Sofia a Vast Hospital

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 103, 2 May 1941, Page 7

Sofia a Vast Hospital

DAMAGE TO GERMAN WAR MACHINE (British Official Wireless.) Received Thursday, 9.20 p.m. RUGBY, April 30. Next week’s two-day Commons debate will range over the whole of the

war situation. Particular interest will attach to the discussion on the circumstances in which help was sent in response to the Greek Government's appeal which has not been explained. Now that the campaign is nearing its end the results are being assessed nore and the tendency is to view the operation as guerilla warfare in which despite his immensely superior strength the enemy has been made to suffer severely. The extent of this cannot

entirely be measured by tlio number of casualties inflicted upon him although the German methods of attack against strongly-held positions inevitably resulted in immense slaughter and reports

reaching official quarters in London indicate that iSofia has become in effect

a vast hospital. Apart, however, from the extent of the enemy casualties the opex*ation is known to have caused great dislocation behind the enemy ’a lines and through-

out the Balkans the whole machinery of occupation has been thrown out of gear. During their brief period of active co-opcration the Yugoslavs contributed to this confusion and even the German wireless did not disguiso the fact that owing to their blocking of the Danube at several points it will be some months before this important channel is again open.

On political and moral grounds the expediency of sending an expeditionary force to Greece is no longer seriously questioned and it is increasingly felt that it may be found to have justified itself also by the disturbance of the German arrangements.