WAR & DIPLOMACY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 November 1940, Page 6

WAR & DIPLOMACY

FADING AXIS HOPES NO SIGNS OF GREEK COLLAPSE. BULGARIA PLAINLY WARNED BY TURKEY. ) IBy Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day. 1 p.m.) LONDON. November 1. The Italian-Greek war continued today as primarily a diplomatic struggle, in which the Axis apparently is pinning its hopes on a Greek collapse. Military operations are reported to have brought the Italians 16 miles within Greek territory, on the road to Janina, but the Greeks claim that all Italian attacks have been repulsed. The Axis, judged on its propaganda, still hopes that the Metaxas regime and military opposition to Italy will crumble, which is interpreted throughout the Balkans as the reason for the “kid glove” handling of the invasion. The Italians twice raided Athens, .firstly attacking Piraeus, the capital's seaport and second Tatoi, the capital’s airport, but it is reported that they failed to hit military objectives. Twenty-five Italian raiders visited the Gulf of Corinth and Prevesea. Batteries shot down two. The damage done was slight. Salonika was also raided. Other reports suggest that the Italian hopes are failing in two directions, firstly that of leading the British into another Norway “failure” and secondly ■ that, of inducing Turkey to move troops into Grecian Thrace. Turkey is maintaining strong posi- : tions on the Bulgarian frontier and is exercising a modifying influence on the Bulgarian Germanophiles and military ; hotheads. The Turkish newspapers continue plainly to warn Bulgaria to stay out of the conflict. Informed circles do not doubt that Turkey will fight if Bulgaria does to war for the Axis, or allows the Germans to move across Bulgaria.