TORRENTIAL RAIN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 February 1941, Page 5

TORRENTIAL RAIN

IMPEDING OPERATIONS I.N ALBANIA

ANOTHER VITAL POSITION LOST BY ITALIANS.

IN SPITE OF IMPERATIVE ORDERS.

Torrential rain has impeded operations in Albania, the 8.8. C. states, but the Greeks are keeping up a violent fire on the enemy positions.

A correspondent describes an attack on a village the Italians were ordered to hold at all costs. An order found in the pocket of an officer who was killed stated that the honour of the Italian Army demanded that the position be held. In spite of violent enemy efforts, the village is now in the hands of the Greeks. British bombers have made heavy attacks on enemy positions troops and transport. HEAVY REINFORCEMENTS THROWN IN BY ITALIANS. VAIN EFFORTS TO STEM GREEK ATTACKS. 'By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON. February 19. In addition to capturing four or five elevated positions, the Greeks again repulsed Black Shirts and other picked Italian units who were desperately attempting to stem the Greek advance in the central sector. It is estimated that approximately half of Italy's fighting force is participating in the Albanian operations. Italian night assaults in the coastal sector were broken before the troops reached the Greek lines. The Greeks advanced farther to the east. They repulsed two counter-attacks and drove back the attackers beyond their original lines. The Italians on the northern front launched an offensive on a wider scale than usual, but were heavily repulsed. It is learnt that General" Cavallero has ordered that the Italian positions must be held at all costs, but in spite of that the Italians have been forced back with heavy losses. HELP FOR GREEKS I NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES. I . ■ r LONDON. February 19. An appeal for medical supplies for Greece which has been made in the Netherlands East Indies has met with a ready response. The Netherlands East Indies Rod Cross has received 2.000,000 tablets of quinine. 10.000 tubes of anti-tetanus scrum, the same amount of antidysentery serum, and large sums of I money. Quantities of blankets have I also been collected. These will be sent to Greece free of charge. GREEK AIR ACTIVITY ITALIANS COMPELLED. TO ATTACK. UNDER FIRE OF THEIR OWN MACHINE GUNS. ; (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day. 9.52 a.m.) RUGBY. February 20. Greek aircraft were active yesterday, bombing and machine-gunning effectively front a low altitude enemy camps, convoys, stores and troops on the march. One enemy company, which was broken and flea, was forced to turn back again and try to reoccupy its positions by fire from Italian machine-guns, | . ATTACK ON HEIGHT —— i COSTLY ITALIAN FAILURE. t (Received This Day. 11.0 a.nt.) LONDON. February 20. “The honour of the Italian Army! depends on this operation." read an I order found in the pocket of an Italian! officer killed in an Italian attempt to seize a most important strategic height on the central front in Albania. The Exchange Telegraph’s correspon- - dent with the Greek Army says the • attempt was unsuccessful The Hal- ' ians tired 3,000 shells from heavy guns ' and mortars in support of their attack. 1 but the Greeks counter-attacked and ‘ drove the Italians from the letter’s * original positions, capturing an anti- s aircraft battery and inflicting heavy ‘ losses. '