SARANDE ENTERED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 7 December 1940, Page 5

SARANDE ENTERED

SECOND LINE OF DEFENCE CRUMBLING Greeks Continue Wide Successes AIR MASTERY GAINED BY ALLIED FORCES

I United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright] LONDON, sth December. According to dispatches received from Struga, the Greeks entered Sarande at 8 a.m. after a short, fierce fight in which they captured 125 prisoners and considerable material, and they have hoisted the Greek and Albanian Bags on the prefecture building. Following the capture of Premet, the Greeks have occupied further peaks in the Mokra Mountains. Some of the positions have changed hands several times, but the Greeks have eventually considerably improved their strategic position in that section. The Greeks to-night drove the Italians at the point of the bayonet from the Frasheri mountain range northward of Premet. The Italians’ hopes of preserving the second of their three lines of defence to the south-east of Premet are gradually crumbling. The British and Greek air forces are completely masters of the situation. The Greek success to the northward of Pogradec is also most important, because it should enable them to cut off the enemy’s retreat. An official Greek communique to-day tells how Greek soldiers in the central sector scaled almost impossible summits from 6000 to 7000 feet high, up which they hauled their artillery. The spearhead of the Greek advance here points at the only road by which the Italians still in Argyrokastron can escape. The whole of the Greek Press is voicing fierce indignation at the bombing of Corfu and atrocities by Italian troops. SANTI QUARANTA OCCUPIED [British Official Wireless] RUGBY, 6th December. It is officially announced from Athens that Santi Quaranta has been occupied by the Greeks.

SUMMARY OF SITUATION IN ALBANIAN THEATRE OF OPERATIONS IMPORTANCE OF SANTI QUARANTA (Received 7th December, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, 6th December. Commenting on the position in the Albanian theatre military quarters in London incline to the view that the reason for the relatively inextensive advance in the northern sector is due more to the nature of the country over which the fighting is taking place than the strength of the Italian resistance. In this sector the exact position of the advanced Greek troops is uncertain, but the line appears to run north-west of Pogradec towards the village of Rajan, which is about ten kilometres west of Moscopol. It is certain that at least 15 officers and 200 men—as well as ei.'ht guns and 50 machine guns have been captured. The Greeks in this sector experienced the stiffest resistance y°t offered during the last day or two. The fighting is taking place in snow. As regards the centre sector, military commentators are unable to give the detailed line of advance as there are merely tracks without any named roads by which to fix positions. The most pronounced advance is on the Epirus front where Permet has been captured and Delvino is in Greek hands. Military circles in London, commenting on reports that Santi Quaranta has fallen, state that this town which the Italians used as a port and which stands on the junction of the coastal road to Valona and lateral roads, was of great importance to the Italians who are now thus deprived of the opportunity of sending reinforcements moving south either to Argyrokastron or Santi Quaranta. A tract of wild mountainous country some fifteen miles wide and forty miles deep separates these roads, and the Italian general staff now will suffer the disadvantage of having to fully make its mind which part of the front it desires to reinforce while the troops are at least forty-miles awaj from their objective. GREEK COMMUNIQUE (Received 7th December, 11.40 a.m.) ATHENS, 6th December. The night communique states: “In fighting throughout the front our troops are making new progress, especially in the central and southern sectors despite lively enemy activity. INTERNED IN YUGOSLAVIA 6000 ITALIAN TROOPS [U.P.A.-By Electric Telegraph-Copyright] LONDON, 6th December. An Istanbul report says that 6000 Italian troops are now interned in Yugoslavia. They chose to be interned when the tide of battle turned against them. Italian officers said that the troops had no desire to fight. The Istanbul report adds that Italian soldiers have had to be separated from Albanians because of frequent quarrels. Another report states that when a German journalist visited Albania to report on the fighting he was given an escort of 25 Italian soldiers. When the Italians were forced back they accompanied him to the Yugoslavian border and insisted on accompanying him across, thus accepting internment. BRITAIN’S AID FLOW OF MATERIALS FROM CAIRO WINTER SUPPLIES LONDON, sth December. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Cairo correspondent says Britain is equipping a large part of the Greek Army to withstand the winter in the Albanian mountains. Britain’s effective resistance is still largely aerial, but a steady stream of material is flowing to Greece from Egypt. Greek naval personnel will be warm in strong British boots, of which thousands of pairs have been dispatched from the Middle East, while Greek soldiers are wrapping themselves in British blankets. Since the recent urgent dispatch of anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, we have also been sending big quantities of barbed wire and sandbags. Hospitals are being established, and badly-needed medical supplies are pouring across the

