Evening star., 1940-04-20
Heavy Artillery
And Tanks Landed,
British Declare
Operation Carried Out
Without Losing Single
Life, Allies Announce
By the Associated Press,

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, April 20.-The allies,
squaring away for major opera
tions" against German forces in
Norway, proudly announced today
their troops had reached the new
battle-ground without a single life
being lost.
"This achievement proves more
than anything else the complete
control the allied fleets have over
sea routes" said the Press Asso-
citation, authoritative news agency.
The numbers landed were held
secret (though Swedish dispatches
said two British and one French
divisions reached the west coast
Of Norway, but the press said, Day
after day our transport ships have
carried heavy artillery, tanks and
army equipment together with
thousands of troops over 400 miles
of sea to ports in Northern Norway
without mishap."
French Already in Action.
France disclosed that her troops
had landed at several points in Nor
way.
Soon after military spokesman
said a French expeditionary force
landed yesterday and already has
taken part in engagements" au-
thorities said the first landing of the
French in the north was followed by
successive landings at various other
points.
The number of troops involved
and details of their movement north
we're not given though some sources
estimated there were 10000 men in
the landing party first announced.
Military observers expressed the
opinion that the allies strategic
position in Norway was considerably
improved by the past weeks opera
tions which saw syncroniZed attacks
from sea and air on German bases.
Nazis May Have $4,000.
There were no official estimates
of allied troops in Norway, but Scan
dinavians said Germany had from
10000 to $4,000 soldiers there.
London commentators insisted the
Germans would encounter serious
difficulties in supplying food and
arms for their large forces but that
the allies, due to naval superiority,
could pour reinforcementS and sup
plies to their troops by sea.
Swedish frontier dispatches indi-
Gated allied and Norwegian forces
were massing for a double -barreled
Trondheim. after the landing of
British troops described as picked
soldiers fitted especially for noun
tain fighting in the rugged western
region.
Reports of initial clashes in the
Trondhelm area were unconfrmed
by the War Office, which thus far
has issued only two communiques
totaling % words on the subject
saying that the British troops have
landed and that operations are
proceeding"
Expect Drive to Take Months.
Britain's chief strategist, First
Lord of the Admiralty Winston
Churchill, indicated in a speech
last night that the allies expect the
Norwegian campaign to take some
months, Welcoming home survivors
of naval warfare off the Norwegian
coast, Mr.. Churchill told them they
were the vanguard of allied armies
which will use this summer to
purge and cleanse the soil of the
Vikings, the soil of Norway, from
the filthy pollution of Nazi tyranny"
Diplomatic quarters, meanwhile,
appeared to take more serious view
of Premier Mussolini's "saber-rat-
Ting" though the recently pro-Ger-
man tone of the Italian press slack
ened somewhat yesterday.
The Times, which frequently re-
fleets British government opinion,
bluntly replied to Italian press at
tacks with the assertion Britain and
France have both the power and
determination to intervene forth
with" If called on to defend the in
dependence of small country.
The Times pointedly added that
the allies instant reply to the at
tack on Norway has made it i'm
possible to suppose they would re-
main inactive in the face of an as
sault upon the integrity or inde-
pendence of any Balkan nations"