Evening star., 1940-05-04

Allies mend these faults very rap
idly and thoroughly, one can snly
anticipate that they will be caught
fiat-footed with equally unpleasant
surprises and that they will suffer
further reverses of serious nature.
The German occupation of Nor
way was mastery piece of coordi-
nation between the Third Reich's
land, sea and air forces. When the
Bluecher was sunk in the narrows
of Oslo Fjord, with most of the
Nazis' military command aboard,
the German air force functioned
with lightning speed. Thank to 1t
alone, the first $500 German soldiers
reached Oslo and captured Norway's
capital. From that moment on, the
Nazi ,bombers supplemented their
motorized infantry columns with
superb and deadly efficiency. There
was never a let up, never a lack of
contact. never a respite for the
shattered Norwegians who were
continually punch drunk from sim
ultaneous blows from land and air.
In contrast to this kind of profess
sional perfection, the showing OF
the British air force was highly
ineffective and almost amateurish-
not in any sense reflection on the
high caliber of British airmen. but
a most disturbing indication OF
short-sighted direction or lack OF
leadership at the top. As far as
those of us who were in Norway
could judge, Britain's air command
was still asleep five days after the
German invasion began-or else
England's war leaders were welded
to policy of trying to win the wal
without risking the loss of a few
score of bombers.
1,5O0 Occupied Oslo.
Leaving opinions or conjectures
completely aside, here are . few
irrefutable facts:
About $500 Germans who had
arrived by air occupied Oslo at !
pm. on April 9. Considerably be-
fore that time. presumably at least
six hours previously, London ano
Paris knew that all Norwegian ports
were being seized by Germany
Forty British bombers could have
wrought havoc at the Fornebu air
port, outside Oslo, where German
troops were being landed with the
protection of only half a dozen
planes at any time throughout
Tuesday, April 9.
On the next day squadrons Of so
or 60 English bombers-directed in
equal numbers against both the
Fornebu and Trondheim airports-
could have dislocated most seriously
the German efforts to consolidate
their grip on these two key cities
No such British raids were ever
made and the only ones we heard
of at that time were directed against
Stavanger, far down on the south
west coast. 1t appeared that the
British air force was taking no risks
whatever in the very areas which
were most essential for swift Ger
man control Of Norway.
No Crushing Air Attack.
During the past 10 days of the
Norwegian flasco, London radio an
nouncements have made much OF
daring British raids on Fornesbu
The fact remains that not a single
British bomber was sighted near
Oslo for at least the first eight days
of the German occupation. There
was never a crushing aerial attack
of 500 British planes delivered
simultaneously against all Of Nor
ways air fields and vital commune
cation lines.
About two weeks too late the
British bombers proved that For
nesbu was within practical bombing
radius of the home base. BY that
time the Germans had had a won-
derful recess in which to bring up
scores or hundreds of fighting
planes and to install powerful anti.
air batteries at every airport In
Norway.
Here in Scandinavia we have
never heard any explanation offered
by British spokesmen for the tre-
mendous Britain's failure to utilize
its air force and cripple the Ger
mans before their military machine
could expand and entrench itself.
Nor have any reports reached here
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