Evening Star Newspaper, May 3, 1940, Page 4

"Trick” Weapon Helps German Mounfain Troops in Norway Nazi Machine Gun Weighs Less, Fires Faster Than U. S. Browning By EDWARD E. BOMAR. B the Aszociated Press. Lightweight weapons especially adapted for use in rugged country were credited by military men today * with a share in the Gerfhan Army's smashing advances in Norway. An easily transported machine- gun, described by ordnance experts as a “trick” weapon, was reported to figure prominently in the equip- ment of Bavarian and Austrian mountain troops who formed the spearhead of the speedy thrust northward from Oslo. Bristling with arms, the invaders likewise used late-model small tanks and light artillery. Many of the weapons have counterparts in the United States, but not the machine- gun. Gun Is Air-Cooled. Designated in the German Army as machine-gun No. 34, it is air- cooled and may be fired by one man from a bipod stand, or by two men from a tripod. One is allotted to each squad of infantrymen. As a light gun it fires clips of car- tridges, but as a deadlier two-man ‘weapon, bullets are fed continuously by belts. The Nazis’ “No. 34” is believed to weigh even less than the American Army’s 22-pound Browning light machine gun, which dates from the World War, and fires at a faster rate. Its performance may have been reflected in the recent War De- partment announcement that Amer- {can inventors had been asked to submit designs for a new light machine-gun. The German Army has no coun- terpart for the new American Garand semi-automatic rifle. Anti- tank, anti-aircraft and other such army are similar, however. Just what style tanks the Germans used in Norway apparently has not been definitely established. They are known to have been experimenting with 11 different models. Large Force in Norway. Military observers estimated ten- tatively that the Germans had been able to put between 130,000 and 150,- 000 troops in Norway, a far larger and better equipped force than the allied expedition which landed under harassing air attacks. ‘Weapons, training and air forces all play vital roles in the modern German-style “blitzkrieg,” or light- ning war. However, the success of the attack on Norway was due pri- marily to the careful advance prepa- rations and to aerial supremacy rather than to arms, in the esti- mate of qualified experts. U. 8. to Test “Lightning” Tactics. Modern “lightning” warfare is to have a large-scale field test for the first time in the United States in Louisiana and Texas this month as a part of the Regular Army’s war games. The “Red” Army, cr 9th Corps, of about 25,000 under Maj. Gen. Walter Krueger is made up of a skeleton 1st Cavalry Division, the newly “streamlined” 2d Infantry Division, the 7th Cavalry Brigade, which is the Army’s one unit comparable to the German “Panzer” divisions, and miscellaneous auxiliary troops. The “Reds” must rely on strategy and tactics such as the Germans employed in Poland and Norway in combatting & more powerful but slower-moving “enemy” 4th Army Corps of about 45,000 under Maj. Gen, Walter C. Short Norway (Continued From First Page.) following upon the allied with- drawal from Andalsnes, south of ‘Trondheim, and the Namsos-Steink- Jer front above Trondheim. Only the far north was seriously eontested. ‘The forces in the Namsos-Steinkjer sector formed the northern jaw of the princers with which the allies sought to capture the vital port of Trondheim from the Germans; the southern jaw was abandoned yester- day with the British withdrawal from Andalsnes. Retreat Termed Orderly. Reports reaching Stockholm said the allied retreat from Steink- Jer, 60 miles north of Trondheim, and the embarkation at Namsos, 40 miles farther north, took place in orderly fashion despite intensive German air attacks which were re- ported to have killed 30 persons and whunded 60. ¢ German air men, trying to turn the withdrawal into a rout, made repeated attacks on Namasos, spread- Ing new ruin and churning the ashes and debris of former attacks. Build- ings were said to be smouldering and docks were a vista of tangled ‘wreckage. The last British in the area took to their transports a few hours after Prime Minister Chamberlain in Lon- don told the House of Commons that the British were abandoning the Andalsnes area. Mopup Moves Fast. ‘The Germans’ cleanup operations were moving fast, according to re- ports. The swastika was unfurled unchallenged in town after town, while the Nazi troops expected only limited resistance from scattered Norwegian troops still entrenched or in action. ‘The Germans now have complete control of Trondheim and Bergen, two of Norway's chief west coast ports, and thus have attained their goal of establishing bases in the North Atlantic. However, these were won