TROOPS MASS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20379, 16 October 1940, Page 9

TROOPS MASS

'> BALKANS MOVES PINCERS OF AXIS CONCERN IN ATHENS TURK CONCENTRATION RUSSIANS ON BORDER ‘ BERLIN SUSPICIONS (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Oct. 15, 3 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 14. Troops of. many .nations are concentrating in the Balkans. Ship-loads of Italians are being transported across the Adriatic from Bari and Brindisi to Durazzo and Valona. Turkey has concentrated I 400,000 troops on her Bulgarian | border. Messages. from Athens reflect the Greek alarm at the German and Italian moves in the Balkans. Greece fears an Axis pincers movement from | Albania and Bulgaria. Italians have r been:warned to' leave Greece immediately. Messages referring to Russian troop concentrations on the Balkans border say that civilians have been evacuated from Cernauti. Three hundred Russian fighter planes have arrived at Bukovina, where many new hangars have- been built. The Soviet, is also reported to be constructing new aerodromes in Bessarabia, where • 12 Russian infantry , divisions as well as artillery and motorised units are stationed. Concentrations of river craft capable of carrying 20 to 30 men each are massed on the Pruth and "Danube rivers.... .. ; Tiirkish newspapers stress the. possibility of a German threat to Russia. The: official newspaper Ulus suggests that; Germany is possibly preparing a base, to strike north of Rumania to check any Soviet move to the southwards. r r : Tie Istanbul newspaper Tan says thafctussia would not allow the Dardanelles to fall into other Lands. Sources in Tokio state that Germany is alarmed at British diplomatic moves in Russia and is sending a mission to Moscow.