COSILY VENTURE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 130, 2 May 1940, Page 9

COSILY VENTURE.

NAZI COMMAND ANXIOUS. BLITZKRIEG FAILS." (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 30. The latest declaration by the Norwegian Government is welcomed in London. When tlie Norwegian Government affirm, “we consider freedom to be so valuable that we prefer to endure war rather than surrender” they speak in a language which is well understood by the Allied peoples, and the Norwegian Government’s assertion that Norway did not want war and had attacked no one, that she will fight on for freedom, and that the war will last till Norway is again free is felt to be worthy of the spirit of the brave people to whose aid the Allies have come without hesitation or reserve.

The difficulties facing the Allies in going to the assistance of the Norwegians in the face of the advantages gained for Germany by means of the Nazi technique of a sudden attack, treacherously planned and prepared in advance, were never underrated here. The experience of the first three weeks has provided no reason for revising the opinion that arduous and prolonged effort will be called for from the Allies and Norway. Having obtained temporary local mastery in the. air by the seizure,, of the air bases in Norway, the Germans arc now in a position to hamper military action so as to render unlikely any easy, early or spectacular success for the Allies on the land, hut that fact does not affect the validity of the original judgment of British observers according to which Hitler s decision to attack Norway was a major blunder, prompted in the view of many by his anxiety to seek a decision quickly at whatever cost. \ HEAVY LIABILITY.

To get a footing in Norway the Nazis had tc sacrifice one-th:rd of the German Fleet. They had to expose Germany to serious and continuing losses in men, shipping and material. The advantage gained locally in the air is only maintained at great ctst in 1 With the Admiralty’s announcement yesterday that three German transport and supply ships have been sunk, the total since April 8 is brought up to 28 in addition to the Maine, which was scuttled,, another ship which was set on fire, and 10 more transports and supply ships set on fire and probably sunk. A further 10 German transports and supply ships have been hit bv torpedoes and probably sunk, and the German expeditionary force also has suffered losses due to. mines. The German losses of men have been very heavy if those lost with the transports are included. The German invasion was cleverly planned and, capably executed as it was, nevertheless it was based on an expectation that Norwegian resistance would not be met with or would quickly collapse.-The event has proved quite otherwise, and the . German military command is faced with a continuing liability involving detendmg at heavy expenditure in men and material positions far from the home bases and with the lines of communication threatened by the ■ Allied, command of the sea, a.nd by Allied air action. NAZI PLANS UPSET. A Press telegram from Zurich (Switzerland) to-night underlines this aspect of the matter. The message states that it has been learned from an excellent source in Berlin that the High Command is feeling increasing anxiety that the war m Norway will develop into trench warfare, and the

commanders* there have been ordered to do all in their power to prevent this. The message goes on to refer to a prevalent opinion among neutral observers that a protracted war in Norway would seriously upset the plans of the German military authorities. "Whether this news report is well founded or not, informed opinion here is satisfied that when the final' reckoning can he made in respect of Hitler's Norwegian adventure it will be found to have been so much more costly to Germany and to have brought her so little ■ advantage that it may well prove to have subjected her limited resources to an excessive strain.