NEW CRISIS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 August 1943, Page 3

NEW CRISIS

REPORTED IN ITALY

SITUATION APPROACHING CLIMAX. LONG SESSION OF BRITISH WAR CABINET. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) LONDON, August 16. With Italy believed to be in the grip of a new crisis, members of the British Cabinet were in constant session in London today, and they also made several transatlantic telephone calls to Mr Churchill in Quebec. The “Daily Mail’s” diplomatic correspondent says the impression is given in Whitehall that important developments are pending. News from the Continent indicates that the situation in Italy is approaching a climax. The Allies clearly are determined not to be diverted from their real purpose in Italy. Several of the Rome radio’s broadcasts today were abandoned. Cutting of telephone and telegraph communication between Italy and Switzerland means that there has been no news of the events inside Italy for more than 12 hours, but reports which have leaked out from other channels describe the chaos in the north of Italy following upon the R.A.F.’s. latest smashing raids. The correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says that all roads leading from Milan to the Swiss frontier are choked with thousands of refugees, and hundreds of them are perishing on the wayside from exhaustion and lack of food and water. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from other industrial areas in northern Italy have joined the exiles from Milan. The Swiss newspaper “Libera Stampa” has published a story from a refugee from Milan, who states. “Milan is a heap of rubble. In the centre only the cathedral was untouched. Nine out of every 10 houses were destroyed, and practically all the big factories were destroyed, including the Pirelli rubber works, the Alfa Roneo car works, and the Breda ammunition plant. The people were completely demoralised, and fire brigades were unable to cope with the huge fires.”