STUCK IN THE MUD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 November 1940, Page 5

STUCK IN THE MUD

ITALIAN MECHANISED COLUMNS ACCORDING TO ATHENS CORRESPONDENT. POPULAR REJOICING IN GREECE. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, November 11. The Greek Press is paying great attention to the continued roundup of Italians in the Pindus region. Lists of captured prisoners and material at present cannot be verified. because small groups of prisoners are coming in at all hours in wild and difficult country. They are clearly demoralised, practically without food and suffering from cold. The Italians fled in such haste that they abandoned even an ambulance, medical supplies and wounded. “Akropolis” publishes the text of a Fascist war chant in which the Italians envisage the conquest of Turkey, the occupation of Athens and and Piraeus and the arrival of troops at the Aegean Sea.

The Athens correspondent of the “Daily Express” says that Italy’s mechanised columns are stuck in the mud. The Greeks are harassing them from all sides, sniping and machinegunning from the hillsides and also shelling the Italians in some sectors. Scores of vehicles are bringing to Salonika Italian prisoners from various fronts. There were scenes of re 4 joicing when several thousand prisoners arrived at Janina. Two Italian planes flew over two Yugoslav villages, but no bombs were dropped.

CHANGE IN COMMAND. “The Times” says that the appointment of a new Italian commander-in-chief in Albania is the clearest evidence that the campaign has hitherto gone ill. When a commander is sent to open up a campaign with insufficient forces and fails he is commonly relieved, but his successor almost invariably gets a better start, because he is able to point out the deficiencies and demand remedies. Therefore, it can be taken for granted that General Soddu has not arrived in Albania without strong reinforcements. A message from Rome says that Generals Vercelinno and Geloso are. going to Albania to take over the command of the Ninth and Eleventh Army Corps, which are the main parts of General Soddu’s forces. General Metaxas, addressing members of the university staffs and high school teachers, said that military mobilisation was complete and that the spiritual and intellectual mobilisation of Greece must follow.

Albanian rebels are reported to have dynamited and seriously damaged the largest bridge in Albania over the Maca River.

British aircraft destroyed an Italian plane in the Bechlista sector.

WANTON DEEDS i TACTICS OF ITALIAN AIRMEN. BOMBS DROPPED ON CEMETERY. (Received This Day. 9.50 a.m.) RUGBY, November 12. “Italian airmen bombed the English cemetery in the Kilkis district in the course of wanton raids on places of no military importance whatever,” states a Greek communique. “Villages and hamlets in the Epirus district were attacked and’in one village enemy airmen swooped down almost to the very roofs of houses and, in addition to machine-gunning, dropped hand bombs on the inhabitants. The morale of the population, however, remains excellent.”