Royal Navy's Guns Dominate Port; Nazis Oust Norwegians from Heights; Invaders Isolated Kiruna, Sweden, Apr. 17. BBETWEEN 2,000 and 2,500 Germans in the Narvik area today were facing the choice. of annihilation, surrender or a fighting retreat; German and British forces were reported to be fighting bitterly in the streets of Narvik, Norwegian port from where Swedish iron one was shipped to Germany. A' small German force fought across_the mountains to the Swedish frontier, but the main force, based in the Rombak Heights across the fjord from Narvik, had its line of retreat menaced by the heavy guns of British' warships.
The route from Narvik to the Swedish frontier was dotted with German and Norwegian dead. Many of the men were frozen stiff in the snow, Over 1,000 German, Norwegian and British dead were at the bottom of the Narvik harbour, which is the graveyard for forty German, British and Norwegian warships and merchantmen, One of the sunken ships, it was understood, was a British cruiser.
The whole German force in the Narvik area, latest reports indicated, was complotly isolated and its sole hope for obtaining supplies rested on the ability of German planes to drop the supplies.
'The British in the Narvik area were attempting to drive the Germans toward the railway running from Narvik and the nearby snow-covered mountains to place the Germans within range of guns of the British' warships in Rombak Fjord. The only possible German retreat is over a 28-kilometre railway which British warships dominate, Rombak Fjord is an inlet three tiles: across at the widest point and and tve-sixteenths of a mile at the harrowest point, It is Afteen miles Tong and aver 1000 fect deep, lead= ing into Lofoten Fjord and connecting with the sea, Narvik is at the south= West corner of Rombuk Fjord and eros the fjord are the Rombak Heights. The eighteen miles to the Swedish frontier are, blocked towering mountains. There are no roads open to the Germans and the Norwegians ruined railway communi ations by blocking a main tunnel. This ts the setting in which the Ger-mun forces must fight to retreat or meet with certain death i¢ they do not desire to surrender.—United Press.
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