MOVING APACE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 September 1941, Page 5

MOVING APACE

MILITARY PREPARATIONS IN BULGARIA

STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED.

MOBILISATION SPEEDED UP.

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, September 20. The Ankara radio reported that a state of emergency has been declared in Bulgaria. The Premier, Professor Filoff, called on officials to report without delay on any breach of discipline. He added that Bulgaria will strictly adhere to the policy of friendship with and sup-

port for the Axis. The Ankara correspondent of the National Broadcasting Company (U.S.A.) says that a Russian-Bulgar-ian break is reported to be imminent. Turkey has refused to grant a passage to any warships through the Dardanelles and intends to extend [her control of merchantmen, says an Istanbul message to the independent French news agency. This course is designed to prevent the sale of Axis ships to Bulgaria. The Geneva correspondent of the “Daily Express” says that Turkish military leaders report that Bulgarian mobilisation is daily speeding up and the country now has almost 500,000 men under arms.

A message from Sofia says that on the night of September 19 the Bulgarian freighter Rodina, en route from Burgas to Istanbul, sank a few minutes after an explosion 32 miles off the Bulgarian coast. Four of the crew are missing.