Evening star., 1940-05-01
Nazis Claim Bombers
Sank British Cruiser
And Destroyer
Jubilunt Germans Admit
Bottle for Trondheim
Is Still Raging
BY LOUIS P. LOCHNER.


BERLIN, May 1.-Heavy new
blows to British naval power and
steady strengthening of the Nazi
hold on Norway were reported by
the high command today as the
German Army, jubilant over its
swift successes, mapped sweeping
concentric attack aimed at driving
allied forces into the sea.
The high commands communioue
said German aerial bombs had sent
British cruiser. a destroyer and
five transports to the bottom and
had damaged another cruiser and
tve other transports. rts..sssas3,.s..ezssa.as ID
British naval circles declined
to comment on the German claim
that one British cruiser had
been sunk and another damaged
at Namsos. One British source
did say, however, that having
sunk all our battleships, they
now are reduced to cruisers.")
THE air force attacked British
sea forces successfully before Nam
sos" the communique said. descrlb-
ing yesterdays operations "One
anti-aircraft cruiser was sunk by
two direct hits. one heavy cruiser
was damaged seriously aft by di-
rect hit of light caliber.
I'm addition. one destroyer and
five British transports sank after
being hit, while five others suffered
severe damage"
Advance Continuing.
Declaring that "the German ad-
vance in Norway continues" the
high command reported that Ger
man forces had taken more than
1900 prisoners OF the front, it said
merely that "at Trondheim fighting
still went on yesterday" without
indicating how near Trondheim the
battle was raging.
The report of continued fighting
in the Trondheim region indicated
that allied resistance still was for
mldable in some areas in the path of
the German advance.
A lack of reports from north of
the Naziheld port, where the Brit
ish are believed to be strongly in
trenched, was regarded as a sign of
allied opposition there. That the
cruisers reported bombed were said
to have been off Namsos, 100 miles
north of Trondheim, also was taken
to indicate newly arriving reinforce
ments for the British.
The Germans, presumably. were
engaged chiefly in consolidating
their positions on the Dombas-
Trondheim railroad.
Lillehammer Force Captured.
The prisoners, it said. were 40
Britons and 200 officers and $500
men of the Norwegion Second Divi-
sion captured northwest of Lille
hammer and 1900 other enemy
troops, who laid down their arms
in the mountains near Lomm.
Seized arms at Lillehammer. it
said, included seven cannon, 125
machine-guns and $50 motor We
hicles in good condition.
The British, meanwhile, were said
to have met reverses In their air
forays.
The high command declared eight
British warplanes were shot down
by German pursuit craft and anti
aircraft guns in an attack on STAY
anger. 1t said the British lost an
other in the first of two raids on
Fornebu, airport near Oslo-the
latest early today-and had caused
only slight damage.
However, DBN. official German
news agency. said that later reports
put the British losses at Stavanger
at II planes. DNB also said that
isolated British attempts to attack
the Aalborg airport failed.
Taking its cue from Fuehrer Hitler
himself, who praised the army for
having fulfilled tremendous as
signment." the Nazi press predicted
destruction of the allied forces oper-
ating IN the region of Andalsnes, on
the coast south of Trondheim. unless
they withdrew speedily.
Only Matter Of Time.
After establishing connection be-
twene Trondheim and Oslo Yesterday
the Germans now proclaim the isola-
ton of the allied troops which land
ed in the Andalsnes region. They
will be caught by the closing German
tSee BERLIN, Page A-3)