NEW PROBLEMS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 December 1940, Page 7

NEW PROBLEMS

CREATED FOR ITALIANS COMMENT IN LONDON. POSITION IN THE NORTH AND CENTRE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.15 a.m.) RUGBY, December 6. Commenting on the position in the Albanian theatre of war, military quarters in London incline to the view that the reason for the relatively inextensive advance in the northern sector is due more to the nature of the country over which the fighting is taking place than to the strength of the Italian resistance. In this sector the exact position of the advanced Greek troops is uncertain, but the line appears to run north and north-west of Pogradec towards the village of Rajan, which is about ten kilometres west of Moscopol. It is certain that at least 15 officers and 200 men, as well as eight guns and fifty machine-guns were captured there. The Greeks in this sector have experienced the stiffest resistance yet offered during the last day or two. Fighting is taking place in the snow. As regards the centre sector, military commentators are unable to give a detailed line of advance, as there are merely tracks without any named roads by which to fix positions. The most pronounced advance on the Epirus front is where Permeti has been captured and Delvino is in Greek hands. Military circles in London, commentin gon reports of Santi Quaranta having fallen, state that this town, which the Italians used as a port and which stands on a junction of the coastal road to Valona and lateral roads, was of great importance to the Italians, who are now thus deprived of the opportunity of sending reinforcements and moving south either to Argyrokastron or. Santi Quaranta. A tract of wild and mountainous country, some 15 miles wide and 40 miles deep, separates these roads and the Italian General Staff now will suffer the disadvantage of having to fully make up its mind which part of the front it desires to reinforc'd, while the troops are at least 40 miles away from their objective. Commenting on the report oi _ the I resignation of Marshal Badoglio it is j pointed out that this is what is really

meant by “being relieved of the command at his own request”—military circles say the Italian Army is thus deprived of one of its most. experienced commanders and suggests that Marshal BadOglio’s 'action may well have been prompted by reason of his disagreement with the military policy of the Fascist Government. It is confirmed in London that photographs, showing the damage done to the Italian fleet by the British fleet Air Arm in the recent raid on Taranto, were included in the pamphlets dropped by the R.A.F. over Turin on Wednesday night.