PRESSING HOME THE VICTORY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 129, 13 March 1935, Page 5

PRESSING HOME THE VICTORY.

REBELS IN FULL FLIGHT. CAVALRY AND AIR ATTACKS. LONDON, March 11. General Kondylis, leader of the loyal army in Greece, told a special correspondent of the British United Press, who is with the victorious troops, that the “campaign may be considered finished with, the occupation of Seres. It is the key to the whole situation fiom a military standpoint. No further armed resistance is expected on the mainland.” General Kondylis, in reference to Crete, said: “If the rebels continued 'to resist, we shall first negotiate pacifically. Unfortunately, however, Venizelos seems to have become crazy. I deliberately delayed the opening of hostilities to prevent needless bloodshed, in which I have been highly unsuccessful .Major Sampson, British military attache at Athens, has arrived at Seres He speaks highly of .the conduct of the campaign. „ „ Interviewed by the United Pres, after crossing the frontier, General Kamenos (rebel leader) admitted that his efforts to overthrow the Tsaldaris regime must, temporarily at any rate, be considered lost. General Kamenos staff has been disarmed and will be sent to Sofia. , The Athens correspondent ot tne “News-Chronicle” says that two rebel officers, besides the chief of staff, Maior Panyagiopoulos, committed suicide in the field. General Kamenos and his officers took £120,000 from the Seres Bank before the retreat. Cavalry and bombing aeroplanes completed tlie rout of the rebels. The remnants of the rebel troops will be hemmed in, and are expected to be disposed, of in a day. The Athens correspondent ot tne “Daily Mail” says it is estimated that the rebellion cost the authorities £12,000,000, consisting of currency confiscated by the rebels, military expenditure, damage to warships and property, and loss of business. After tihe collapse of the rebellion in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, aerial bombing c-.ea.sed, to avoid endangering non-combatants. Consular authorities at Athens believe that no foreigners were injured. The Government has undertaken to safeguard the lives and property of foreignel's. . With the rebels in full flight,: today appears to be devoted largely to the consolidation of tho Government’s position. The Physicians’ Association passed a resolution characterising the revolt as the worst treason in Greece’s history, and describing Venizelos as a common impostor, allegedly coming from a family suffering from hereditary insanity. The association offered t'he services of its members to the Government free.

REBEL CRUISER SURRENDERS. | i ■ OFFICERS FLEE AFTER BOMBBARDMENT. LONDON, March 12. Sir Percival Phillips,, the "Daily Telegraph's" special cor/respondent in Athens reports that the surrender of the cruiser Helle at Kavalla was effectMinistry of Marine, at night, received urgent radio messages from Sub-Lieu-tenant Vakolopoulos, who was aboard the Helle, stating that all combatants officers had fled ashore, after a bombardment by a Government destroyer flotilla. He was left in command and put the ship at the disposal of the Government and asked for orders from the Ministry, which sent instructions. A message for the sailors was sent which Sub-Lieutenant Vakolopoulos read to the crew' by the light of an electric torch. This" .said that the Government was convinced that „the sailors and a large proportion of the petty officers had been forced into the revolution unwillingly. Now they were masters of the ship, the Government urged their surrender. Sub-Lieutenant Vakolopoulos received the crew's unanimous submission, and left the harbour within an hour, steaming as directed by the Ministry to a point off Kasandra, n promontory south-east of Salonika. COMPLETE VICTORY GAINED. AUTHORITY RESTORED IN CRETE ATHENS, March 12. The revolt at Crete has ended and Government authority has been reestablished in all the Aegean Islands, including Mitylene, Samos and Chios. All the rebel warships, except the Averoff and one submarine, surrendered to the Government at Insuda Bay. Officers from the destroyers Psara and Leon Nireus previously boarded the jAveroff which steamed away in a North-west direction with M. Venizelos and his wife and 100 rebel officers aboard. It is believed that their destination is Rhodes. The Government casualties in the fighting in Macedonia, total 11 killed and 28 wounded. The sum of £160,000 '' which was looted from the local banks

has been found on captured rebels. The Mayor of Athens has called on the people to give thanks for the victory at a mass meeting this afternoon.