TITO'S FORCES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 123, 26 May 1945, Page 7

TITO'S FORCES

MORE REASONABLE STAND

(Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.)

TRIESTE, May 24. There are indications today that Marshal Tito's forces in Trieste are adopting a more reasonable attitude, and even that they may be preparing to withdraw some of their troops from the city. Cases have occurred where Yugoslavs have left their machine-gun posts unmanned at times, and there are fewer of their armed patrols in the streets. Not infrequently one may see Yugoslavs walking about the streets unarmed, a thing formerly unknown. It is obvious that the move forward of Allied forces in the past two days into the province of Venezia 'Giulia, which includes the ' back country round Trieste, has given Marshal Tito's troops some food for thought. Compared with the Yugoslavs, the force which the Allies have mustered is overwhelming. Meanwhile, though each side is watching the other carefully, everything is quiet in the sector, both in Trieste and in the country occupied by the New Zealanders.

Machine-gun posts face each other on opposite sides of streets, and tanks are disposed with guns poking round corners, but there have been no incidents recently which might,have caused trouble among the troops. A Yugoslav commander into whose territory American forces pushed yesterday tried'to bluff them into retiring by issuing something in the nature of an ultimatum, but the American commander visited him and talked it over, with the result that the Yugoslav smilingly admitted that it had been a deliberate "try on." >