ITALIAN FIGHTERS OUTCLASSED AIR BATTLE OVEt; ALBANIA | [British Official Wireless] (Received 7th December, 9.30 a.m.) RUGBY, 6th December. It is now confirmed that in an air battle between a formation of R.A.F. fighter aircraft and a large number of ! enemy fighters, CR 42’s and G 50’s, in south western Albania on 4th December, eight enemy aircraft were definitely shot down and destroyed and seven others were severely damaged and seen to be in difficulties. Several more were also damaged. All our pilots and aircratf returned to their bases. TELLING THE ITALIANS DAMAGE AT TARANTO PHOTOGRAPHS DROPPED IN TURIN [British Official Wireless] (Received 7th December, 11.20 a.m.) RUGBY, 6th December. Tt is confirmed in London that photographs showing the damage done the Italian fleet oy the Fleet Air Arm in the recent raid on Taranto were included in pamphlets dropped by the R.A.F. over Turin on Wednesday night. AT POINTBLANK RANGE HURRICANE SHOOTS DOWN ME 109 [British Official Wireless] (Received 7th December, 10.20 a.m.) RUGBY, 6th December. Attacking at 350 m.p.h. to within pont-blank range of a Messerschmitt 109 a Hurricane pilot broke away with his windscreen so covered with oil from the shattered Messerschmitt that he could only see out of a single side. He then manoeuvred the Hurricane, states the Air Ministry News Service, so that he could follow the descent of the Messerschmitt through his clear panel. The Hurricane pilot was patrolling with his squadron over the Thames Estuary at 27,000 feet when they met 20 enemy planes. He managed to get two short bursts at a Messerschmitt 109 before it disappeared in cloud, heading for the Kent coast. The Hurricane pilot followed, going “as fast as possible,” until many feet below he again spotted the Messerschmitt flying just above another bank of cloud. “1 overtook him under cover of cloud,” he reported laconically. ‘‘l opened fire at 200 yards range with a five-seconds burst, closing to 20 yards. A thick cloud of oil came out of the enemy aircraft and covered my windscreen. I broke away and flew on one Sl . e so that I could see. He wriggled his wings and jettisoned his hood and began gliding down slowly, eventually landing in a field. He tore off his starboard wing in landing.” RAIDS BY~COASTAL COMMAND TARGETS IN ENEMY-OCCUPIED COUNTRIES OTHER OPERATIONS CANCELLED Received 7th December, 9.30 a.m.) RUGBY, 6th December. Aircraft of the Coastal Command, it is officially stated, carried out a raid on an electro-chemical factory at Eindhoven yesterday. The Rotterdam airport and Haamstede aerodrome were also attacked. Other Coastal Command aircraft bombed-the submarine base at Lorient. Owing to bad weather last night bomber operations were cancelled. Two of our aircraft are missing from routine patrols. OPEN-AIR SPORT RULING ABOUT RAID ALARMS RUGBY, sth December. The question of continuing football matches, greyhound meetings and other open-air sports meetings has been considered in the light of conditions now obtaining. The Government has decided that where an official “spotter” (lookout man) is in operation, play or racing may as a general rule be continued after an alert and till the alarm is given by the “spotter.” GERMAN AIR GENERAL KILLED [U.P.A.-By Electric Telegraph-Copvrieht) BERLIN, sth December. Major-General Wolff von Stutterheim, one of the Luftwaffe’s youngest generals, died of machine-gun wounds received when raiding England. NIGHT INTERCEPTION PROGRESS BEING MADE WITH DIFFICULT PROBLEM LONDON, sth December. Mr C. R. Attlee, Lord Privy Seal, '

said in Parliament to-day that progress was being made in the problem of night interception. The matter was of such complexity, however, that progress was necessarily slow. He added a warning that over optimism and undue pessimism alike should be avoided in public statements.