BRAVE STAND BY GREEKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 November 1940, Page 5

BRAVE STAND BY GREEKS

VERY LIMITED PROGRESS MADE BY INVADERS British Bombing Attack on Naples BIG FIRES STARTED IN OIL REFINERIES ITALIAN RAIDS ON SALONIKA AND PIRAEUS The latest communique issued by the Italian High Command, a 8.8. C. broadcast states, shows that the Italians have nowhere advanced more than ten miles into Greece, rhe claims are startlingly modest in comparison with those m wiiicn they earlier claimed to have crossed the River Kalamas and predicted the capture today of the town of Janina. This place is thirty miles away from the area they are now shown to have reached. The Italians report that they are carrying out repairs to roads and bridges. A Greek communique dealing with the fighting on Thursday said that in Epirus, the district adjoining the Adriatic, Italian tanks were repulsed everywhere, and mamy prisoners were taken. Italian troops who had advanced a mile and a nal_ towards the town of Florina were driven back towards rhe frontier. , . , .. „ The slow progress of the Italians is strengthening a belief that they were ill prepared for Greek resistance. The German radio continues to urge Greece to patch up peace with Italy. R.A.F. planes on Thursday night bombed oil tanks at Naples. This is the first time that Naples has been bombed since Italy entered the war. All the British planes returned safely. The British attacking forces made three separate attacks. The first of these lasted for three-quarters of fin hour. Heavy bombs were dropped on the oil refineries and big fires were started. The second attack was made from a height of 2,000 feet and railway junctions were hit. There was little antiair craft ’ opposition. Italian aircraft raided Salonika and bombs fell on the centre of the city, hitting a church and several houses. Fifteen were killed and fifty injured. Two Italian planes were shot down.

In Athens there were two air raid alarms. The Italians state that unless Rome is first attacked they will not bomb Athens.

Piraeus, the port of Athens, was bombed yesterday by the Italians, but all the bombs fell in the sea. Twenty-five Italian bombers took part in a raid on Patras and the Corinth Canal, but the damage done was slight. The Greek Minister in London, in a broadcast to his compatriots, said they were proud to be in the struggle by the side of Britain, fighting for a common ideal. Herr von Papen, German Ambassador to Turkey, is flying to Berlin to report cn Turkey’s attitude towards developments in the Balkans.