GREEK PROGRESS

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 November 1940, Page 7

GREEK PROGRESS

FIGHT FOR KORITZA

MORE CAPTURES CLAIMED

[by CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.)

LONDON, November 18.

The latest reports from Greece indicate that although the Italians are throwing their full weight into air attacks, the Greeks are still advancing. Reuter’s correspondent in Athens says that the Italians are bombing and machine-gunning Greek columns and that they have slowed down the advance in Epirus, but their attacks are having little effect in the Pindus and Koritza areas.

The Athens correspondent of the British United Press says it is authoritatively stated that the last Italians were driven from Greek soil on Sunday. The latest Greek communique says: “Fighting continues in Epirus and in the mountains east of Koritza. We captured more prisoners, guns, mortars, and material of all kinds and occupied some heights of great strategic importance in spite of strong opposition, especially from the Italian Air Force. The Italians bombed and machine-gunned towns and villages in the interior without causing damage or casualties.” From Athens it is reported that Greek artillery and aeroplanes in the Koritza sector completely broke up Italian motorised columns and many armoured cars are reported to have crossed the Jugoslav frontier to avoid capture. The fiercest fighting is occurring near Koritza. The Greeks have heavily repulsed Italian reinforcements attempting to encircle the town, near which the Greeks have captured 12 more field guns.

IMPORTANCE OF AIR ARM LONDON, November 18. The Athens correspondent of “The Times” says that the Italian Comman-der-in-Chief (General Soddu) appears to be drawing reinforcements from Scutari, Elbasan, and Valona, but rapid Greek thrusts are hampering the regrouping of foroes. General Soddu must also be perplexed to discover the direction from which the main Greek attacks are coming. He is threatened in Epirus by Greek thrusts on his flanks and is also harried in the Pindus sector, while the position is growing desperate at Koritza. Local counter-attacks designed to test the strength of the Greek thrust have been repulsed everywhere. . The correspondent adds that from the satisfaction expressed in Athens regarding Jugoslavia’s attitude, it is assumed that fresh assurances have been received from Belgrade. Moreover, information has been received in Athens that Jugoslavia is calling up 10 more classes in addition to the

700,000 men already with the colours. Simultaneously, the Bulgarians are reported to be calling up more men, but the Greeks have confidence in i Turkish assurances. Their faith, it is 'understood, is based on further assurances from Moscow both before and after the visit of the Soviet Prime [Minister (M. Molotov) to Berlin. The correspondent, however, issues a warning that the improved diplomatic prospects in the Balkans and the success of Greek arms should not blind observers to the prospects of certain over-riding considerations. The outcome of the campaign is increasingly a question of air superiority, by which supplies for the Italian Air Force in Albania may be cut off. There is a serious possibility that the enemy will be able to employ important aerial reinforcements as a result of the conferences between FieldMarshal Keitel, Chief of the German High Command, and Field-Marshal Badoglio, Chief of the Italian General Staff. After the crippling of the

Italian naval striking power at Taranto, it should be possible to improve the previous decisions to give aerial assistance to Greece and conduct an aerial offensive against Italy enabling Britain to capture the initiative and also to be ready for any reinforcements Field-Marshal Badoglio may be able to enlist. From calculations of the carrying capacity of the Simplon railway, such reinforcements are hardly likely to be troops, although Marshal De Bono, after attending manoeuvres in Albania, declared that it would be impossible to attack Greece with fewer than 1,000,000 men.

This phase of the war, like others, is becoming a struggle for emphatic air superiority. It would be a grave blunder to imagine that Britain had done all that was possible, although she had had three weeks to do it.

IMPORTANCE OF KORITZA.

RUGBY, November 18

In the opinion of military experts, definite news of the capture by the Greeks of the ridge overlooking Koritza, justifies high hopes of the capture of the town itself. Commenting on the strategic importance of the town, which is the largest in Albania, it is pointed out that standing as it does at the important junction of two .roads leading towards Greece, its capture would add greatly to the defence of that country. Should the town fall into Greek hands, it is thought this would put an end to the Italian advance towards Salonika, unless Italy were prepared to violate the neutrality of Jugoslavia and attempt to enter outer Greece via Monastir. It is also probable that so long as Koritza remained in Greek hands, the threat of invasion via Janina would be ended.

Military commentators point out, however, that the capture of this town, although a severe blow to the Italians, and one which they will undoubtedly strive hard to avoid, would not give an easy opportunity to advance to the Greeks. Although there are roads. running north-easterly towards Elbassau, the country is extremely difficult. Koritza has a good civil aerodrome which the Italians worked, hard to improve, but it is thought a military aerodrome has probably been completed.

ITALIAN DIVE-BOMBERS. (Received November 19, 1.5 p.m.) LONDON, November 18. Attention in the Italian-Greek was is still focussed on Koritza, where very heavy fighting is resulting from desperate Italian efforts to prevent the Greeks capturing the town.. General Soddu is heavily reinforcing, in a last effort to save large stores of Although exposed to merciless attacks by Italian dive-bombers, the Greeks are believ-

ed not only to have repulsed wave after wave of infantry crashing against then’ positions, but to have made new gains at some points. It is authoritatively stated in London that the Greeks are holding a line from a point due eastward of Koritza, thence 10 miles southward to a point due westward of Bohzigrad, but, according to various reports, sectional Greek advances threaten the town from other directions. It is generally believed that the Greeks are manoeuvring to occupy Koritza from the south. Meanwhile, despatches reaching Monastic emphasise that the Italians counter-attacked Zvezda, on Mount Ivan, a great part of which the Greeks captured last week. The most-important fact in the recent fighting is that the Italians are obtaining very heavy air. reinforcements, which are gruellingly ma-chine-gunning Greeks around Koritza, also along the road between Delvinski and Argyrokastron. “The Times’s” Athens correspondent declares that wave after wave of Italian planes dived on the unprotected Greek troops. He adds that the relative air strength of the Allies and Italy will certainly have an important bearing on the outcome of the Italian-Greek struggle, even if it is not finally decisive.

ITALIAN CLAIMS ( Recd. November 19, 12.50 p.m.) LONDON, November 18. An Italian communique reports little activity on the Greek front. It claims that the Italians destroyed an enemy cavalry formation in the Konitza sector. The Air Force in the Kalpaki and Konitza sectors destroyed bridges, and bombed defence works and troops. GREEK DESTROYERS ATHENS, November 18. An official report states: A Greek squadron of destroyers, under Admiral Cawadias, on the night of November 14/15, steamed through the straits of Otranto to the Adriatic Sea as far as the Islands of Saseno, without meeting enemy ships. The destroyers have returned to their base. BRITISH COMMANDER CAIRO, November 17. Air Commodore J. H. Dalbiac will take command of the British forces, in Greece, comprising R.A.F. squadrons and also Army units.