Evening star., 1940-04-27

the entire far northern area-but
only at the price of having railway
communications destroyed before
the Germans there capitulate.
Narvik is connected by rail with
Sweden, notably the port OF Lulea
on the Bothnian Gulf.
Meanwhile circumstances indi-
Gated that Sweden, which has is
sued strict orders against all travel
across the Norwegian Swedish from
tier. has an improved chance Of
maintaining her neutrality. Ger
man trade delegations continued to
carry on their negotiations here.
Hundreds Of Norwegian soldiers
were fleeing across the Swedish
border east of Roros after the town
had been recaptured by a German
lightning column gathering new mo-
mentum in its northward drive
through the Glomma River Valley
toward TrOndheim.
One hundred miles to the south
west, between Otta and Ringebu, q
second German column attempting
to push up the parallel Gudbrands
Valley was reported engaged in q
bitter. head-on battle with British
troops dispatched from their con-
centration point at Storen to bolster
slowly retreating Norwegian forces.
Storen Is the junction of two rail-
way lines along which the German
columns have been advancing in an
attempt to establish land communi-
cations between that west coast port
and Oslo.
~ Interned by Swedes.
The Night of Norwegian forces
defending the Glomma River Valley
was reported by Swedish newspaper
correspondents last night after the
Germans succeeded in recapturing
Roros, which they occupied briefly
Thursday, but from which they later
withdrew when their position proved
untenable.
Four hundred Norwegian soldiers
crossed the Swedish frontier and
were interned today as the Germans,
apparently reinforced, resumed their
drive.
North of Roros, which is about so
miles from Storen, the Nai advance
was reported held up while small
detachments of engineers hastened
to reconstruct bridges destroyed by
the Norwegians in their retreat.
Upon occupying Roros for the Sec
ond time, the Germans were re-
ported to have seized the chief of
police and clergyman as hostages
and to have demanded 400 gallons
of gasoline for their armored cars
and trucks. They were said to have
warned the Norwegians that if a
single Nazi should be killed the
town would be bombed without
mercy.
Forces In ROrOs Uncertain.
The strength of the Nazi forces
now in Roros was uncertain. Swed-
tsh newspapermen said the initial
force which reached the town
Thursday, however, consisted of S
armored cars, Is trucks bearing $50
men and 70 motorcycles carrying
two men each.
Reports OF the German reoccupa-
ton Of Roros reversed the military
picture In the Glomma Valley,
where the British earlier were re-
ported bringing up light artillery to
support the Norwegians.
The Norwegian high command, in
= communique issued last night,
made no mention of the reoccupa-
ton Of Roros, but admitted that the
Germans had made fresh gains
with the aid Of planes and artillery.
The Norwegians credited British
troops with destroying two Nazi
armored cars ON this front and said
that one German bombing plane
had been shot down.
Nazis Extended at Stefnkjer.
Norwegian military authorities
indicated, however, that the Ger
mans were now well established at
Steinkjer, some so miles north Of
Trondheim, from which the British
were compelled to retire earlier in
the week after a drive southwark
from their base ut Namsos.
The German forces at Steink kjer
were said to have been reinforced
by troops landed at the head Of
Trondheim Fjord, the entrance to
which Is controlled by NaM guns at
Agdenes Fortress.
As q result of reported German
air raids, the port of Namsos, 100
miles north of Trondheim, was re-
ported virtually destroyed, with
more than 200 houses in ruins.