The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-16
BRITISH LAND AT
NORWEGIAN POINTS
(Contir-ed From Page One)

then turned lHelr mdCli.ile6uiS vi
the German seaplanes at mooring
posts and the British pilots "saw
them founder"
Although Britain gave no hint OF
where her troops were. Norwegian
reports received in Stockholm said
they debarked at Narvik, far-north-
ern ore port on Norway's west
coast and the scene Of two raids In
which the British said a naval
squadron destroyed eve German
destroyers last Saturday, after sink
ing one Wednesday.
German authorities in Berlin as
serted that no British troops had
landed in Norwegian areas occupied
by the Nazi soldiers, including Mar
vik, but admitted it was possible
that some trops might have been
put ashore on Norway's twisting
coastline.)
Pound Bases, Lines
Along with the reported troop
movements, meager reports and
terse communiques filtered into
London indicating that Britain's
aircraft and naval might were con-
tinuing their relentless pounding of
the German bases and lines of
communications which tret C h
southwark over the Allied-mined
Baltic.
The news that the British soldiers
were arriving in Norway, where no
Siegfried Or Maginot lines offered
protection or refuge, drew the ex-
pressed belief from neutral military
experts that the first step had been
taken in a full dress" campaign
to wrest Norway from the invaders
and safeguard Britain from Ger
man forays which could be launch
ed from the neutral sea and air
bases such as Trondheim.
Neutral sources also said it was
their opinion the troops had been
landed at Namsos and Andalsnes
as well as Narvik.
One neutral military man of con
siderable staff experience in the
World war said he believed Narvik
represented an isolated problem as
the northern gateway to Sweden"
and the principal western ore port"
will Patrol Railway
He said he did not believe the
British would do more than hold
the town and surrounding country
and patrol the railroad leading to-
ward Lulea, Swedish ore port On the
Gulf of Bothnia.
Mamsos and Andalsnes, about 100
miles respectively north and south
of Trondheim on the western coast,
offer an opportunity for operations
on a great scope, he said. Each is
a railhead and each forms a val
liable take-off spot for simultaneous
blows against German-occupied
T~rondheim.
Such a "pincer' movement could
be accompanied by a naval block
ade at the mouth of Trondheim
ford and guerrilla attacks by the
N~orwegians on the railroad running
into Trondheim.
Prime Minister Chamberlain is
expected to tell the nation some
thing further about the landings
tomorrow in the house of commons
but it is unlikely that military
secrecy will permit him to reveal
much of what has happened.
The fifth raid on Stavanger &C.
CURED last night, the British
said.
Greeted by a storm of anti-air.
craft fire, orange and blue search.
lights, and star shells, planes of the
coastal command reported they
bombed the airdrome with heavy
high explosives and raked the
ground defenses at Stavanger with
bursts Of machinegun fire.
One pilot laconically reported see,
ing the sudden red glow" of a
big explosion. 1t was believed a
gasoline dump had blown up.
Supplementing the Royal Air
Force raids on Stavanger, the air
arm of the British fleet maintain.
ed its offensive against Nazi ship
ping. 1t reported Is planes set fire
to a transport at German-occupied
Bergen, sank a small supply boat
and machinegunned and set aflame
an anchored flying boat there.