The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-04-25


holm and London believed that the
success or failure OF the Allied ex-
peditionary forces in opposing the
northward thrusts of the NaziS
through the central sector might de-
eide the outcome of the battle for
Norway.
On this central front, the British
reported that their forces seeking
to bolster Norwegian resistance had
advanced to the Otta area in the
GudbrandSdal valley, about Is miles
southeast of the railroad junction of
Dombaas. That would Indicate
that the main Allied forces, land
ed at AndalsneS last week, Tad adj
vanced southeastward cautiously and
were not as near the Lillenammer
front as had previously been indi-
Gated.
The advance southeastward from
Dombaas was along the railroad
leading to Lillehammer, however, and
it appeared that the l,-5st important
test of Allied ability to stop the Nazi
northWard march might come in that
sector.
Main Objections
The Germans, however, were not
combining their northward advance
to the Lillehammer-Domb rail-
road. Their main objective Is to
slash through to the Trondheim
area to establish regular supply lines
and thus join up their south Norway
forces with the Nazis holding the
Trondheim ford sector. To do this
they moved from Lillehammer
toward Dombaas, but they also
struck directly northward toward
Koppang, Tynset, Roeros and
Trondheim.
Thus the British advancing from
Andal1nes were forced to divide their
forces at Dombaas. One force moved
toward Lillehammer while a second
swung northward toward Stoeren in
an effort to outflank the Nazi mo-
torized column charging up the
Oosterdalen valley to Roeros.
The Germans had moved swiftly
up the Oesterdalen valley despite
occasional Norwegian resistance in
which few Allied troops and
probably British officers were be-
lieved to have participated. They
we're reported at the town # Tyn-
set, % miles south of Roeros, af-
ter covering SIS miles in single
Cay and went on last night to Roe
roS.
Important Advances
The import ance of the SlaShing
German advances in this central
Norwegian sector cannot DE over
emphasized because they are en-
gagged in struggle to control
the whole communications system
through a mountainous territory i'll
which the attack on Well-entrenched
troops is extremely difficult.
Therefore, which ever side first
gets its gains consolidated has q big
advantage. On the other hand, the
Germans have been forced 10 move
with lightning speed and presum-
ably have drawn their lines thin.
The fighting both in the Trond-
helm and the central Norway sectors
is so important and the outcome still
so uncertain that both the Allied
and German high commands have
been careful not to make eXtraVa-
CANT claims.
The German communique said
that Nazi airplanes continued to
hammer at Allied communication
lines and had cut their lines in the
Lillehammer, Trondheim and eBrgen
sectors, while sometimes machine
cunning marching enemy columns.
1.-THE rapid advance (of Germans)
north and northeast from the Oslo
sector is continuing" the COM
munique said, without giving any
details. German troops in several
places forced the enemy into head
long retreat,"
British Warships Busy
In the far northern sector OF
Narvik, the Germans reported that
British warships again had heavily
bombarded" the port and Allied
sources reported that ring was be-
ing drawn tightly around about q
900 Germans still holding out IN that
zone.
Sweden disclosed that recruiting
would start Monday for special de-
Tense organizations as precaution-
arv move but there was no par
ticular indication that Swedish neu-
trality was further endangered.
Authorized sources in London said
that any German invasion of SWe-
den would be "of instant concern
to Britain, which appeared to be
a remarkable under-st statement in
view of the fact that many military
experts believe it would DE much
easier for the Allies to fight Ger
many in the north if the war spread
to sweden, too.
In Paris, the French continued to
put out official statements under
the label of reliable" information
to the effect that Germany was just
about to invade Sweden. The warn
ing has been repeated so often that
it may soon lose its effect. Cen
eral opinion was that the Nazis
would not bother Sweden as long as
they continue to make progress in
Norway.