EARLIER MESSAGES

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 270, 2 November 1940, Page 7

EARLIER MESSAGES

Italians Hampered By Snow and Rain GREEK REINFORCEMENTS RUSHED TO FRONT LONDON, Oct. 81. The Italians, hampered by snowfalls In Macedonia, continued to pound the Greek positions along the front with artillery to-day, but they are apparently confining the main drive to the coastal region. Both sides are bombing and machinegunning communications from the air. The Italian newspaper II Lavora Fasiscta claims that the Italians have crossed the Kalamas river, and adds that the Greeks are resisting in some places, but generally are falling back to their main lines and attempting to block the Italians’ communications. The Greek authorities claim that the Italians nowhere have advanced more than six miles and nowhere have contacted the main Greek defences. It is estimated that Greece has 400,000 troops fully mobilised. Trains are hastening to the front with thousands of khaki-clad troops. Many Greek units have already achieved outstanding offensive successes. Three companies held a whole division of Italian alpine troops for many hours, and a Greek platoon in another sector routed two Italian companies, which abandoned much equipment. As reinforcements arrive the Italians’ numerical superiority disappears. The Greeks are confident that they will be able, with the help of the winter and mountains, to withstand the Italians’ better armaments.

Greek reports indicate that the Italians have not begun a serious drive towards Salonika. The Italians have concentrated large forces in the Korea region ready for such a thrust, but have not achieved a significant advance. The Italians similarly have not attempted tc traverse the mid-front gap which leads to difficult country. The main thrust* therefore is on the coastal belt, but even here, according to the Stefani News Agency, the weather is most unfavourable, weeks of rain having transformed the roads into streams and the plains into swamps. Reports of an organised revolt in Albania are generally discounted, but Albanian passive resistance to the Italians is spreading, especially in the south, while attempts at further mobilisation of Northern Albanians have been abandoned. The Greeks are incensed at the Italian use of planes bearing Greek markings in the raid on Patras on Monday. A total of 110 bodies have so far been recovered. They include a priest, a police official, 30 women and 45 children. Two hundred bombs destroyed numerous buildings, none of which was military. The Italian bombing of Navpaktos killed a woman and injured eighl civilians. In the past few days, 134 Soviet warplanes are reported to have arrived in Greece in conformity with a recent Russo-Greek agreement. Forty-five are bombers and the remainder fighters. The Russians and Greeks both now deny that Soviet planes had been sent to Greece. The original agency report did not amplify the mention of the Russian-Greek agreement, which implicitly referred solely to this reported delivery of planes. The German radio reported that the Italian had captured the Attica, which was enroute to Americ-. from Greece.