“He and his entire government have escaped Oslo.”
Bill looked at him sharply. “Oh?”
Wesley nodded. “The first German ships were engaged at the mouth of Inner Oslofjord at 4:20 this morning, their time. The batteries near Drøbak sunk the lead cruiser, forcing the rest of the ships to retreat and land their troops outside of the range of the old fortress. It cost the Germans a few hours, which the King used to get out of Oslo.”
“That’s fantastic news!” Bill exclaimed. “The Norwegian forces are loyal only to King Haakon. As long as he is alive and on the throne, they will continue to fight.”
“Yes, and I’m sure the Germans were expecting to neutralize him along with his government.”
“And they all got away? Every one? The ministers as well?”
“Yes.” Wesley cleared his throat. “That’s the good news.”
“And the bad news?”
“Reports are beginning to come in. The Germans have landed at Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger. They also landed a large force at Narvik.”
Bill scowled. “What of the local commanders?”
“Norway is woefully unprepared to rebuff the Wehrmacht. They put up resistance, but were quickly defeated. The German forces are through and advancing already.” He paused, then cleared his throat. “In Narvik, the local commander ordered his troops to allow the Germans to land and not to resist.”
“What?!”
“That being said, I believe that the commander is a Vidkun Quisling supporter,” Wesley said. “If he is, that would explain his eagerness to let the Germans in.”
“And to lose Norway their largest port in the north!” Bill exclaimed. “Not that they could have held out for long, but every hour would help.”
“Forgive me, but help what?”
“Chamberlain will be forced to send troops now. The cabinet will approve lending aid and troops to fight with the Norwegians. Every hour the Norwegians hold on brings our boys closer to them.”
“But Narvik has already fallen and the Jerries are already advancing through the country.”
“Don’t underestimate the value of Norway,” Bill told him. “It may be small, but it is mighty in this war. Without it, Hitler can’t get his precious iron from Sweden, or have access to the North Atlantic. Even Chamberlain won’t allow it to go without a fight.”
Wesley grunted and watched as Bill went back to his seat behind his desk.
“Any word from Jian?”
“She got a message out at 2am that the Germans were outside Oslo and she was going north.” Bill shook his head. “She somehow found out before they attacked, thank God. I’m waiting to hear more.”
“At least she got out of Oslo in time. Why did she go north and not east? The Swedish border isn’t far from Oslo.”
“She said there was some doubt as to the border.” Bill frowned. “I don’t know why, but I’m sure she had her reasons. Jian may have nerves of steel, but she does tend to err on the side of caution rather than the other way around.”
The phone on Bill’s desk jangled shrilly and Wesley turned towards the door.
“I’ll let you know developments as they come in,” he said over his shoulder. “Shall I put the radio boys on alert?”
“Already done,” Bill replied, reaching for the phone. “A few earnest prayers wouldn’t be amiss, though.”
Wesley nodded grimly.
“Already done.”
Knutshø, Norway
7am
Evelyn climbed out of the back of Peder’s Volvo and shivered in the cold morning air. It was decidedly colder here than it had been in Oslo, and she quickly buttoned up her coat. Peder had pulled into a petrol station in a small town with a single main street, boasting a bakery and butcher’s shop alongside the filling station. The other stores weren’t open for business yet, and she looked towards the small building behind the gas pump.
“Do you think they know yet?” she asked Anna, nodding towards the building. Through the window, they could see a couple inside, the man behind a counter and the woman sweeping the floor near the door.
“It depends on if they have a radio,” Anna replied, climbing out of the car. “If not then no.”
“Should we tell them?”
She looked at her in amusement. “To what purpose?”
“Well, so they can leave if they want to,” Evelyn said with a shrug.
Anna’s smile grew.
“And go where? Most people have nowhere to run to,” she said. “However, if it makes you feel better, we can tell them before we leave.”
“It would, yes.”
“While we’re stopped, do you want me to try to reach London?” Peder asked over the roof of the car. “If we’re going to try, now is a good time.”
“Yes, please.” Evelyn turned to look at him. “But stretch your legs first. You’ve been driving for over four hours.”
Peder shrugged and went to open the back of the car where their suitcases and his radio were stored.
“I’m all right,” he said, pulling out his case. “I’ll see if I can get through to them. If I do, I’ll knock on the glass.”
He climbed into the backseat of the car and closed the door. Evelyn watched as he sat sideways on the seat and began to set up his radio.
“I’ll take care of the petrol,” Anna said, walking over to the pump. “Why don’t you walk for a minute and stretch your legs?”
“It’s too cold to walk far,” she retorted, burying her hands in her coat pockets. “What I wouldn’t give for some coffee!”
“We should be able to find an open café in another hour or so. We’ll stop then.” Anna glanced at her. “The further north we go, the colder it will get.”
“Don’t you know it’s supposed to be spring?”
“Not in Norway,” she retorted with a short laugh.
Evelyn shook her head and turned to walk a few feet away, loosening up muscles cramped from sitting. It could be worse, she supposed. At least Peder had this car. She could be without transportation altogether. Or without friends willing to help get her away from Oslo and the oncoming Germans. She glanced back at Anna refilling the tank of the car, and was
