Evening star., 1940-04-21
Nozi Grip on Norway Depends
On Air Force Now, Eliot Says
Difficulty for Germans Is Declared
Lack of Bases for Bombers

from any landing, and we will over
awe the Swedes so that they will
not dare to stir a finger. Fur
thermore, if the navy cannot keep
your supply lines open we will sup
ply you through the air and REIN
force you, too, as the Italians did
in Ethiopia.
Thus the basic question was the
ability of the air force to make
good this promise. Upon this turns
the issue of the whole northern
campaign. To understand its funda-
mental Importance, examine the sit
uation if no air forces were involved.
In that case, no additional men and
supplies would have reached the
German outlying garrisons, not
much would have come into Oslo.
The allied landings could have pro-
ceeded almost without disturbance.
The Swedes could have taken up
strong. effective positions in the
south, detached forces to cooperate
with allies in destroying the Ger
man troops in Norway; they would
have little immediate fear of the
devastation of their country and
the destruction of their industrial
centers. In fact, without air power
no German government in its senses
would have launched any such at
tack as has taken place.
1t is probable, as we have pre-
dicted, that the main allied effort
is now directed toward obtaining Sc
cure possession of the port and rail-
road of Trondheim. Once this has
been done, and the allies in secure
possession of the surrounding coun-
try. they have Cd a bridgehead
through which they can bring in all
the troops and supplies they need;
Cd a direct rail connection with
Sweden. There will then commence
a campaign driving southwark
against the Germans, coupled with
vigorously renewed naval efforts to
command the Skagerrak: the Ger
mans will be compelled to bring in
Sweden as an additional enemy, be-
cause they cannot hope to fight sue
cessfully without the Malmo- Oslo
Railway.
The result will be a new battle
front in Scandinavia. with the Ger
mans operating on the shorter lines
and with the stronger air force, but
with SUFFICIENT advantages of the
allied side to make sure there will
be no "Blitzkrieg." Psychologically,
as to the rest of the world. the Ger
man attack on Scandinavia will be
failure, perhaps disastrous fail
ure. No more iron, copper, zinc,
timber. fish from Scandinavia for
Germany; the blockade immensely
tightened; the control of the Baltic
definitely challenged-these will be
heavy factors against Germany in
world opinion.
Air Force Faces Test.
It is not for this result Germany
has risked much Therefore, their
air force must now make good on
its assurances, or be seriously dis
credited.
1t must gain enough time for the
Germans to overcome Norwegian re-
sistance, It must beat of the allied
landings on the coast, it must man
age to reinforce the outlying gar
risons so that they can maintain
themselves and expand their hold
ings, 1t must protect them against
allied air and sea attacks; mean
while it must continue to keep the
Swedes in awe.
In studying the ability of the Ge--
man air force to do all these things,
we come at once to the ma ior factor
of air powers strategical immobility.
A modern air force requires grear
and growing ground organize tion,
especially for bombing planes, it de-
mands large, expensive and imrno-
bile bases Lacking these, 1t is badly
handicapped. ;.
Now Norway affords nc such bases.
The Norwegian air force, Norwegian
commercial aviation were both very
small. There are fairly god flying
fields at Oslo and Stavanger; Tor
the rest, there are landing fields OF
sorts and q little oil storage. Air
power cannot, as can sea and land
power, bring with 1t by its own
means its supplies and nuch Of its
base equipment. These things must
in great part be brought to it by
ships or on wheels. It's tactical mo-
bility and f1exihiNty within its radius
of action Is very great but strategic
ally 1t is the least mobile of the
three types of modern fighting forces.
This is the present German Diff
f1culty. They cannot develop, from
existing Norwegian bases, an ade-
quate air effort to control the air