BIG EFFORT TO RALLY RESISTANCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 2 December 1940, Page 5

BIG EFFORT TO RALLY RESISTANCE

BY ROUTED ITALIAN ARMIES

Unconfirmed Claims of Halting Greek Advance

ENEMY BRINGING UP REINFORCEMENTS

[United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright] (Received 2nd December, 10.30) LONDON, Ist December. Reports from Albania indicate a pause in the rapid advance of the Greeks while they are mopping up local Italian forces. The Italians are doing their utmost to bring up reinforcements, the first of which have already considerably stiffened the resistance. There is heavy fighting in the central sector, the Greeks repelling by bayonets Italian counter-attacks. The Greeks, after a bitter attack in this region, captured important heights which were previously a serious obstacle to their advance. The Greeks west of Koritza advanced to the point twenty miles west of Moskopolis. The Italians are retiring toward Elbasan, where a second line of defence is being prepared. The Italians west and north of Pogradec are also apparently aiming to base their next resistance on Elbasan. The Greeks’ southern advance continues methodically. The Greek air force to-day is reported to have shot down eight Italian planes. Claims made in Rome that the Italians have at last succeeded in halting the Greek advance are not confirmed by other reports. All reports, however, suggest that the routed Italian armies are making a very great effort to rally resistance to the Greek advance and in particular to hold Argyrokastron. Messages from Athens report that the Greeks remain confident and military circles continue to be highly satisfied with the progress at the front. According to a Greek High Command communique the Greeks, after successful fights, occupied new positions in various points of Albanian territory, notably in the region north of Konispolis.

An Italian communique states: “Our troops on the Greek front tenaciously opposed enemy attacks and carried out effective local counter-attacks at some points. Two air squadrons were occupied throughout the day bombing military objectives and enemy positions. Eleven transports arrived at Durazzo and the troops were hastily disembarked and hurried to the front.” Mussolini has appointed General Alfredo Guzzoni assistant war minister as part of a big reshuffle in the hope of turning the tide by a counter-offensive. A Greek communique states that a Greek destroyer sank an Italian submarine while escorting a merchant: convoy. Greek air raid casualties in the first' month of the war totalled 644 dead, of which 74 were women, 120 children, and 32 babies. The injured totalled 1070. HAND-TO-HAND FIGHTING Messages from Albania say that the Greek forces there which are driving on into Albania are now meeting with increased resistance from the Italians, and the latest report from Athens speaks of hand-to-hand engagements. British aircraft continue to help the! Greek advance by breaking up Italian j air operations and bombing Italian! bases. It is learnt in Athens that in the cen- j tre of the Albanian front where the j Italians appear to be offering stiff re-j sistance Greek troops last night forced ! the Italians at the point of the bayonet from a strongly-held position which formed a serious obstacle to the main Greek advance. It consisted of a rocky height thickly covered with trees and defended by the so-called Italian “Regiment of Death.” Nearly every tree concealed a machine-gun nest. Nevertheless, by daylight the Greeks had captured the entire position. In the south the Greeks are still ‘advancing steadily, but here, too, there has been heavy fighting, and the Italians seem, from all accounts, to have been reinforced. There is no official news from norther.; Albania, where the Greeks are carrying out two attacks from Kortiza. One attack is directed northward along the coast of Lake Ochrida, and the other westward through the mountains. ITALIAN BOMBING A Greek communique reports that fighting in various sectors to-day was successful for the Greek troops. Greek planes shot down an important number of enemy planes. The enemy bombed some places on the front and also towns and villages in Epirus, Corfu, and Cephalonia, and on the west coast of Morea. There were a few civilian victims, and slight damage was done. An Italian communique states that three divisions of the 11th Army counter-attacked against the Greek front, crushing an enemy attempt to infiltrate. About 300 Italian planes bombed enemy communications, specially in the Ersek and Sopiki zone. Naval forces bombarded the base at Corfu, hitting shore batteries, fortifications, barracks, the wireless station, and observation posts. Official quarters in Roms deny the fall of Argyrokastron, but admit heavy fighting. FALL OF POGRADEC OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT BY GREEKS . LONDON, Ist December. The- capture of Pogradec, about 25 ; miles north of Koritza, is now officially i announced by the Greeks. Six heavy , guns and 50 machine-guns were among ' the captured material. Fifteen Italian officers and more than 200 men were taken prisoner. This is regarded as the Greeks' greatest sjccess since the capture of Koritza. In the coastal sector the Greek advance continues, and an Athens message says that further good news can be expected soon. An Athens spokesman said that Pogradec was taken after a stiff battle. . The Italians had fortified the town and , one mountain height had to be taken at the bayonet point before the enemy re- < sistance was broken. MORE AIRMEN TO AID GREEKS : < N.Z. AND CANADIAN I CLEARING THE AIR OF i DIVE BOMBERS i (Received 2nd December, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, Ist December. The Athens correspondent of the ( British United Press states that the British air support for Greece is increasing by the addition of more New Zealand and Canadian pilots. The Greeks fete the Britishers in the restaurants and women embrace them spontaneously. The presence of Bri- ] tish fighters in any part of the front s ensures an almost automatic disappearance of Italian dive-bombers. British anti-tank guns have also f been used by the Greeks and have been most successful on the coastal sector. Mussolini’s invasion road is t strewn with tanks and overturned t lorries and also uniformed bodies lying in ditches awaiting burial. Many Italians have surrendered in r the Epirus region in the last few L

days and more munition dumps have been captured. The prisoners are made to transport the material to the rear. The Allied bombers harass the Italian reinforcements from the mainland and fighters are also flying in the valleys only a few hundred feet over the heads of the struggling Italian forces, smashing bridges, supply columns and bases.

