The Wilmington morning star., 1940-05-07
NORWEGIAN
CAMPAIGN SOLDIERS
RETURN TO ENGLAND
Continued From Page One)


his lie in parliament today
The elderly statesman will open
two days of full dress debate in the
house of commons tomorrow with a
lengthy statement on the Norwe'
gian affair. He will defend and ex-
plain Britain's military setback in an
attempt to stave off a critical often
sive bent on breaking the premier
and his ministry.
To counter opposition demands for
a new government, some of which m
clude the naming of Lord Halifax,
foreign secretary, in place of Cham
berlain, the prime minister is expect
ed to announce greater power for
stocky Winston Churchill, first lord
of the admiralty.
Still In Control
A month ago Churchill was named
chairman of a ministerial committee
on military coordination, but since
then Chamberlain has let it be known
he himself still was in control.
Veteran political observers weigh
ing the case for the determined op'
position against the governments
voting power and debating strength
expressed belief that the conserva'
tive government would ride out the
storm but would be faced with an
aroused and fighting opposition or
every future measure
To Churchill. first lord of the ad-
miralty, will go the sad duty Of tell
ing the house of the loss of the l,S7o'
ton destroyer Afrida, which was
bombed and sunk last week while
she was protecting troop-ships leav-
ing Namsos, Norway. The Afrldl
normally carried 219 men and there
was no word as to how many were
saved, if any.
Coincident with this destruction
the Polish naval staff in London an
nounced the loss of the Polish de-
Grom, by bomb off Norway,
with n officer and IS men believed
lost.
In Paris the French admiralty ad'
mitted the sinking of the big 2,4oo'
ton French destroyer, Bison, by a
German air attack May 3 while es'
corting troops off Norway. Most o.
her crew, which normally would Ut
2O9 men, was saved.
Troop Ships Escaped
All three %destroyers were sum-
while fighting off German alrme1
trying to get at troop transports
The troop ships themselves escap
ed unscathed, it was reported.
The sinking of the Afridi was Brit
aims 47th acknowledged naval los'
of the a She was the 18th de
strover sent to the bottom inc tht
war began, and the fifth since th'
start of the Norwegian campaign
The, Afridi was sunk While con
vovine, troops from Namsos, Norway
She was commanded by Capt. =.
Wan. who previously commanded TN
DESTROYER Cossack when that war
shin invaded Norwegian ford Eel
~ and rescued British captives IRON
the German ship Altmark. The COS
sack was reported by the German
To have been hit and set aflre U!
shells in the second naval battle o
Narvi,x April 10. The Afridi was I
new destroyer, completed IN May
1888.
The Grom, 2,144 tons, was compel
ed in 1887 in a British shlpyard an.
had been cooperating with the Bril-
ish in the Norwegian operations
She carried a crew of about 2oo. 1li'
poles announced they had accepted
an offer by the British governmen
To- ron1ace the Grom by a destroyer
new being built.
Naval sources explained that tn
ho.1v harrage of antiaircra1t llr'
n,,+ IN nv the warships kept the
hombers away from the troopers De
strovers are more ulnefao ~ a.
attack than cruisers n battlesillp
because their decks are not as he"''
w protected, it was SAID.
Trawlers Lost
The admiralty also said that three
British trawlers, the Penn, Hercules
ana T,eonara, each carrying nlhe
mon were overdue and mad peer
given up as lost. .
p,,rsts of machine-gun fire and a
number of explosions off the Out
aast coast of England during the DAY
led 1 to the belief that Royal Air Force
f;uh+ers had driven off a German al
temnt to raid that sector.
Tbere was nothing to report IRON
+ba Allied enlightenment OF the lar
~. Norwegian ore port of Narvlk
h war office said in a terse CON,
nnn;o,e Allied troops are reporeeo
between 5000 and 4.ooO
~@,naan troops who have held Mar
.,;11 since a few hours after Nor"ay
invaded. ooa +h.t
,u,o sunderland flying boats mao
heen damaged by German
pv &c fro while anchored off Norway
yesterday but denied Germanv,s
Lain that two Blenheim bombers
also had been shot down OH Tile