Evening star., 1940-04-19
Reporter Ducks
Bullets Fleeing
Nazis in Norwav
Tukes Wild Auto
Ride in Search Of
Fighting Forces
By JAMES ALDRIDCE

CdARLO1TENBER SWe d n,
April 10 via Stockholm (N.AN.A. by
radio) In this Swedish border town
have to record that i'll luck has
dogged me from the moment
started the trip I made to see the
battle OF Kongsvinger between the
Norwegians and the Germans. 1t
nearly ended in disaster for me.
At Magner, a Norwegian border
town, I had heard that the Ger
mans had captured Kongsvinger
overnight. There were few Nor
wegians in Magner and it looked as
though the Germans had walked
through Kongsvinger all right and
were on the way down the road to
the border, but I wanted to make
sure.
The driver of the car who had
made other trips with me would
not take me this time, so. nominally,
had to buy the car with a hand
full of American dollars. I had
hot old Morse truck driver named
Olaf and we left the border driving
VOWdIu hOIlSSVllScT.
Take Wild Ride.
1t had been raining all day and
the snow had melted from the road,
leaving it slippery and full of water
holes. 1t was wet and dark and a
high wind blew great showers of
water from trees on to the car,
making sound like a machinegun.
I huddled in the front seat and, with
old Olaf the Norseman crouched
over the wheel, we drove slowly
through the rain toward kongs-
vinger. A few miles from the border
I heard the heavy roar of an air.
plane engine. We beat it into the
woods. I could not see the plane
for the mist, but it must have been
bomber. We returned to the car
and continued on our way.
Where the narrow road took a
sharp bend, we almost collided with
big lorry painted military brown
Olaf tried to pull aside, but the road
was too narrow We walked up to
the lorry and saw it was a NorWe-
gian ambulance spattered with mud,
flying white rag on stick at
tached to the hood. While, Olaf
argued with the driver I looked in
side and saw wounded Norwegians
lying on the rough floor. Stretchers
had been ripped out to make room
for the very badly wounded.
We managed to pass and in half
hour were near kongsvinger. AS
there were no retreating soldiers or
refugees, I felt certain that the town
had not been taken Soon we came
upon a Norwegian tin-hatted road
guard. He waved his pistol and we
stopped and Olaf told him we were
going to Kongsvinger.
Suspicious of Passport.
The guard shook his head and
Olaf argued with him. I did not
understand all that was said, but
with the little Swedish I knew 1
realized that the guard was not
going to permit us to proceed to
Kongsvinger. He was suspicious Of
my Australian passport. so we turned
back.
A few miles back, Olaf pointed to
q bad side road running west. I
nodded and we turned down there.
We continued slowly along the mar
row road, getting nearer, we knew,
to the German side of the fighting.
We stopped occasionally to listen
and pretty soon we heard intermit-
tent rifle and machine-gun fire and
the roar of planes. Suddenly Olaf
shouted and pointed. 1 looked and
saw car coming across a ridge,
probably on the same road as ours.
I pointed to the woods Olaf swung
the car into clearing, reversed the
engine and got ourselves hidden
among the trees, though We were
begged.
Crouching in the woods, we heard
car coming. 1t tipped past, not
seeing U.S. 1t was filled with peak
capped Germans. When its en-
gine's roar faded, we tried to get our
car out Of the ditch. 1 pushed
sticks under the wheels and we had
got almost to the road when sud-
denly motorcycle shot past and
almost knocked me over. It carried
q steel-helmeted German. Another
cyclist came close behind him and
he only glanced at us as he speeded
after the German officers car. We
knew we had Germans on both sides
of us now and Olaf maneuvered the |