GREEK FURTHER GAINS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 December 1940, Page 7

GREEK FURTHER GAINS

2,500 PRISONERS TAKEN PURSUIT OF ITALIANS [by CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, December 10. The Athens correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain says that the entire Italian right wing behind Santi Quaranta has been put to flight. The Greeks have captured a series of strategically important peaks in the northern sector. So far the Greeks have occupied one-quarter of the entire Albanian territory. The Athens correspondent of “The Times” says that the Greeks have taken prisoner about 2500 Italians in five days. This is insufficient io betoken an Italian rout, but considerable quantities of stores also have apparently been captured. The Greeks now control the whole length of the lateral Koritza-Sahti Quaranta road, which should be valuable to their operations. The capture of the heights round Moskopolis will bring them within comparatively easy distance of Berat. If Berat is captured, Valoma is likely to share the fate of Santi Quaranta.

The latest Greek communique says that the fighting was again continued yesterday with success, and a new advance was made.

An official spokesman said that the entire right wing of the Italians behind Argyrokastron and Saranada had hastily been withdrawing since noon on Sunday. The Greeks had several new victories, and they captured a whole series of strategically important peaks in the northern sector. The Greek Ministry of Information reveals that although the Italians have destroyed many of their supplies the Greeks .now possess a large quantity of armaments “the greater part of which is good enough to use against the enemy.” The capture of Argyrokastron is dismissed in a brief sentence in the Greek communique on Sunday’s fighting, which says: “During to-day our troops occupied important positions in the interior of Albania. The territory of Argyrokastron has been occupied.” The Italian official communique dealing with operations in this area states: “The 11th Army completed its retreat without losses of men and material in full, order to a line north of Argyrokastron and some smaller localities.” Authoritative circles in Athens report that the Greeks are advancing beyond Delvino in pursuit of the Italians, who have abandoned valuable war material of all descriptions. Further north, it is added, local defeats have been inflicted on new regiments of Italian alpine troops.

KALCYRE EVACUATED. RUGBY, December 10. Snow is falling in the northern section of the Albanian theatre, and, according to information available in authoritative military quarters in London,, the. Italian resistance beyond Pogradetz has stiffened? ..Some advance, however, has been made by the Greeks between the two main river valleys in this area. In the centre, Kalcyre is reported to have been evacuated by the Italians. Importance would attach to such a development, as the town stands at a road junction, and with Kalcyre in Greek hands, the Italian retreat-along the road which runs north to Berat would be cut. The biggest Greek advance continues to be in the coastal section, and information that has reached London indicates that the Greeks are how at Piqeras, on the coast, some 15 miles north of Santi Quaranta. Monday’s operations are verybrief ly dealt with in a Greek General Headquarters communique, which states: The struggle continued to-day, again with success, and we made a new advance.

R.A.F. RAID VALONA. RUGBY, December 10. The headquarters of the British Air Force in Greece state: Despite bad weather conditions on Monday, R.A.F. bombers carried out an offensive reconnaissance in the vicinity of Valona. Bombs hit the south jetty, and fell among buildings near the har,bour. The British aircraft met with anti-aircraft gunfire, but there was no .fighter opposition. From all the operations, all our aircraft returned safely.

ITALIAN CLAIMS. (Recd. Dec. 11, 10.20 a.m.). LONDON, December 10. An Italian communique states that the Italian left wing on the Greek Trent threw back enemy attacks, and Inflicted severe losses.

lITALIAN CASUALTIES. (Recd. December 11, 10.30 a.m.) ROME, December 10. Official: The casualties in Albania during November were 772 Italians and eight Albanians killed, 1874 Italians and 43 Albanians wounded, 711 Italians and 20 Albanians missing. In East Africa: Twenty-six killed, 70 wounded, and seven missing. In the Navy: Eighty-nine killed, 182 wounded, and 130 missing. Air Force: Fifty killed, 92 wounded and 162 missing. ■MUSSOLINI’S PERSONAL VISIT.

(Recd. December 11, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, December 10. The Greeks are reported to have occupied important new positions, after inflicting heavy losses on units of the Ninth Italian Division-; The whole area along Lake Ohridsko has been cleared of Italians. < Five hundred Albanians surrendered to the Greeks in the Argyrokastron region. Three officers who deserted from the Ferrara Division stated that they were utterly astounded at the abject collapse of the Italians. Mussolini is ; reported to be planning to go in person to Albania, to examine the situation.

* GIFT FROM N.Z. GREEKS. WELLINGTON, December 11. . The Consul-General for Greece (Mr. T. E. Y.' Seddon) interviewed, said'he had just had the honour of cabling to General Metaxas £2418, which the Greeks in New Zealand had raised. None but Greeks contributed, and the gifts were from all parts of the Dominion.

Mr. Seddon explained that two committees had canvassed the North Island, and Mr. Seddon, personally, saw most of the Greeks in the South in November. A cablegram despatching the money carries the message: “Your victories have inspired every free-dom-loving people.” Mr. Seddon stated also that the Prime Minister, he, and Mr. Garland, the Greek. Vice-Consul, had been conferring, and would probably make a statement offering some very material assistance to our ally, Greece, on behalf of the people of New Zealand. Mr. Seddon recalled that the Greeks in New Zealand in June gave a-day’s takings to the Patriotic Fund, a gift of £l6OO. He expressed his gratitude'and the appreciation of the Greek community for the New Zealand gift of £2OOO, cabled to the Red Cross at Athens, last week, from the Patriotic Fund in New Zealand.