GREAT BATTLE RAGING

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 301, 19 November 1940, Page 8

GREAT BATTLE RAGING

FIGHT FOK .KOKCA GREEKS HOLD GROUND. HEAVY ITALIAN ATTACKS. (United Press Association —Copyright.) (Rec. 1.5 p.m.) LONDON, Nov, 18. Attention in the J talinn-Grcek war is still focussed on Korea (Koiitza), where very heavy lighting is resulting from the desperate Italian efforts to prevent the Greeks capturing the town. . General Soddu is heavily reinforcing his troops in a last effort to save large ■tores of equipment. Although exposed to merciless attacks by, Italian dive-bombers, the Greeks are believed not only to have repulsed wave after wave of infantry crashing against their positions, but to have made new gains at some points. It is authoritatively stated in London that the Greeks are holding a line from a point due eastward of Korea, thenco ten miles southward to a point due westward if Bohzigrad, but according to various reports sectional Greek advances threaten the town from other directions. Jt is generally believed the Greeks are manoeuvring to occupy Korea from the south. Meanwhile despatches reaching Monastir (Yugoslavia) emphasise that the Italians have counter-attacked Zvezda, on Mount Ivan, a great part of which the Greeks captured last week.

The most important fact in the recent fighting is that the Italians are obtaining very heavy air reinforcements, which are gruellingly machinegunning the Greeks around Korea, also along the road between Delvinaki and Argvrokastron, further south.

The Times's Athens correspondent declares that wave after wave of Italian planes dived on unprotected Greek troops. It adds that the relative air strength of the Allies and Italy will certainly have an important bearing on the outcome of the Jtalian-Greck struggle, even if not finally decisive.

GREEKS STILL SUPERIOR. ATHENS, Nov. 17. Greek artillery and pianos in the Korea sector completely broke up Italian motorised columns from which many armoured cars are reported to have crossed the Yugoslav frontier to avoid capture. The • fiercest fighting of the whole war in Greece is occurring near Korea. The Greeks have heavily repulsed Italian reinforcements attempting the encirclement of the town, in the vicinity of which the Greeks have tiipturcd twelve more field-guns. A Belgrade communique states foreign planes flew over Monastir and Kicevo this morning. As a result of sharp action by anti-aircraft guns and Yugoslav fighters, which went up immediately, the foreign planes were only able to drop bombs on the outskirts of Kicevo and near two neighbouring villages. No casualties resulted.