COUNT CIANO'S FATE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24760, 7 December 1943, Page 3

COUNT CIANO'S FATE

REPORTED EXECUTION BETRAYAL OF MUSSOLINI (Reed. 11.40 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 6 Count Ciano, son-in-law of the exDuce, was executed after trial at Verona on a charge of betraying Mussolini, says the British United Press correspondent* in Madrid, quoting a report from Milan.

Neither Mussolini nOr his daughter Fdda, who is Ciano's wife, attempted to intervene to save Ciano. Ciano was reported to have voted for Mussolini's dismissal at the fateful meeting of the Fascist Grand Council on July 25.

BADOGLIO'S DESIRE ITALIAN TROOPS TO FIGHT (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 5 Marshal Badoglio says he wants Italian troops to light the Germans side by side with the Allied Fifth and Eighth Armies. He said to reporters: "In my view Italians have a double duty now —first, to help the Allies to drive the Germans from Italy, and. second, to preserve tranquility for the Allies behind their lines. "Bring Italian troops into the front line and see how they would fight against the Germans. See how every day our divisions have withstood the Germans in the Balkans and how our patriots in Northern Italy are giving the Germans plenty of trouble, in spite of extremely fierce reprisals."

YUGOSLAVS DIFFER COMPLICATIONS ARISE (Reed. 11.40 p.m.) LONDON. Dec. i> The Royal Yugoslav Government, after a meeting in Cairo to-day, repudiated the new temporary Government reported to have been formed within Yugoslavia. The Royal Government said: "The new movement of terroristic violence in no way represents the Yugoslavs' democratic conceptions. The new movement resulted from enemy propaganda, to the success of which, unfortunately, the Allies have contributed a great deal." The statement of the Royal Yugoslav Government further widens the gap between the supporters of King Peter and General Mikhailovich, on the one hand, and General Tito on the other, says the Cairo correspondent of the NewYork Times. One of the war's greatest mysteries was solved when it was learned what has been long suspected, that General Tito is a Croatian peasant worker, Josip Broz, adds the correspondent. Hie election as President of the Yugoslav National Committee of Liberation complicates the position of the United Nations and the allies of Yugoslavia. All the Allies, including the Big Three, have, diplomatic relations with King Peter's exiled Government in Cairo. The question now is whether the Allies should formally recognise General Tito, as he demands. TARGETS IN FRANCE WAVES OF HEAVY BOMBERS (Reed. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON. Dec. 6 Waves of United States Flying Fortresses, Liberators, medium bombers and Royal Air Force fighter-bombers swept across the English Channel yesterday. They were bound, for military targets in France, but the names of the places attacked have not yet been announced. The bombers were escorted by R.A.F., Dominion and Allied fighters which also carried out offensive sweeps. Some of the Fortresses and Liberators had a fairly quiet time, but others had to join battle with German fighters. They shot down 11. One Allied fighter and 11 bombers are missing, but two of the bomber crews are safe". Messages received in Stockholm from Berlin state that at least 37,000 people were made homeless in Leipzig after I the R.A.F. raid on Friday night.

MYSTERY ABOUT PETAIN (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 5 For the fourth "successive Sunday Marshal Petain did not appear to-day at the changing of the guard ceremony outside his Vichy residence. The Vichy radio, broadcasting the ceremony, again did not mention the marshal, whose presence there has been a regular feature for the. past three years.