EARLIER NEWS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 April 1941, Page 5

EARLIER NEWS

NAZI THRUSTS REPELLED ENEMY REORGANISING AT MONASTIR. STATE OF THE YUGOSLAV ARMY. (B" Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON. April 13. British Empire forces yesterday drove back German tanks and infantry in the eastern sector of northern Greece and the position in that sector is unchanged, states an authoritative report from Cairo. Some Australian Bren-gun carriers in one of several patrol encounters caught a group of German infantry napping and inflicted losses, and Greeks also repulsed two German reconnaissances. The Athens correspondent of the ‘•Daily Mail” says an Australian mechanised unit caught a German tank column broadside on at a point where a narrow mountain road was blocked by lorries stuck in the mud, and the result of the Australian fire was reported to be terrific. The Germans are evidently reorganising for a fresh push in northern Greece and are accumulating supplies at Monastir. They are being hindered by appalling weather and the activities of the Royal Air Force. A number of German planes are bogged on the Monastir Plain. In the last three days heavy rain and masses of cloud on the mountains have almost entirely prevented air operations over Albania, and this has been taken advantage of by the Allies, enabling the release of British squadrons for use against the Germans in Macedonia. Correspondents emphasise that the spirits of the Greeks have rallied magnificently after the severe test resulting from the collapse of the Yugoslav army leading up to the loss of Salonika.

“NO BETTER THAN ITALIANS.” Wounded Greeks from the mountain area to the south of Monastir related how 30 soldiers held up 400 Germans for three Hours and a half till lack of ammunition forced the Greeks to retire. One wounded Greek declared, “When we got the Germans from their machines we found them no better than the Italians. They didn’t like our bayonets; they were nothing more than chauffeurs.” The Budapest correspondent of “The Times” says the Yugoslav army is in magnificent' fighting fettle, but the severance of communications has paralysed its striking power as the separated units are completely ignorant of what is happening elsewhere, while German agents are busily spreading rumours. The Yugoslavs have lacked anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns and fighter planes. Bridges and other vital strategic positions have been left completely unguarded, while the civil population has been compelled to watch the German raids without opposition from their own fighters. Information which has been received in London gives some details of the position of Yugoslavia’s fighting forces as it existed early this morning. In the Nish area the Yugoslav army delivered a counter-attack on both sides of the River Morava, and a German armoured force which reached Topola, about 40 miles from Belgrade, has been isolated. The Kragujevac-Krusevac area at an early hour this morning was held by Yugoslav troops, who have also retaken Prokuplje, which is some 18 miles southwest of Nish. INDEPENDENT ACTION. In south Yugoslavia, where Yugoslav troops which were threatening the rear of the Italian troops in Albania were in turn threatened by a German force, success also attended the Yugoslav army. Part of the force was diverted to meet the oncoming’Germans, and, throwing them back to Suhareka, it is now advancing on Kacanik gorge, about 25 miles east of Prizren.

Military commentators, on receipt of this information, remarked that if an enemy broadcast which stated that General Simovitch has “appealed” to his commanders to act independently is true, the Yugoslav generals are putting the exhortation to good use in a way which must be unpleasantly reminiscent to those Germans who remember the operations in the Balkans during September, 1918. The Yugoslav Legation in Athens announced that Yugoslav troops have