DISPUTED AREAS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25210, 24 May 1945, Page 5

DISPUTED AREAS

ALLIES MOVING IN NORTH-EAST OF TRIESTE DIFFICULTIES REMAIN (Heed. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 23 Fifteenth Army Group Headquarters announce that Eighth Army troops, reinforced by the 2nd United States Corps, have occupied a line running north-east from Trieste to a point five miles east of Gorizia, on the Isonzo River about 40 miles nor th of Trieste. The 2nd United States Corps is in the Gorizia area. A correspondent watching; this forward movement of Allied troops, says the situation in the province of Venezia Giulia remains difficult, but there is no sign of a break. He saw units of the United States 10th Mounted Division, which has recently come under Eighth Army command, moving deeper into the province. Yugoslav regular troops and Partisans looked on as the truekloads of Allied infantry and lines of tanks, artillery and armoured cars rolled past. Allied Commanders in Trieste The British United Press correspondent in Rome reports that Field-Mar-shal Alexander, Allied Supreme Commander in the Mediterranean, has left for Trieste. General Mark Clark, Allied Commander in Italy, with his chief of staff, General Grunther, is visiting Trieste today for the second time this week. General Clark inspected Allied troops in their new positions cast of Oorizia and had a conference with General McCreery. Commander of the Kighth Army, who had himself been making a tour of the area. The British and American troop movements which have so far been observed are local, says the British United Press correspondent, but in general the movement may be described as peaceful and connected with the taking over of certain positions, including a number ot high peaks. These movements have been carefully designed not to cause friction by the simple device —for the time being—of not taking over areas where Yugoslavs are in possession. Fait Accompli Denied

Marshal Tito, in a speech at Zagreb, denied that his troops presented anybody with a fait accompli. They went into Trieste and Tstria, ho said, to help drive out the Germans, and because of Yugoslav losses during these operations his troops had a right tn stay there as allies. He said Yugoslavia expected the final verdict at the Peace Conference. A correspondent in Trieste? says that, although the strength of Yugoslav patrols in "Trieste has been increased, their attitude remains correct. Another message says that in Trieste, where the atmosphere can still be described as tense, there has been little change in the situation except that Allied troops have again be'en ordered to carry arms wherever they go. Marshal Tito has appointed General Peko Daecevic, who is in his early thirties, as commander of the Yugoslav Army in Trieste. He is one of Yugoslavia's leading soldiers. The Yugoslav forces in Austria have started to withdraw behind the 1939 boundary between Austria and Yugoslavia. Several hundred British lorries have been lent to the Yugoslavs to help them to expedite their departure.

ON WAY TO PACIFIC j GENERAL HODGES' ARMY AMERICAN REDEPLOYMENT WASHINGTON, May '22 Several hundred officers and men, consisting of the headquarters units of General Hodges' United States First Army are on their way to the Pacific bv war of the United States, says the Associated Press correspondent at Supreme Headquarters. However, the armv which General Hodges will lead against the Japanese will bear little resemblance -to'that which formed the spearhead of the Allied drive in Europe. It cannot yet be disclosed how many combat units will be retained for the Pacific, but the entire army will be regrouped with personnel coming from the surplus pool which will be formed in the United States under the redeplovment programme. The divisions which were left in the First Army when victory came in Germany were transferred to the Third and Ninth Armies, making their divisional totals 19 and 25 respectively. First Army headquarters detachments were ready to move out immediately after V-E Day.

LONDON ROAD REPAIRS GERMAN PRISONER LABOUR (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, May 22 German prisoners of war have begun work in London repairing roads and sewers. They are receiving a standard rate of three farthings an hour, the full trade union rates being paid to the War Office by the contractors, the balance defraying cost of living and other expenses. U-BOAT BREAKS LOOSE MOORED AT WESTMINSTER LONDON, May 22 The ocean-going U-boat U-776, toppled over on its side at its moorings at "Westminster Pier, alongside the Houses of Parliament, this evening. When the tide went down the hawser broke and th° vessel, after settling at an acute angle, drifted some yards before Port o? London Authority men secured her. The members of the picked crew of the U-boat were unharmed and they came ashore by an improvised lanciing-board. Great crowds watched the U-boat, which is 220 feet long, come up the Thames. Merchant vessels lying in the Pool of London hooted a derisive "cock-a-doodle-doo" on their sirens as the U-boat passed. The submarine will be thrown open for public inspection.