Unified Resistance Broken

Evening Star, Issue 23862, 17 April 1941, Page 7

Unified Resistance Broken

Guerrilla Tactics May Harass Enemy (British Official Wireless.) * Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, April 16. (Received April 17, at noon.) It is authoritatively announced that information received indicates that the situation in Yugoslavia is bad and that unified controlled resistance to the Germans has ceased. There is still some resistance, however, and guerrilla warfare is continuing against the Germans, particularly against their lines of communication, but the situation cannot be regarded with optimism. Bulgarian troops have occupied part of Thrace. The information that the Yugoslav armies can no longer bo said to be directed by one general headquarters, and that unified controlled resistance appears to have ceased, caused disappointment, but little in London, where it was recognised when the new Government took over in Belgrade, as the result of the resentment felt by the Yugoslav people at the action of its predecessbr in joining the Axis, that it had little time to prepare adequate resistance. It is, in fact, evident from the manner in which the attack developed that; even while they were signing the Tripartite Pact with Yugoslavia, the Germans had all plans ready for the invasion of the Vardar Valley. It has again proved difficult to improvise assistance for a threatened country which refused to invite help until the very last moment, and even such elementary precaution as ‘staff talks before the calamity would have enabled help to have been provided for those prepared to help themselves. In the circumstances that arose the aggressor has had all the advantages of choosing his method, time, and place of attack upon a victim inadequately prepared to protect itself. Although Yugoslav resistance under unified control may now have ceased, there are indications that resistance of a guerrilla character .will continue on a greater or lesser scale, especially at night, and against German communications. It is not unlikely that some of the formations conducting these operations 'will be as large as a division. NO CONFIRMATION OF BREAKTHROUGH. The War Office states that there is no confirmation from the Greek or British commands in Greece of the rumour derived from German sources that the Allied line has been broken in the Mount Olympus sector, and that the plain of Larissa in consequence has been laid open to the German advance. . w --.Heavy fightihg, 1 however, is taking place in more than one sector of the Allied line.