ITALIAN PRESSURE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 25, 9 November 1940, Page 5

ITALIAN PRESSURE.

CONTINUED IN EPIRUS.

HEAVY REPULSE ELSEWHERE.

LONDON, November 8

The Italians are continuing tlieir pressure against the Greek forces in the Epirus sector, where the Greeks yesterday retreated slightly; but this morning’s Greek communique says that enemy attacks against the Greek positions in this sector have been thrown back. The artillery duel along the whole Front is being continued. The Greeks yesterday morning are reported to have heavily repulsed Italian forces attempting to- attack the road between Janiiia and Argyrokastron, near the village of Visani, 15 miles from Janina. Greek aeroplanes bombed Argvrokastron. The Istanbul correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says it is reliably reported that Italy has eight divisions in the southern sector against Greece, four in the eastern sector and three in the interior of Albania maintaining or ■ dor.

Allied and Turkish military experts cannot see any advantage for the Italians if they occupy Janina, except the possible moral effect. Even if the Italians’ operations based on Konispobs are successful, they will find themselves in a huge basin, from which there ate only two possible exits. One of these is eastwards over the Pindus mountains, crossing a pass at an altitude of 50dJ feet which* the Greeks would vigorously defend. , The other exit goes to the south, to the. Gulf of Corinth, passing many miles through marshes. The Pindus mountains, over which wheeled transport is impossible, separate the southern and eastern sectors, and reinforcements from one to the other would be possible only through Albania. In the eastern sector, it Seems strategically possible for the Italians to extricate themselves from their present dilemma only by trying to turn the Greek flank by penetrating Dibra and then going down the Varclar valley This would seriously complicate matters for Italy, as it would involve the violation of Yugoslav territory.