STATE OF SIEGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24034, 4 August 1941, Page 7

STATE OF SIEGE

REVOLT IN YUGOSLAVIA GERMAN NERVOUSNESS FEAR OF BRITISH ACTION (Reed. 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, August 1 Peasants' revolts have broken out in Yugoslavia and sabotage is increasing, says the Zurich correspondent of the Daily Telegraph. The Germans shot 480 saboteurs in one day. A state of seige has been declared.

Sabotage is also increasing in Poland. Twenty alleged British agents have been imprisoned in Vienna. Mr. Alfred Thomson, former United States Consul at Hamburg, said he understood saboteurs had caused fires which completely burned out the insides of the liners Bremen and Europa. An Istanbul message says General List, the German blitz commander, is believed to have withdrawn from the Russian front. He was seen in Athens and Sofia last week. It is believed that General List was sent to appraise tho situation in the Balkans and estimate whether there was danger of a British landing in Greece, in regard to which it is significant that the Germans are fortifying Mount Olympus. The Germans are seriously worried at the Balkans situation and doubt the ability of their satellites to hold down the conquered countries. Yugoslavia, Greece and even Bulgaria are seething with sabotage activities. Yugoslav mountain guerillas have forced the Germans to send back 25,000 men to maintain order.

A strict curfew is imposed in Belgrade. The Germans have given up sounding the alarm for R.A.F. attacks on Greece, because the Greeks make the raids the occasion for popular rejoicing. German fears of a possible British invasion of the Continent are revealed in a message to the Times. It reports that powerful steel anti-tank barriers which were erected in Belgium to block the German invasion have been removed to coastal areas in the hope of making a British invasion impossible "CIVIL EMERGENCY" DECLARATION IN NORWAY GERMAN INVASION EXERCISES (Reed. 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, August '2 A state of civil emergency has been declared in Norway and martial law has been imposed, says an agency report from Stockholm. The Germans are carrying out invasion tests in Norway, and thousands of civilians have been evacuated from Stavanger, Haugesund and other areas, and sent inland. Because of these exercises all coastal shipping lias ceased, and extensive artillery tests art* being made. The Germans have arrested 5000 Norwegians for taking part in a demonstration in favour of alleged saboteurs. SHIPBUILDING PLAN (Reed. 5.5 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 3 An agreement between the State and Federal Governments to establish new permanent shipbuilding yards is expected to be reached next week. It is understood the plan to reopen Walsh Island has been abandoned, and that a new site iias been chosen. The proposed site is considered large enough for three slipways to hold ships of IO.'KIO tons.