GIVING CHECK

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20526, 9 April 1941, Page 11

GIVING CHECK

HOLDING GERMANS YUGOSLAV FRONT ATHENS CONFIDENCE CLAIMS BY BERLIN ADVANCE OF FORCES (Elec. Tel. Copyright— United Tross Assn.) (Reed. April 8, 2.45 p.m.) LONDON. April 7. Yugoslavia communications with the outside world were resumed after more than 24 hours of silence. No military reports, however, have yet been issued from Yugoslavia. A correspondent of the British United Press, however, quotes military observers in Athens as giving the opinion that the situation in Yugoslavia is satisfactory. The Yugoslavs are generally understood to be resisting successfully. They are reported to have captured a dozen German tanks.

A report from Belgrade, which is believed to have originated from an Axis source, says that another British mechanised division began disembarking yesterday at Piraeus and Volo. The Germans to-night said they xvere advancing on the Serbian and Greek fronts after sharp attacks which overcame fortified positions. Greek Defences Held

The Greeks admitted heavy attacks, but declared the Germans had not succeeded in breaking the Greek defences. According to the Stefani news agency Italian planes inflicted “hard blows” on British motorised units in Greece. This Italian agency also claims that the Italians have broken a Greek attempt to join the Yugoslav forces. The Italians state that the attempt involved two days of bitter fighting in which the Italians virtually wiped out a ! Greek division comprising three regiments. Whatever is the truth of this report, one of the main Axis aims obviously is to break contact between Yugoslavia and Greece and the Germans, according to reliable Turkish sources, are making their principal drive against Yugoslavia through a subsidiary valley west of the Struma to Skoplje.

Hungarian “Welcome”

Britain branded Hungary as an accomplice of the German aggression almost at the same time as the German news agency announced the Hungarian population was everywhere greeting the German troops enthusiastically. A message from Rome quotes a Rumanian communique as stating:— “Although the Government has not committed Rumania in any way in hostilities against Yugoslavia, despite the fget that Rumania had nationals to defend in that country, the Yugoslav Air Force yesterday bombed Dorsova, Arad and Themsvar, killing three persons and injuring three and causing some damage:” The Rumanian Chief of State, General Antonescu, says: “Such grave and disloyal actions will in no wise upset the conduct of the Rumanian Government. This daes'mot mean, however, that anyone has the liberty to harm Rumania’s honour and rights.”