Greek warships have shelled Stranda. Escort planes circled overhead but were not needed as neither Italian planes nor warships were seen.

t The Italian air force continues the I raids on Corfu and medical supplies J are being sent by plane. ' Foreign women are helping in the » hospitals throughout Greece. The Aus--1 tralian Government is sending blankets and raw wool for army equipment. To-day the King and General Metaxas were present at a dinner in • celebration of Mr Churchill’s birth- ! day. British and Greek pilots also i attended. brindisTraided S SUCCESSFUL BRITISH AIR ATTACK MANY FIRES STARTED RUGBY, 30th November. | During Thursday night and the early hours of yesterday morning attacks were made by British aircraft on Brindisi, where more than 26,0001 bof high explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped on military objectives. A stick of bombs burst in a line from the quays to the fuel tanks in the south-east of the town, causing one fierce fire, several smaller fires and a number of explosions. Other bombs fell near the fuel tanks and the arsenal on the coast, southeast of the harbour. One stick straddled the main railway station in the south-west of the town, and two more fires were started at the southern end of the quays. Despite considerable anti-aircraft fire, the attack was pressed home with--1 out loss or damage to the British aircraft. ASSISTANCE FOR GREECE REPORTED ASSURANCES YUGOSLAVIA AND TURKEY LONDON, 29th November. The “Daily Telegraph’s” diplomatic correspondent understands that Turkey and Yugoslavia have both given an assurance to Greece of united resistance to any German attempt to rescue Italy in Albania. The main body of the army in Serbia would Join the Greeks defending Salonika and its surroundings. The Ankara radio stated that it must be emphasised that the war was developing remarkably in favour of Britain. The Germans had not obtained their desires from M. Molotov and Russia was reluctant to enter into closer relations with the Axis. Attempts to incorporate Spain and France in the new order had failed. Bulgaria and Yugoslavia were the next objectives of the Axis’ diplomatic offensive, but with the political aspects of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia returning to normal, one could not see any successes that the future might hold for Axis diplomacy. Bulgaria had definitely given up the idea of joining the Axis. INDEPENDENCE DAYS ALBANIAN CELEBRATIONS LONDON, 29th November. Two "independence days” were celebrated in Albania yesterday. In Koritza, Greek and Albanian troops took part in a march-past : with, their national flags. The first ' number of a new Albanian newspaper, ■ “Independent Albania,” has made its : appearance. At Tirana, which is occupied by the : Italians, General Soddu, the Italian ] commander-in-chief, celebrated “independence day” by a visit to Govern- i ment officials. The official Italian 1 news agency says that the celebrations J in Tirana were carried out with great 1 solemnity.

CONFLICT IN AXIS DIPLOMACY DIFFICULT BALKAN PROBLEM LONDON, 29th November. Axis diplomacy in the Balkans appears to be more muddled than ever. Rome, Berlin and German-controlled stations have issued a series of comments on the Balkan situation which provide proof of the difficult problem facing the Nazis. Signor Ansaldo, Mussolini’s first radio commentator, last night warned the Italian troops that they must win the war in the Mediterranean by their own efforts. Other speakers from Rome appeared anxious to , rove that Germany could not afford to see so valuable an ally being roughly handled,

and the announcer insisted that Italian help was still essential for the defeat of Britain. The Nazis, however, maintain that there is no Greek-Italian war, and a warning in Signor Ansaldo’s speech that Italian troops must not expect the war to be decided for them by their allies make it appear that the conflict in Axis diplomacy which has recently become apparent is growing more acute. Poor consolation was given by Signor Ansaldo to the hard-pressed Italians in Albania when he assured them that they could get Nazi assistance in the form of increasing pressure of German attacks on Britain. The uncertainty of the attitude which will be adopted by Yugoslavia and Bulgaria is emphasised by commentators on the German-controlled station at Stavanger (Norway) and from Ankara. From Stavanger it was reported that diplomatic circles in Berlin believe that Yugoslavia will come into the limelight, and that her adherence to the pact is soon to be expected. The Yugoslavia radio, however, gives a very different impression. A change in the Balkan situation was indicated in this broadcast which went on to remind listeners that the Russian diplomat. after his talks at Sofia, said the political horizon was clearing, and that neither Bulgaria nor Turkey wanted war. Bulgaria, said the Turkish broadcast, had eluded participation in the new order, and appeared to be leaning toward Yugoslavia and Greece, It is significant that Italian communiques are all published on back pagds of German papers.

ADVANCE UNITS ENTER POGRADEC

(Received 2nd December, 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, Ist December. This morning’s Greek communique states that advanced units have entered Pogradec.