GREECE NEARLY FREE

Grey River Argus, 23 September 1944, Page 5

GREECE NEARLY FREE

GERMANS GETTING OUT. “ (Rec. 10.10). LONDON, Sept. 22.- ■ A British United Press correspondent at Cairo says: According to reports reaching Cairo the whole Greek mainland, apart from certain of the coastal towns, is now in the hands of Greek patriots. The Germans are clinging to the communication points. Everywhere else they are withdrawing as fast as their limited transport permits. Athens and Piraeus are the only places still controlled by the Germans. Guerrillas control the hinterland to Salonika and beyprid, also southern Epirus. Guerrillas are reported io have captured two more lonian islands. _ . J Berlin radio quoting Das Reich , in a review of the German food situation, said:- “Under the change in the military situation, ' Germany is no longer supplying food to Belgium, Finland, and Greece.” A British United Press correspondent says: “This implies that Germany has decided to abandon. Greece.’’ Greek authorities in London deny a report of an agreement alleged to have been concluded between representatives of the Greek Government and General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson on the one hand and the Bulgarian Government on the other, according to which the Bulgarians continue to administer Greek territory occupied by them until Greek, officials take over.

The Germans, whose rail escape routes from the Balkans have already been severed in several places, suffered the loss of the whole of a parked convoy of 200 vehicles of all kinds, .including cars, trucks, petrol, tankers and some tanks, in a dawn Spitfire attack cn Pedinon (Greece) near the Serbian border. The attack was led by Pilot Officer Tom Harrison, of Hastings, New Zealand. BULGARIA’S ARMISTICE . (Rec. 10.10). LONDON, Sept. 22. A British Military Mission has arrived in Sofia, and is there operating with a similar American Mission. A Minister of the Interior in a former Government, M. Christon, has committed suicide. The Bulgarian armistice delegate (Mushariov) has left Cairo for Sofia to obtain fresh instructions from the new Bulgarian Government. It is not known whether negotiations between the Allies and 1 Bulgaria will- -be resumed in Cairo. ...U' ARRESTS BY RUSSIANS:. (Rec. 8.30) LONDON,-Sept--22 The Moscow radio announced. that Russian troops in Bulgaria hav-e,- arrested the former Regents, Prince Cyril and Lieut General Mikhov, tne former Premiers M. Filov and M. Bogilov; the former Minister M. Vasiliev, also the German Minister,--Adolf Beckerle and several members of the German Mission and Mussolini’s Mission to Bulgaria. All were arrested at Svilingrad on the Bulgafian-Tur-> kish border, while waiting .for P' er ~ mission to enter Turkey.

THE EVICTED EUROPEANS MONTREAL, Sept.: 21 Mr. T. Scott, Director -ef the U.N.R.R.A., Committee for displaced persons, stated at a press conference “‘Nearly twenty million people in (Europe have been rooted from their homes and placed elsewhere by the Nazis, who also conscripted two million Allied nationals, dumped them on some other country, and forced them to do the dirty work. , He said eight European nations probably, would soon accept a mulilateral agreement under which common treatment would be given to displaced persons. The Government in one liberation area would give' another country’s nationals the same treatment as granted to its own displaced nationals. The countries concerned were Norway, the Netherland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Poland, Greece and Yugoslavia. ; Mr. Scott said: “The Russians tyiHnot sign this multilateral agreement but these other countries will also, probably, agree to admit Repatriation Committees from other countries so that, for instance, the Poles can determine who are actually to be returned home. Similarly, in Poland, the French can identify the French who wish to return to France. German army clothing stocks will probably be requisitioned for male Czechs, French, Dutch and Poles. ITie U.N.R.R.A., will use what ever German food stocks there can be found to feed these nations’ nationals who were in Germany, during the early stages.