More Defence Chiefs Quit Posts

Northern Advocate, 9 December 1940, Page 5

More Defence Chiefs Quit Posts

LONDON, December 7.

It is announced from Rome that General Cesare Maria de Vecchi, commander of the Italian forces based in the Aegean Sea, has been relieved of his command at his own request, and that General Ettore Bastico has been appointed Governor and commander of the armed 1 forces in the Dodecanese Islands.

De Vecchi, a permanent member of the Fascist Grand Council, was one of Mussolini’s principal lieutenants in the Fascist revolution, and is described as one .of the most pugnacious figures thrown up by Fascism. He was seriously injured in an encounter with the Communists in 1921, when they fought in the streets during the early days ofi Fascism.

His successor in the Dodecanese Islands, General Bastico, took part in the of 1914-18. He also commanded a Blackshirt division in the war m Abyssinia, and had a high position in the Italian volunteers during the civil war in Spain. Chief of Naval Staff. The Rome radio has announced that the Chief of the Italian Naval Staff (Admiral Domenico Cavagnari) has been relieved of his post at his own request. The Admiral is the third of Italy’s war leaders to resign his post in the last two days. Admiral Cavagnari, who is 64 years of age, was commander of the Royal Naval Dockyard at Spezia from 1923 to 1929, when he was appointed in command of the Naval Academy. In 1933, he was appointed Under-Secre-tary of State for the Navy and Chief of, the Naval Staff. Army Dissatisfied. Reports of, the earlier resignation of Field Marshal Badoglio, Chief of the Italian General Staff, published in Zurich, Switzerland, include the statement that 40 members of the General Staff resigned with their chief. Well-informed circles in .Rome are quoted as saying that further important changes in the General Staff are expected. ......

The London “Daily Telegraph’s” correspondent on the Greek southern front asked an Italian officer, who is a prisoner of war, his opinion about the resignation of Marshal Badoglio.

To Save His Face

The officer replied:' “It was only to be expected. Our defeat is due to the megalomania of Mussolini, who, taking a stand on the principles of Fascism, brought pressure on Marshal Badoglio to agree to the campaign in Greece.

‘The military authorities opposed the idea because it was fraught with difficulties and might even be disastrous, but the Duce wanted a success of some sort to impress Italy. “Our defeat in Albania means a protest by the Italian people and the army against Fascism. “The destroyer of our country hopes to save his own face by throwing the blame on a grand patriot like Badoglio.”

Nazis Want Control.

A correspondent of Reuter’s agency on the Italian frontier says some political observers connect Badoglio’s resignation with rumours that Germany is only willing to help Italy in Albania if the Italian forces are placed under German, control. . It is believed Badoglio wished to maintain independent -command.