Germany s next stroke will be in the Balkans. With the interested Powers prepared for instant action, the United States continues to work for peace.