WAR IN ALBANIA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 January 1941, Page 5

WAR IN ALBANIA

ELBASAN RAIDED AGAIN DEFEAT OF THE ITALIAN COUNTER-OFFENSIVE. — ADDITIONAL CAPTURES MADE BY GREEKS. i British bombers on Monday made another successful attack on Elbasan. the Italian main base in Central Albania, the 8.8. C. states. A number of high-explosive bombs were observed to fall on and around military buildings in the town and as the aircraft left the i whole place was enveloped in I smoke. Considerable damage must 1 ' have been caused and all the • i R.A.F. planes returned safely. ‘ , It is now clear that the Italian ef- ’ I forts to improve their position by local counter-attacks on the central front in '[ Albania have met with no success. The . i enemy is stated to have suffered, his 1 i heaviest losses since the war began. • i The Greeks not only repelled the en■l emy attacks, but made captures of men hand material and too further villages 1 ; and strategic heights. STREWN WITH DEAD CAPTURED ENEMY POSITIONS. LONDON. January 28. The intensity of the local struggles on the Albanian front is reflected in a statement by the Greek ' Government spokesman that the ; Italian losses in the past two days have been proportionately the heaviest since the invasion of : Greece. Positions captured by the I Greeks were strewn with Italian dead. The Greeks in the central sector captured prisoners guns and machineguns belonging to four separate divisions, including a Caccatori division of Alpini who were making their first ap-l pearance at the front There is no change in the coastal sector. The Athens correspondent of "The Times" says there have been at least four local counter-attacks in the central sector in the past 48 hours and, ail were repelled. It appears that the Greeks have! made a breach in the enemy lines between Klisura and Berat and are now , | widening the gap. The Allied air forces are again ac- ! ! live, bombing and gunning troop concentrations and supply convoys. I : GENERALS NEXT t COMMENT BY ITALIAN COLONEL ' ' I 1 PRISONER IN GREEK HANDS. *1 t ATHENS. January 28. < Last night's communique stated that i in local activity some enemy positions 1 were captured and 90 prisoners were j taken together with some automatic arms. An enemy tank attack was repulsed and four tanks were destroyed. The Athens correspondent o f "Thej Times" reports that a Greek officer recounted how. when he was escorting! the captured leader of the "Wolves of! 'Tuscany," Colonel Mencghetti he J apologised to the prisoner for the popular curiosity wherever the car passed i and explained. "You see. colonel, they are not yet used to the sight of captured prisoners of such rank " to which Meneghetti replied, "Well, they had better get used to it, because wo will soon see generals.’ —