EFFECT OF KORITZA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 37, 23 November 1940, Page 5

EFFECT OF KORITZA.

MENACE TO ITALIAN DEFENCE. GREEK ENCIRCLING MOVEMENT (United Press Association— Copyright) LONDON, November 21. Reports received in London to-night indicate that the Greeks are in sight of a big success against the Italians. Reuter’s correspondent in Athens states that the Italians are beginning to evacuate Koritza, and other reports from various sources support this claim. One statement is that a long Italian column is moving out along the main road and that this may he the prelude to a general evacuation of the town.

Along the coast, in the Epirus sector, the Italian positions are said to be in jeopardy because of a brilliant flanking attack carried out by the Greeks. The Greeks are taking advantage of the disruption of the Italian communications resulting from increasingly powerful British and Greek air attacks.

Should Koritza be captured by the Greeks, it would he impossible for the Italians to hold their new defensive positions. If the Greeks are able to press home their present advantage, the movement will bring about the complete collapse of the Italian front,

The Italian rearguard is being constantly harassed by Greek cavalry and motor-cyclists, and the Italian withdrawal is rapidly deteriorating into a flight. v The Athens correspondent of “The Times” says it is estimated that two Italian regiments are likely to be encircled between the left wing of this fan-like movement and a thrust north from the Kalamas river. The Italians in the Pindus sector are evidently seeking to escape, northwards. It is presumed that they are ignorant of the fact that the Greek occupation of Ersak bars* the route to Koritza. These forces appear doomed unless they are able to escape across the mountains to the west of this road. Here also there is apparently a slight Greek infiltration which, like that on the Epirus front, is spreading out fan-wise, probably with thjs double aim of cutting off a mew 1 Italian dash for Koritza along the Elbassan road and blocking the westward nortion of the iP'ermeti road leading to Valona. The correspondent, pointing out that the Italians have approximately five divisions on till) combined' Pindus and Epirus fronts, says that military circles in, Athens do not expect these divisions ,to survive except as stragglers. s .

Artillery Duels. Another report says that the Greeks, aiming at countering Italian shelling from the mountain heights, apparently descended from the highest points of the Morava, heights to the north spurs, where they haul/ed up 10-inch and fiveinch guns and bombarded the Italian positions. Bad weather helped by interfering with enemy dive-bombing, which', in any case, seems to have lost its intensity since the' appearance of the Royal Air Force. The Italians have brought up reinforcements both, on the Epirus and Koritza fronts, and a question being asked is hew they managed to do it. The Koritza-Elbasan road has been repeatedly successfully bombed, and there is no other way for reinforcing this Koritza front except through Pogradetz, which is seriously threatened by Greek troops and also from the air. ‘it is revealed that at least one.division cf Alpini has landed by air in Albania in the last 10 days, and it is suspected that the Italians have also used Jugoslav territorial waters to avoid the British, and Greek fleets. It is now learned that the recent changes in the Italian command' on th© Greek front were much wider than the announcement ini the Italian newspapers indicated. In addition to the changes in the High Command, more than 50 senior officers were removed.

The correspondent adds that the Italians are reported to' be withdrawing from positions between Lake Oclirida and Lalcg Presba.

Three ’ thousand ’ Albanians are reported to be marching from north' Albania to assist . the Greeks on the Koritza front.

The advancing Greek armies are using Italian war material captured by the British in, the Western Desert.'