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Grey River Argus, 19 March 1941, Page 5

forty per. cent, of the effectives involved, namely fortyeight thousand . otit of one hundred and twenty thousand. The King of Greece, thanking the Army for dealing the Italian /rmy a smashing blow in a week-long offensive, added: “You gave the enemy a proper answer, and taugat him yet another lesson of Greek gallantry.” 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-Qwlf miles wide, the enemy failed to gain any ground. In fact, in many places, they are back behind (heir 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. 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 s’aughter.

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 aerpdrom.e and oilier 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 Ifits were obtained on hangars and other military buildings, starting large fires. The attack destroyed a number of dispersed aircraft, which were both bombed and ma-chine-gunned Another R.A.F. bomber formation raided Valona aerodrome, and then dived in the face of intense anti-air-craft fire to machine-gun d’spersed enemy aircraft. While returning from the operations, one R.A.F. plane encountered a large enemy seaplane—Cant 5066— near Corfu, and shot it down into the sea

Greek Admiration FOR BRITISH AIRMEN. (Received March 19, 1.20 a.m.). LONDON, March 18. Th e Athens radio enthusiastically paying a tribute to the R.A.F., said that every day brings them fresh laurels, which stir the Grees people, whose admiration is unbounded, AIRCRAFT LOSSES (Received March 18, 7.15 p.m.) LONDON, March 17. British and Greek Air Force planes last week shot down thirty-nine Italian planes, and severely damaged seventeen more Italian planes, and destroyed at least fifteen more on the ground. The Italian radio claims that Italians have shot down thirty-eight planes on the Greek front during the last ten days. “The Times” 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. Italian Offensive RESUMED ON MONDAY. IN TWO SECTORS. (Received March 19, 12.50 a.m.) ATHENS, March 18. Preseded by a violent artillery preparation, Italian forces at dawn on Monday launched a powerful new offensive in the northern sectfbr. This coincided with very heavy fighting also in the central sector. AU the Italian attacks in the north have been beaten off. There has been severe fighting occurring around Tepelena all daylong on Monday. A large Italian force, it is stated, was threatened in its encirclement in this sector. There has been great air activity on both sides. GERMAN CLAIM. BRITISH BATTLESHIPS BOMBED. LONDON. March 17. Berlin radio claims that torpedocarrying planes directly hit. two British battleships, among a squadron off Crete. RAID ON MALT)A. LONDON, March 17. A Cairo report says: “Malta was raided by enemy aircraft on the night of March 15-16, but there were no damage nor casualties.