Evening star., 1940-05-04

statement declaring there was
no foundation "for the statement
that the Norwegian commander
in chief was not informed of the
allied decision to evacuate the
Trondheim area or that he has
negotiated an armiStice."
(The statement did not name
the commander in chief, but said
he embarked on a British man.
o-War the night Of Mays1. Getz
issued his order as acting COM
mander in chiefD
Blow to British Prestige.
The allied withdrawal and Col
Getz' bitter accusation brought
caustic comment from many Scan
dinavian quarters that British
prestige in the Northern countries
had suffered a damaging blow
Norwegian officials in Sweden would
offer no comment and appeared to
be out of contact with their gov-
ernment.
German domination OF Norway
left Sweden cut off from the west
ern powers and apparently in line
to fall under joint German Soviet
influence, particularly in trade mat
tiers, since Sweden now has no other
outlets.
Though the Swedish government
refrained from comment, one source
close to it said 1T appears we can
expect nothing from the western
powers Sweden's position,
from the point of view that she
might be attacked, seems consid-
erably bettered..
Economically it leaves Germany
and Russia as our natural Gus
TONER'S"
Tass, the official Russian news
agency, announced last night that
Germany and Russia in an ex-
change two weeks ago noted that
both states regard themselves as
interested in the preservation of
Sweden's neutrality"
Nazis Greatly Weakened.
Refugees arriving from Narvik
said Nazi force, greatly weakened
by three weeks of fighting and lack
of supplies. could not hold out in
definitely against allied land and
sea attacks despite the tenacity of
the Germans hold on hilltop posi-
tions above the shell-battered ore
port.
The arrivals from the Arctic port
said that after British naval guns
drove the Nazis out of the town it.
self they dragged mountain artil-
lery and machine guns to high
perched positions commanding the
railroad from Narvik to the Swedish
frontier. They were said to be
hanging grimly to their we'll placed
mountain Notifications as allied
regulars, aided by crack Norwegian
ski patrols, closed in slowly.
The arrivals from Narvik pictured
the general scene there as one OF
extreme desolation. Blocking the
harbor are wrecks of German de-
stroyers and half-submerged ore
ships.
The 1913 British merchant seamen
prisoners released by the Germans
at Narvik when there was no food
to feed them are now recovering al
Salvation Army post at Jorn
North Sweden, after a grueline
four-day trek through Arctic SHOWS
from Narvik to the Swedish border
The seamen said several of theil
number died in the snow and that
they had to drag others, too weak tc
walk, on improvised sleds.
Plan Naval Base at Narvik.
Well-informed British quarters
indicated that allied efforts in Nor
way now would be concentrated, on
a long-term basis, in building ur
powerful naval base in the Narvik
region to patrol the fjord-marked
Norwegian coast and thwart any
Nazi attempt to use Norwegian
ports for getting around the Brit
ish blockade.
These quarters said the British
probably would establish a series
OF outpoSts as far south as 1OC
miles below Narvik, in the wild
region of lakes, mountains and
fjords which offer tremendous OBJ
stacles to northward Na1 thrust
The allies, however, yet have to
subdue German resistance in the
Arctic Zone where they have re-
peatedly bombarded Narvik from
the sea, attempting to gain control
of the ore railway to the Swedish
frontier The British expected the
Germans would destroy the railway
if they are forced to retreat and
thus a long rebuilding process
| would be necessary,