Evening star., 1940-05-08
BY ]. NORMAN LODGE.

drGDdl.
BY J. NORMAN LODGE,
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent.
LONDON, May 8-The censor has
my diary for the time being, but !
won't need it to remember the
events of the past two weeks.
I landed at a Northern British
port yesterday with an allied expe-
dictionary force from Namsos, Nor
way, which reached home intact de-
spite an attack by 80 German planes
which sank three allied destroyers-
the British Afridi, the French Bison
and the Polish Grom.
A good deed" got me into my first
trouble.
On my way to Namsos from
Formofoss, near the Swedish FROM
tier, stopped an American ambu-
lance hospital unit at Grong to get
story of the days bombing.
When I was asked to take some
letters to Col. 3D." British med
ical officer, I agreed readily, think
ing they might be an open sesame
for sleeping quarters. They were
under British protective arrest" in
Spillum.
Got Tip on Offensive.
had gone to Namsos on a re-
liable tip that an allied offensive
was about to begin north of TrOnd-
helm. That was just one week ago
The next day, French troops
streamed back from the front and
embarked, as I later learned, the
same night. The British, however
assured me they had no intention
of leaving. They told me to get
some sleep. But before could close
an eye, I was ordered to pack my
kit and be ready. We were set to
sail May 3.
Steaming up the road from the
Steinkjer front about so miles south
of Namsos, we entered the port as a
terrific bombing was taking place.
Incendiary bombs set fire to the
whole water front, with swift pursuit
planes intermittently swooping
down on the ghostly city to strafe
the roads with machine guns.
To fool the Germans, the French
had sent trucks toward the front
while their soldiers, on foot, were
leaving it. All the trucks were empty
and, arriving at secluded spots, they
were smashed, their tires slasheC
and their gas tanks riddled. The
chauffeurs walked back, too.
British Leave Equipment.
Immediately after the French
had withdrawn, the British received
orders to proceed to the docks. Leav-
ing behind equipment, personal be-
longings and much material which
had arrived only that afternoon,
the troops began embarking.
Various regiments which had
abandoned the Steinkjer front un-
der forced march through knee
deep snow covered So kilometers
(about 80 niles in less than IA
hours.
Dog tired, they boarded the trans
ports in the eerie light of burning
supplies and Topped where they
could on every deck.
The last aboard were the COM
manding officers and three Amer
icans-two newsreel cameramen and
myself.
Our heavily-laden ship was i'm
properly trimmed and we had an
anxious moment when we found
her nose was stuck in the mud OF
the ford. Hastily herding the troops
aft and ordering full speed astern
the British pulled the ship out OF
the mud and she Joined the home
ward-bound convoy.
It still was light when we left. Nc
German planes were in sight.
But peace was not for us.
Heavy Bombing Starts.
Just after a breakfastless early
morning departure, the first Heinkels
appeared and the cannonading be-
gan. Bombs dropped all around the
convoy ships, especially ours, which
was the flagship.
One bomb-apparently . 500.
pounder-fell less than so yards
astern-so close its splash fell on the
afterdeck.
Not content with that miss, three
more Heinkels dropped q series o1
missiles formed q perfect
spray framing the ship.
Fire from accompanying ships fell
ON either side Of us and 1t seemed a.
though they might spray our decks
with falling shot. The troops were
ordered inside and the doors bat
tened.
I and the American cameramen-
Fox Movietone's Bonny Powell and
Paramount's Arthur Menken-re.
mained as much under cover as We
could, but still on deck, they grind
ing out q pictorial history while ]