Stockholm, Apr, 26,
Valley slowed up sharply yesterday -as advance German momentum of the rapid German drive up the Oesterdale columns reached the watershed dividing the. Oesterdalen ang the Gudbransdal Valleys. German troops early yesterday after. noon occupied the strategically important city of Roetos "ani then withdrew, leaving the town a no-man's-land to take the fire of Norwegian and Allied troops entrenched in the heights above the city, press reports reaching here said yesterday. The "Dagens Nyheter" correspondent on the Norwegian front said the German advance force of 500 men withdrew southward from Roeros which was under constant fire from Norwegian and Allied forces on the hills north of Roeros.
The German advance patrol retreated about dusk yesterday, the newspaper said.
It was believed they had returned down the Oesterdalen Valley to the villages of Os and Tolga, 15 and 25 kilometres respectively south of Roeros, where they immediately began building fortifications. The German withdrawal was necessitated when a large Allied force rushed the city from Stoeren, the newspaper said, adding that a major battle appeared to be imminent at Roeros, British bombers and pursuit planes are now operating from three large aerodromes "somewhere near a north zm Norwegian ijore" the newspaper "Dagens. Nyheters" ' repor the Norwegian frontier today, The new alr fasses were expected to increase the chances of the Allies to overcome German superiority of the air in Norway, the newspaper said. previously too... weak to resist the Powerful Nazi. steam re now holding the must straggle' positions In the mountains along the rouse marched by the Gemans during the past four days—over. 200" Ikllomolre from Elverum to Roeros, Germins Wholly Motorized headquarters announced Nazi column which French Legionaries Landed French Foreign Legion troops were landed unobserved in' the darkness last night in Norway' and sent from Namsos direct to field action in the mountains where. they. marched through snow in. contrast to. their usual African desert torrid surround-Ings, the "Dagens Nyheter" Norwegian rantier correspondent reported to-
In a telephone conversation with the newspaper "Oestersunds Posten" the United Press learned that a German. motorized force at 12.18 pam. today passed the village of Langen, about 30 kilometres south-west Roeros, moving towards the Swedish frontier, The United Press also learned that Norwegian troops destroyed a near the frontier at the vil Broken, some %5, kilometres northeast of Rocros, with the intention of establishing new strong defence lines fon the northern shores of Lake Aursunden.
The official Norwegian telegraph agency, reported that Norwegian forces were carrying on guerilla war~ tare. in south-east Norway, expecially jin the Oslo district One Norwegian guerilla band: yesterday "annihilate" Frying on mopping up campaign in the mountains south. east of Oslo, the agency reported.
Reports from the Trondheim sector were partly contradictory yesterday afternoon. While the "Dagligt Alle honda" reported from Namsos the Allied defence line, slightly north of Steinkjer, had repulsed repeated attacks by the German forces, the "Attonbladet" asserted that the pos!- than of the combined Norwegian and Allied forces round and north of Steinkjer "must be considered extremely dificult.
Germans Well Equipped German forces on the steinkjer front are excellently equipped, have armoured cars and tanks and get valuable support from a light cruiser and at least two destroyers which penetrated into the innermost part of Trondheim Fjord, taking the Allied positions under fire, the newspaper jeald. Strong German reinforcements arrived. from the south, the "Afton-Dladet" said, The "Allehanda" Namsos correspon. dent reported that the Norwegian {troops in the Hegra fortress were still resisting German attempts to overcome them. They. continued to hamper all German air activity from the Vaernas serodyome, jhe news-Paper said.
Roeres Advance Bavlkei Although the Germans throughout yesterday in the advance on Roeros, it was understood that they falled to' reach the new Norwegian defences. five kilometres north of Roeros in the foothills in front of the watershed. The railroad. and highway on which the Germans are advancing climbs through twisting gorges and high mountains at this point and the position is ideal for defence, Military observers believed this area might be the point where! the "Allied defence sector will be Iocated. Once over the watershed, the highway and railway Wind downhill through the Gaula River Valley to 'Trondheim Fjord, where other German divisions are' based.
Reports from the frontier said the Norwegians in the Roeros sector, Royal Air Force,—Havas, wily armed and motorized division. The divisions are completely moter zed and move entirely on wheels Strategically, such motorized Ger man units would face serious dies. les if they encounter sarly form of resistance and were, rated with such a long. line of communications maintain, 'The column would te vitally exposed: to Allied' thrusts The Germans were attempting to widen thir Dut Norwegian soldiers were doxgedy holding thelr_mountaia positions either side of the highway, The Ge-man mechanized forces were unde: stood to be of no value in such terrain and Norwegian forces were meeting the Nazis under equal conditions and holding them. of the roads leading from the Swedit border north to Rona had been takes by the Germans and on the weston side of the Oesterdalen Valley Nor wegian guerilla patrols were hold the Germans in the valley, The Germans were not sparing a1] troops from the advancing mechanic columns to try to widen their vali positions, The Germans apparent AMI depend on an acting offensive whid} continues to push forward, mili] experts believed—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.