“MARSHAL MUSSOLINI”

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 March 1941, Page 7

“MARSHAL MUSSOLINI”

OFFENSIVE’S TERRIBLE LOSSES

ITALIAN RESENTMENT

[BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN.—COPYRIGHT.]

LONDON, March 17.

Reports from Athens indicate that the offensive which the Italians launched in Albania seven days ago is now slackening. Last night’s Greek communique merely said: “Artillery fire of varying intensity.” Discussing Italian losses in the offensive, a Greek officer said that never, in all his years of campaigning, had he seen men so deliberately sent to the slaughter. The Athens correspondent of “The Times” says the fourth Italian com-mander-in-chief —this time the Italian Empire’s great Marshal Mussolini —left Albania badly beaten by the Greeks after six consecutive days of the bloodiest attacks which infuriated Italian prisoners call butchery, costing more than 50,000 casualties. So many dead are lying on the battlefield that the air is polluted in spite of snow and intense cold, compelling the Greeks to take special sanitary measures.

ITALIAN FAILURE COMPLETE.

RUGBY, March 17.

The magnitude of the Italian defeats is indicated by the fact that although seven divisions were employed on a front of 20 miles, with the main effort directed against a narrow sector, two and a-half miles wide, the enemy failed to gain any ground. In fact, in many places, they are back behind their lines of assault. Mussolini, who hoped for a spectacular scene of a march to victory, has returned to Rome in the knowledge that some 3000 Italian prisoners are in Greek hands, the result of seven days’ attack, and that all the losses, suffered amount to 50,000. “The Times’s” correspondent at Athens says: It is probable that the enemy will not be in a position to renew the offensive for two months, if then. An official Athens estimate of the results of the enemy’s offensive efforts says: “It failed to suppress our offensive, our counter-attacks following each attack. The results of this success are among the most important we have yet won, especially as the enemy’s attempt was preceded by long preparations, as immense quantities of ammunition were brought together, and important forces engaged, far in excess of our own.”

BRITISH BATTLESHIPS HIT?

(Recd. March 18, 10.55 a.m.) LONDON, March 17. Berlin radio claims that torpedocarrying planes directly hit two British battleships, among a squadron off Crete.

BRITISH AIRMAN RESCUED.

ATHENS, March 16.

The newspaper “Elefthonvima ’ reports that a British airman who baled out over No Man’s Land came down safely near Italian lines. The Italians prepared to capture him, but Greek troops sprang from positions and victoriously engaged the Italians, after which the Greeks triumphantly carried back the rescued airman.

R.A.F. ATTACKS SUCCEED.

RUGBY, March 17

An R.A.F. Middle East communique states: “In Albania, a formation of the R.A.F. bomber aircraft made a successful attack on an aerodrome and Other military objectives, at Tirana in the early hours of yesterday morning. Although intercepted by a large number of enemy fighters, the British bombers pressed home the attack, and dropped more than ten tons of bombs on the targets. Direct hits were obtained on hangars and other military biuldings, starting large fires. The attack destroyed a number of dispersed aircraft, whicn were both bombed and machine-gun-Another R.A.F. bomber formation raided Valona aerodrome, and then dived in the face of intense anti-air-craft fire to machine-gun dispersed enemy aircraft. While returning from the operations, one R.A.F. plane ei W a large enemy seaplane—Cant _ b(Jbb—near Corfu, and shot it down into the sea.