only at the price of heavy secrifices in the German naval forces, for which these bases might have been valuable. The German lines of field gray- green moved relentlessly up the Glomma River Valley toward Trondheim, scattering Norwegians before them. Roros, which the German advance guard had relin- ltzunhed once, was reported recap- Military observers said that the Norwegians could hardly hope to continue their resistance in Central Norway without allied aid. And it appeared that no such aid remained in Norway, save the forces ringing Narvik, more than 400 miles north of Trondheim. Narvik Siege Continues. Although no definite word has been received from the Narvik sec- tor in several days, the British, French and N there were believed to be still laying siege to the German garrison landed there on BRITISH CONVOY ON THE HIGH SEAS—A long line of mer- chant ships steam through the high seas. convoyed, according “ 5 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1840, to a censor-approved caption, by ships of the Royal Navy. In the foreground can be seen two of the big guns of a convoying TRONDHEIM.—GERMAN GUNNERS MAN NORWAY’S COAST DEFENSE—German gunners are shown in control of a gun Clipper. which, the German censor-approved caption says, is one of the Melon That Explodes When Rip Brought To U.S. by Explorer By the Associated Press. LOS ANGELES, May $— Ever hear of a spherical, ggurd- like fruit that blows apart with a loud explosion when it's ripe? —or a melon that has meat like an orange but tastes like & combination of muskmelon, papaya and pineapple? Russell C. Westcott, plant ex- plorer, has returned from a trip to Central American jungles with samples. The gourdlike, detonating | fruit is the product of what Mr. Westcott says is the can- nonball tree. The melon with all those various flavors is called the melocoton. Mr. Westcott says they're pretty hard to find, but the scientist expects to see what can be done about propagating them. Founder's Day Honors Cadets” Organizer The boy and girl cadet corps of the Washington-Lee High School and the Swanson and Jefferson Junior High Schools held their an- nual Founder’s day program yester- day in honor of School Supt. Fletcher Kemp, who organized the cadets in Arlington County, Va. Representative Smith, Democrat, of Virginia presented a Kemp saber to Norman Hodkinson, cadet cap- tain, for the most outstanding serv- ice in the -boys’ corps, and State Senator William D. Medley pre- sented a duplicate award to Helen Bates for her rating as outstanding auxiliary captain. The school military units paraded in front of a reviewing stand in which the honorary guests were seated. Col. Frederick R. Kelland inspected the troops. Mr. Kemp presented commissions to more than 50 cadets and members of the aux- iliary. A gold medal was awarded to Mrs. Marie Malott of the Washington- Lee faculty, in appreciation for her services as director of the annual cadet play at the high school. Cadet Lt. Col. Robert T. Sims was awarded a saber by the Arlington Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for outstanding service during the last year. — the first day of the Norwegian in- vasion, April 9. A special correspondent for one Swedish newspaper, the Social Dem- okraten, reported that both Namsos and Grong, 25 miles to the east, were bombed and machine-gunned by German warplanes both Wednes- day and yesterday, He reported at least six casualties at Namsos, say- ing he could not immediately de- termine the total number. He also reported great activity in this region, but he could not say whether the silies were preparing for an offensive or & withdrawal. Later efforts to reach Grong failed when telephone operatqrs said calls could .not be put through because of “unexplained reasons.” Sweden herself breathed somewhat || more easily in the belief that Ger- many now has no immediate motive at least for attacking this country; on the other hand, Sweden found herself squarely up against the met- ter of German control of her out- lets to the west, 2‘]/ STOCKHOLM Z “ MARSTRAND NAZIS SWEEP THROUGH NORWAY—The German-controlled area of Norway as of today is indicated by shading. Only small patrols battled in isolated spots in Norway. British and French pressed against the Germans at Narvik (1); the allies withdrew in Namsos area (2); Nazis poured into Trondheim (3); British planes bombed Oslo (4) and other German air bases. White lines are air distances from Sylt to British objectives; black lines show distances from new German air bases in Norway. —A. P. Wirephoto. Peace Program Meeting Is Slated May 7 A peace program meeting spon- sored by the Forestville-Ritchie Homemakers Club will be held Tues- day, May 17, at the Marlboro (Md.) Theater at 2 pm. Mrs. Laura Waters, traveler and lecturer, will speak on South America and a fllm of aerial pictures on the same sub- Ject will be shown. * COAL PRICES DOWN NOW! Don’t wait—order ‘blue coal’ and save up to $1.25 per ton. e ° blue coal Genuine Anthracite, Hard Coal WASKINGRoNS No Dows Payment LARGEST FUEL DIS- Tlllvl'll'mfl ORGANI- ZATION - We Guarantes Full 2,240 Ibs. to the Ton on No Interest Every Delivery (®eriTH- (ONSUMERS (GMPANY 1413 New York Avenue N.W. MEtropolitan. 