MAY BOIL OVER

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 65, 14 September 1943, Page 6

MAY BOIL OVER

OCCUPIED BALKANS, PARTISAN ACTIVITIES (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) Rec 1.30 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 13. While the position inside Italy is apparently chaotic, despite the German claims of the revival of Fascism and also that men of the Italian army are rallying to them, the situation in the occupied Balkan countries is rapidly reaching the point of explosion into a general uprising, says the Cairo correspondent of "The Times." The Italians in many areas of Yugoslavia and Greece have laid down their arms and have either moved off in an attempt to reach Italy or have openly sided with the partisans. ■ The Germans have left some of the mountainous regions in the interior and are moving towards the coast, presumably fearing Allied landings. The partisan forces are consequently enjoying much greater freedom of movement. For instance, partisans at Banjaluka, in Bosnia, repaired a railway which they had repeatedly broken up when Axis forces were using it. and are now moving their forces by rail. Partisans in some sectors of Dalmatia control not only the interior but some of the coastal regions, including a number of islands, and have a fleet of. small ships for raiding purposes. Some Italian units are definitely fighting with the partisans at the important rail junction of Karlovac. Reuters Zurich correspondent says reports from Belgrade state- that fierce fighting- occurred there when the Germans tried to disarm Italian troops. The population acclaimed the Italians and went to their aid. Germans at Zagreb disarmed all . Italians when news of the capitulation became known, and are reported to have manhandled Italians when they occupied the Italian legation and the offices of the Stefani news agency. ALLIES AND MIKHAILOVITCH. Reuters Cairo correspondent says that senior Allied officers are now at the headquarters of General Mikhailoyitch in Yugoslavia. The latest reports indicate that military activity on a large scale can be expected shortly, linked with Allied strategic plans* German troops from Trieste to Montenegro are moving from the interior towards the coast. Yugoslav patriots are challenging this advance at nearly every point. Italian troops are also resisting the Germans at many places. German planes had >to bomb the Italian garrison from a town in the Dalmatian interior before German troops and quisling Serbian formations could march in. GeneraLMikhailovitch's forces fighting in the Kopaonik mountains recently ambushed two enemy trains, ble,w up bridges, and killed 300 Germans. ;„ v Violent fighting is reported to be occurring between German and Italian troops in the island of Rhodes. Ankara radio said that 350 Italian refugees arrived in Turkey from Rhodes in small i>oats. The refugees fired on German planes which attacked them. All have been interned. Berlin radio stated that German motorised units entered Tirana (capital of Albania) on Friday. The Italians laid down their arms under the orders of their •commander. Important Albanian towns, airfields, and mountain roads and all-coastal,positions vital for defence "are in Geiynan hands.