Show Friendly Natives Natives' Hailed is Spitsbergen pits berg en Forces By y ROSS MUNRO S Copyright 1941 by the Canadian Press 5 WITH THE CANADIAN SPITSBERGEN EXPEDITION Sept 9 9 I I have traveled with an allied force composed mainly f Canadians supported by Britons and Norwegians into theN the N Arctic circle to a str strange landing that might have been a bit bitter er and Tand and bloody battle batUe but which 5 turned out to be an unopposed peaceful sortie to prevent the flow t of cf f high-grade high Norwegian coal to the nazi reich Teich Into this land of glaciers where stark snow crested mountains push up through mists where reindeer roam and seals splash shore off-shore the force came on a mission described by the commanding commanding com corn manding officer as invasion invasion inva inva- 5 sion zion but merely a necessary part of the common war var against Ger Ger- many v r Norwegians and Russians the RussIans the Russians outnumbering the Norr Norwegians Nor- Nor r three to one one have have beenS been S mining the coal in the Spitsbergen S. S gen archipelago miles mUes from the north pole and they both hailed th the arrival of their allies 55 with a warmth and enthusiasm S that contrasted with the reception receptionS S steel and gunfire the CanaS Cana- Cana S 1 were prepared to face r Moved Moved to Britain Some 1000 Norwegians were Z moved to Britain to serve in the theS r. r S Norwegian forces against the 5 For the Canadians it w was s the first taste of the real thing Never Never had I seen them so enthusiastic enthusiastic and eager as they were oni on i f this trip i I The only thing they needed to tomake S. S I make the expedition a complete I success was a few skirmishes with I the Germans whom they expected to meet but Instead the suspense of arrival and the tension of expected opposition dissolved into sociability The Norwegians challenged the Canadians to a football match- match land and defeated d them 6 to 1 and 1 and i 1 fills 1 A AW Vl A Y lf jj of oL r i Lenin i and d' d St Stalin i passed around their long and leave gave the Canadians candy and other sweets 5 Work Vork to Be Done m p But it was not all affable soda socia- Vast stores of ammunition I had had to be unloaded as well ell as quantities of supplies The de- de deS S parting Norwegians had to be or organized or- or and their baggage piled aboard ship The expedition left a British port in warm weather amid complete complete com corn secrecy but after a few days at sea heavy clothing was donned The men drilled on deck to keep in They were not told their destination until 24 hours before they landed g r landings were S oth other r ships a j we moved noved slow slowly y to anchorage at af the mouth of the fjord and the main force prepared to disembark I sent Went vent ashore with the commander Expecting 1 anything to happen Welcomed Welcomed by Miners l F w-A w A Norwegian settlement down die the fjord was the neatest and tidiest on the whole Island When the Canadians got there they marched to the he community hall hail but ut the hospitable Norwegians would woud not let them take it over overs as as s a troop billet until the women had nad scrubbed it thoroughly JL One of oZ the he queerest things about the he expedition was th the night all daylight at Spitsbergen Some J it difficult to sleep No Blackout could be enforced how how- ever Nature Just wouldn't have haveS S lone ne |