4840 warship, with crewman keeping a watchful eye for enemy planes, Warships and U-boats. Photo by Clipper. —A. P. Wirephoto. Germany "Prepared’ For Counter-Drive In Mediterranean Allies Are Defied to Find Success Outside Norway As Nazis Press ‘Mop-up’ By LOUIS P. LOCHNER, Associated Press Foraign Correspondent. BERLIN, May 3—Foreign Office quarters, proclaiming the allied withdrawal from Andalsnes “a ca- tastrophic defeat,”, today defied the British to find “success elsewhere” while Adolf Hitler suddenly broke his silence to reiterate that the war was a fight for existence for the Germans, Speaking before 6,000 army and air force officers and leaders of the 88, black-shirted Elite Guard in|the Berlin’s Sportspalast said the con- flict is “a fight for being, or not of being, of the German people.” Forelgn office quarters asserted that Prime Minister Chamberlain, forced to look to other fields to wipe out the stain of the Norwegian defeat, was threatening action in the Meditetranean, but “come what may, Chamberlain will find Ger- many prepared for a counter-blow.” Rapid Progress in Cleanup. The German high command con- currently announced rapid progress of the German forces in Norway in the cleanup against “isolated” resistance, acknowledged that the allies were squeezing the Nazi gar- rison at Narvik, in the far north, and summarized claims of new blows against allied sea power. Nor- weglan troops in Western Norway are being demobilized, the high command said. DNB reported “increased fighting activity in the Narvik region” by the British and asserted this obviously heavy Norwegian coastal guns at Trondheim Harbor. Photo by —A. P. Wirephoto. London (Continued From First Page.) | R. Attlee and Deputy Leadeg Arthur Greenwood. London newspaper military sur- veys credited German air power with the important victory in the second phase of operations, while giving British sea power the upper hand in the first phase. ‘The average Briton was shocked by Mr. Chamberlain’s announce- ment of the withdrawal from South- ern Norway. “It's bad, isn’t it?” was a frequent comment. The Evening News commented that the man in the street “will take & good deal of convincing before he joins Mr. Chamberlain’s placid sat- isfaction that ‘the balance of the advantage lies up to the present with the allied forces.’” “Public opinion has received a shock,” was the Star's view, “but it is certain that the general effect will be to strengthen rather than to weaken the general determination | that the campaign in Norway shall be continued with all possible vigor.” Mr. Chamberlain’s announcement yesterday that the allied battle fleet was moving into the Eastern Medi- terranean allayed somewhat the feeling of some members of Parlia- ment and the public that the blow to British military prestige in Nor- way might encourage Italy to enter | the war on Germany’s side. Press and public generally re- served judgment on Mr. Chamber- }ain's conduct of the war pend- ing a fuller report next week by the Prime Minister and Winston Churchill, first lord of the Admir- alty. 3 The press in general displayed no concern over Mr. Chamberlain’s warning of the possibility of a direct Nazi attack on England, but criti- cisms reflected urieasiness over Whether the government was pre- pared to counter German strokes | aged. was aimed at wiping out the un- favorable impression created by their withdrawal from Andalsnes, south of Trondheim. Heavy British Bombardment. The agency sald, however, that the British had not been successful in the far north. It reported that German patrols frustrated all ef- forts of the British, aided by heavy bombardment by their naval forces, to gain ground. The main burden of the fighting, it said, had’ been loaded upon Norwegian units. Germany’s possession of Andals- nes after the allied withdrawal so consolidated her position, DNB said, that “the situation in Western and Southern Norway can generally be designated as pacified.” In the war at sea the high com- mand said the navy destroyed two submarines in the Skagerrak, while warplanes on May 1 scored hits on at least one aircraft carrier, and pos- sibly two, and one destroyer and on May 2 “severely damaged” a cruiser, attacked another cruiser and a transport ship. 135 Ships Claimed. DNB, official German news agency, reported that 135 