MASSING OF TROOPS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 4, 16 October 1940, Page 5

MASSING OF TROOPS.

MANY NATIONS ARE UNEASY. GREECE FEAR® ITALIAN MOVE. LONDON, October 14. Troops of many nations are being massed in the Balkans. Shiploads of Italians are being moved across the Adriatic from Bari and Brindisi to tDurazzo and Valona, in Albania, and Turkiey has concentrated 400,000 troops on her Bulgarian border. Messages from Athens reflect Greek alarm at German and Italian moves in the Balkans. Greece fears an Axis pincers movement from Albania and Bulgaria. Italians have been warned to leave Greece immediately. Messages referring to. Russian troop concentrations on the Balkans border say that civilians have, been evacuated from Cernauti. Three hundred; Russian fighter aeroplanes Have arrived in Bukovina where many new hangers have been built-.. In Bessarabia, 12 Russian infantry divisions, as well as artillery and motorised units' are stationed. Concentrations of river craft capable of carrying 20 to 30 men each are massed on the Pruth Rivei, and ln ( rge fleets of Russian naval vessels are also gathered in the Pruth and the Danube. Turkish newspapers emphasised the possible Gierman- threat to Russia. The official newspaper “Ulus” suggests that Germany is possibly preparing a base to strike north of Rumania to check any Soviet move southwards. The Istanbul newspaper “Tan” says that Russia will not allow the- Dardanelles to- fall into other hands. Sources in Tokio state that Germany, alarmed at British diplomatic moves in Russia, is sending a mission to Moscow.