NAZI LOSSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 May 1941, Page 5

NAZI LOSSES

IN BALKAN CAMPAIGN ARMOURED AND OTHER FORCES. ECONOMIC DISLOCATION SERIOUS. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, April 29. The German newspaper ‘•Frankfurter Zeitung” says that, as was unavoidable, the war in the Balkans caused economic damage not only in Yugoslavia and Greece but also in Bulgaria and Hungary owing to the many calls on the army. Damage was also caused by considerable destruction of railway and other traffic systems. A bridge over the Danube at Belgrade and a railway bridge at Neusatz were blown up and parts of the bridges which fell into the Danube will block the river traffic for a considerable period. i Sabotage has also slowed down Yugoslav production. Yugoslav prisoners will be forced to repair the damage and work industry and agriculture. The Ankara correspondent of “The Times” says German armoured divisions have returned to Bulgaria and Rumania from Greece for refitting. One division which has arrived at Giurgiu lost 65 per cent, of its effectives. NAZI DIVE-BOMBERS LESS FORMIDABLE THAN WAS EXPECTED CONDITIONS OF WITHDRAWAL. LIGHT GUNS GOT AWAY. - (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.5 a.m.) RUGBY, April 30. In connection with Mr Churchill’s announcement in the House of Commons that 45,000 out of the 60,000 British Empire troops landed in Greece have been evacuated and safely transported to their bases, that the total casualties were 3,000 killed and wounded and that heavy equipment was not removed, it can be stated that the personal equipment of the troops and light guns were got away. As to the military lessons of the campaign, the daring of the Anzacs and British troops showed that there was an answer to an attack by enemy armoured divisions and the German dive-bombers proved much less formidable than was generally expected. The aim of the German airmen was not very accurate and it was noted with special satisfaction that the divebombing failed to disturb the discipline and morale of the British troops.