units of the British fleet had been put out of action since April 9, the day Ger- many invaded Norway. Basing its claim on official re- ports -of the high command, the agency said 64 ships either were sunk or set afire and 71 were dam- Prime Minister Chamberlain re- ported yesterday that British naval | losses in the Norwegian campaign were four destroyers, three subma- rines, one sloop and five trawlers sunk and five other warships dam- aged by air attack. He added that | one store ship had been torpedoed and sunk. Claim 23 Transports Destroyed. The DNB compilation listed 23 British troop transports as sunk or set on fire and 38 as damaged. Most | of these losses occurred after April 23, it said. Seven battleships were listed as damaged up to April 22, Figures. given for ships sunk or set on fire since April 9 were: Cruis: ers, 9; destroyers, 9; submarines, 22; troop transports, 23, and miscel- | laneous, 1. Ships severely damaged: Battle- ships, 7; cruisers, 14; destroyers, 9; airplane carriers, 3, and trans- ports, 38. Of these it claimed that 43 cases of damage occurred after April 22. | The seven battleships were reported | damaged between April 9 and 22. Affirming Germany's _readiness for any British counter-blow as a result of the Norwegian defeat, For- eign Office circles said: “We ask Chamberlain before the world: Who is the next victim of — PIANOS for RENT New full keyboard spin- ot and small uprights, only $5 monthly. Grand pianos, $9 monthly. All the money you pay as rental applies on the purchase price if you decide 1o buy fater. National 4730 KITT’S 1330 G Street in other directions. == reduced for Saturday only. year-round wear. Tweeds, Every size in the Iot. Saturday Sale! $25 and $30 192 suits, all from regular stock and and worsteds in the smartest Don’t miss this chance for a real suit bargain. CHARGE ACCOUNTS OPENED AT ONCE No Delays . . . No Red Tape . .. No Added Cost 4 MONTHS TO PAY, STARTING IN JUNE EISEMAN’S F at SEVENTH Ideal for ¢ herringbones ades. British plans for widening the area of combat?” “Is it Rumania? Greece? Yugo- slavia?” they asked. “Or is all this one gigantic bluff to camouflage plans elsewhere? “Is it another criminal plan com- ing from Churchill's (Winston Churchill, Britain’zs Pirst Lord of the Admiralty) brains for exerting pressure upon Italy? “Is Weygand (Gen. Maxime Wey- gand, allied commander in chief in the Near East) & trump card to be played while meanwhile action is launched in an entirely different region? “We shall watch all this with icily cold deliberation. “Wherever the British strike we will strike back. Yearning for Vengeance Seen. “After his catastrophic defeat in Norway, Churchill s yearning for vengeance. - “He will try to equalize his defeat by success elsewhere, but we are forewarned and ready.” Authorized sources intimated that German intelligence service knows exactly where Britain is tak- ing her forces from Norway. In government circles, Mr. Cham- berlain’s speech is regarded as the “most embarrassing speech for him since the beginning of the war.” He must do something, it was asserted, to save his prestige. Authorized sources reiterated Germany’s claim to the authemtic- | ity of the documents presented to forelgn diplomats in facsimile by April 27, which the Germans claimed proved the allies responsible for spread of the war to Scandinavia. Foreign correspondents have been invited to examine the originals for water marks and other evidences of their genuine character. Allied Drive Seen Smashed. Germany hailed the capture of Andalsnes as effectively - smashing allied resistance in Norway. The morning press devoted practically all its front pages to the event. Similar optimism prevailed in for- eign office circles. An authoritative spokesman even voiced the opinion that the British withdrawal from Andalsnes, in which large quantities of war supplies were said to have been left behind, was only the be- ginning, and that “the rest of Nor- way will soon be abandoned by the allies.” Under the heading “Gallipoli 1940,” the newspaper Deuts¢he Allegmeine Zeitung compared the British re- treat from strategic Andalsnes with the defeat the allies suffered in the World War when they tried to force an entrance into the Dardanelles Straits, entrance to the Black Sea. ‘The only difference today, the paper said, “is that the new Galli- poli of Churchill wasn't lbst at the faraway Dardanelles, but right be- fore England’s gates.” The well-informed Dienst aus Deutschland in commenting on the situation as a result of yesterday’s military developments said that all of Central and Southern Norway south of Steinkjer is in German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop on e st e hands. 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