13,000 PRISONERS

Grey River Argus, 9 January 1941, Page 5

13,000 PRISONERS

TAKEN BY GREEKS In Albanian Warfare [Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] (Received January 8, 7.15 p.m.) LONDON, January 7. Continued captures of small batches of Italians remains .the principal' news from Albania, it is estimated that the total of Italian prisoners taken thus far is over 13,000. “The Times” Athens correspondent says: “Many Blackshirts were among Sunday’s bag of prisoners.”

35,000 ITALIAN WOUNDED (Received January 8, 7.15 p.m.) LONDON, January 7 “The Times” Athens correspondent says: “The Greek Government spokesman said that 35,000 wounded Italians have been evacuated from Valona alone.” Over 15,000 Italians NOW BLOCKADED. IN DODECANESE ISLANDS. (Received January 8, 7.5 p.m.) LONDON,. January 7. “The Times” correspondent at Athens says: “The situation in the Dodecanese Islands in the Eastern Mediterranean resembles that at Bardia. There are about fifteen to twenty thousand Italian troops there. They are almost completely blockaded. All of their ammunition has been fired. It is a dead loss, because it is not replaceable under the present conditions. The recent appointment of Gentler Governor of the Dodecanese has not appeased the Greek inhabitants, who have suffered appalling treatment for nearly twenty years.”

Greek Destroyers SHELL VALONA. FROM THE ROADSTEAD. (Received January 8, 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, January 7. / The Athens correspondent of “The Times” says: The Greek Minister of Marine has announced that a flotilla of Greek destroyers entered the Valona roadstead unmolested and there shelled targets, and then returned to their bases safely. The flotilla was under the command of Rear-Admiral Cavadias. It crossed the Straits of Otranto between heavy Italian coastal batteries, and then steamed past Brindisi, Sasone Island, and Valona Bay. This was the third time that Greek warships had crossed the Straits of Otranto, thus imperilling the Italian communications.

VALONA BOMBED R.A.F. FIGHT WITH ITALIAN PLANES RUGBY, January 7. An R.A.F. Middle East communique states: Valona was again attacked. The raids were made in bad weather rain and low cloud being met near the target. Bombs were seen to burst on. buildings and warehouses, and in the vicinity of the harbourjetties. Several fires were burning fiercely when our aircraft left. Enemy fighters intercepted, and a CR42 broke off the attack with smoke belching from the port engine. Another enemy fighter dived towards the sea without its gun having been fired. One of our bombers failed to return.

Greek Report ITALIANS FORCED BACK. IN TWO (Received January 8, 7.15 p.m.) BUDAPEST, January 7. The Greek radio stated: “North of Himara there was a heavy' Greek artillery bombardment. Italian troops fled in disorder. In the central sector Greek attacks were made. They broke Italian counter-attacks. On the northern front, Greek forces captured new positions.”

ITALIAN SHIP SUNK. (Received January 8, 8.10 p.m.) BELGRADE. January 7. Lifeboats from an Italian steamer, th e “Genova,” also five hundred barrels of oil, have been washed ashore on lhe Yugoslavian coast. The bodies of' three Alpinis were washed ashore at Dubrovnik.

U.S. Planes SOLD TO GREECE WASHINGTON, January 7. It is learned that an undetermined number of planes, building for the United States Army, can be released to Greece in exchange for cash. It is understood that the number is under one hundred.

Italian Air Raid .’ ON KORITZA. (Received January 8, 7.30 p.m.) ATHENS, January 7. A Greek communique stated: “An Italian air squadron bombed Koritza. The attack caused over one hundred civilian casualties, destroying forty houses, and damaging the cathedral. “An enemy hydroplane machinegunned a Greek fishing boat near a small Aegean island, killing a fisherman.”

Greek Archbishop HOPES JUGOSLAVIA WILL RESIST AUCKLAND, January 8. An optimistic view concerning the continued success of the Greek troops is held by Archbishop Timotheos Evangelindis, Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia and Oceania. In an interview at Auckland be-

fore returning by air to Australia, he said that winter conditions in Albania were extremely harsh, the country was rugged and mountainous, the snows heavy and temperatures severe, but the Greeks had the advantage of being more accustomed to this climate than the Italians. Terrible conditions could and would continue until March, when these would give place to milder temperatures. Sometimes heavy rains followed the snow early in spring, but generally floods came at the beginning of Summer. “I feel that Turkey has decided to fight against an attack by Germans or Italians,” said the Archbishop, when asked for his view on the Balkans. “I have no private information, but my view from general reading is that Turkey is very devoted to Britain and Greece in this war. The great desire throughout the centuries by Jugoslavia for independence makes me hopeful too, that Jugoslavia will strongly defend her independence. About Bulgaria, I have no opinion.”