TAKEN UP BY ALLIED FORCES IN GREECE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 April 1941, Page 5

TAKEN UP BY ALLIED FORCES IN GREECE

Statement by Mr Churchill RETREAT CARRIED OUT WITH EXTREME SKILL REPORTED GERMAN OCCUPATION OF AEGEAN ISLANDS LONDON, April 22. Referring’, in the House of Commons, to the operations in Greece, the British Prime Minister, Mr Churchill, said they had been carried out with extreme skill. He had asked for a full account of the movements in Greece. Requested to verify a statement that the Germans had occupied the island of Samothrace (about 30 miles west of the Gallipoli Peninsula), Mr Churchill said it was not unlikely, although at the moment he had no direct confirmation of it. The Imperial forces in Greece have taken up new defence positions south of Larissa and 100 miles north-west of Athens. Yesterday land and air fighting was proceeding along the whole of the shortened line and the Germans were maintaining equal pressure at all points. The R.A.F. has heavily and constantly attacked enemy occupied aerodromes in Northern Greece and machine-gunned enemy motor transport columns. It is also confirmed that 22 German planes were destroyed on Sunday. TRIBUTE TO NEW ZEALANDERS THE GERMAN PRESS PAYS AN EXTRAORDINARILY HIGH TRIBUTE TO THE NEW ZEALANDERS, WHO FOR 40 HOURS HELD A GAP IN THE MOUNTAINS AND BROUGHT THE GERMAN ADVANCE TO A COMPLETE STANDSTILL BY THEIR ACCURATE FIRE.