Evening star., 1940-04-14
British Sink 7 Nazi Destroyers;
Germans Occupy 3 Morse Towns;
Baltic Is Mined> London Declares
Big Naval Bottle
At Norvik; 1000
Believed Lost
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
LONDON, April 13.- Great
Britain threw the overwhelming
might of her navy today against
the Nazi captors of Norway's ore
port of Narvik and announced
she had sent seven German de-
stroyers to the bottom of the
rocky bay and narrow inlet
there in the second sea assault
on that focal point of northern
war within four days.
Even while King George VI and
the British government were assur-
ing King Haakon of Norway and
his people that allied help against
the German invaders is coming and
coming soon, the great battleshlp
Warspite. rebuilt veteran of Jutland,
was leading a powerful f1otilla up
narrow Narvik Fjord, smashing a
German coastal battery and then
sinking the Nazi destroyers before
and behind the town, killing per-
haps a thousand German seamen.
The Admiralty confidently pre-
dicted this daring victory would
"clarify the situation on this part
of the Norwegian coast" 1t did
not say whether any British troops
were landed. although at least one
Stockholm radio report stated this
to be fact.
Operations Proceeding.
Fleeing men, possibly German
soldiers" were seen running over
the hills behind Narvik.
Further details are awaited"
said the Admiralty.
THE Admiralty is not precisely
informed of conditions in Narvik
town operations are still pro-
ceeding"
mo estimate can be made at
present of German losses in per-
sonnel. but the seven destroyers
sunk must have counted over 1000
men" said the announcement.
Three of the attacking destroyers
were damaged. but not seriously and
British loss of life is believed to
have been very small" it continued.
The storming of Naryik was
hailed in rejoicing London as a
prime achievement in vigorous
British sea and air actions to loosen
the Nazi hold on Norway prior to
a general allied offensive against
the invaders.
Sequel to Foray Wednesday.
This daring attack was a sequel
to Wednesdays dawn foray into
Narvik Fjord when the British re-
ported one out of six German de-
stroyers was sunk and three others
were set afire.
In that battle the British lost two
out of five attacking destroyers, the
Hunter and the Hardy, and two
others were damaged. (The Ger
mans say six British destroyers have
been sunk at Narvik)
In addition to the Nazi warships,
the British reported seven German
supply and ammunition ships we're
sunk in Wednesdays action, de-
scribed by First Lord of the Ad-
miralty Winston Churchill as worthy
of any in the proud records of the
British navy.
Participating in todays expertly
maneuvered fight was the British
destroyer Cossack, which, with Ad-
miralty backing, took matters into
its own hands and charged into
Norway's territorial waters February
Is to rescue 300 British merchant
sailors held aboard the Nazi prison
ship Altmark, at one time an auxil-
larry to the now-scuttled sea raider
Admiral Graf Spec.
Here is the Admiraltys calmly
worded story of today's battle:
Since the attack upon German
destroyers in Narvik on Wednesday
by the Second Destroyer Flotilla, this
f1otilla, with reinforcements, has
been blockading the enemy in Mar
vik Fjord
This morning at about noon H.
(See LONDON, Page A-14.)