CONVERGE ON VALONA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 10 December 1940, Page 5

CONVERGE ON VALONA

GREEK ARMIES' COASTAL OBJECTIVE Approaching Nearer to Elbason on Northern Sector ARGYROKASTRON'S FALL CELEBRATED

[United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright] (Received 10th December, 1 1.30 a.m.) LONDON, 9th December. To-day's Italian war communique admits the loss of Argyrokastron, but explains that the Eleventh Army has completed its retreat to a line north of the town. While the people of Athens are celebrating the fall of Argyrokastron, victorious Greek troops are continuing their advance. The latest Greek communique says: “Our troops are continuing aggressive actions on various parts of the front, resulting in the occupation of important new strategic positions on Albanian soil. It is authoritatively stated in Athens that the Greeks have advanced beyond Delvino in the coastal area and beyond Premet on the central front in a wide sweep, with the object of converging on Valona. The Greeks are approaching near to Elbasan on the northern sector. The capture of Argyrokastron, capital of south-west Albania, has followed a week of rapid successes. The town was the Italian base for the attack on the Epirus sector fo Greece. The sirens of all ships in the Piraeus joined the ringing of church bells in Athens to-night. Great crowds gathered in the streets of the capital cheering their King and also General Metaxas, who, making a brief speech, declared that the fleeing Italians were unable to maintain a unified front. Crowds, after spotting British bluejackets, carried them shoulder-high. The Italians had previously evacuated Argyrokastron after burning dumps of supplies, but the Greeks delayed the occupation for tactical reasons while their forces pushed on among the mountains north-east of the city.

BATTLE FOR ELBASAN The battle for Elbasan was resumed this morning with undiminished violence in spite of a gc 1 .* and snowstorms which are sweeping the Kamma and Mokra mountains. The Greeks advancing northward of Pogradec are now beyond Undinste, the Italian reinforcements efforts being unavailing. The Italians now hold only secondary roads in southern Albania, and one minor road in central Albania between Valona and Tepelene, says the Athens correspondent of “The Times.” BOMBING MAIN PORT A message from Struga (Yugoslavia) says that British and Greek planes are reported to have destroyed one-third of the buildings in Durazzo in a raid yesterday, and also to have hit petrol stores. It is stated, though without confirmation, that Lie Greek advance units have occupied the village of Gjinari, within nine miles of Elbasan. Refugees are crowding Tirana, capital of Albania, where the conditions are chaotic and there is grave danger of epidemics. Fifteen days after the Greek entry of Koritza thousands of tons of ammunition were found in a cache under th town, and at least half of this can be immediately used by the Greeks. The Athens correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says that General Metaxas, who was the author of the whole Greek plan of operations, is also the directing mastermind. All along the line in the Argyrokastion sector, the Italians are said to be setting fire to depots in a desperate effort to prevent material falling into Greek hands. The Italian retreat toward Valona is continuing by two roads—one along the coast and the other in the central sector from Premet toward Tepelene. A correspondent with the Greek army in northern Albania reports that the advance continues in that sector, and the Italians are retreating toward Elbasan. Last night the Greeks were reported to have reached Lin, a town three-quarters of the way up the Albanian border of Lake Ochrida. On the northern front bad weather is slowing up the Greek advance.