HISTORY AS IT HAPPERS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 96, 24 April 1941, Page 3

HISTORY AS IT HAPPERS

Thursday, April 10 German troops advancing down the Vardar Valley reached Salonika, cut off Greek forces in eastern Macedonia from the rest of the country. Yugoslav troops fell back in the south of Yugoslavia exposing the Greek flank. Thirty German divisions, about 750,000 men, were operating from Bulgaria as well as divisions from Hungary and Rumaria, making a total of over a million men flung into the campaign. The port of Massawa, Eritrea, captured by the British. Friday, April 11 A lengthy review of the war situation given in the House of Commons by Mr. Churchill. He explained the efforts to form a united Balkan front between Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey, which broke down when Yugoslavia refused to co-operate until too late. When Greece determined to go on, even if alone, then Britain decided to support her. In the Balkans the Germans made progress in their drive across Yugoslavia, but the main Empire and Greek forces were not engaged by the enemy. ~ Three senior British Generals captured by the German forces in Libya. British tanks sent by sea to Tobruk. Berlin attacked by British bombers and big fires started. Ten United States coast-guard cutters of about 2,000 tons each made available to Britain. Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, Commander-in-chief, China Station, declared that if there was war in the Pacific "we will get powerful naval reinforcements and get them quickly regardless of whether the U.S. comes in with us." Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13 The battle in the Balkans developed new ferocity with both gides using, fastmoving columns supported by divebombers and fighter aircraft, the most violent action centring in the Monastir area. : The Serbs took the Italians in the rear by driving down the Albanian coast and occupied Durazzo. : The Hungarian army occupied Yugoslav territory on the pretext that the Yugoslav state had ceased to exist. The Soviet Government sharply reprimanded Hungary for this action. : President Roosevelt declared the Red Sea open to American ships so that American vessels could carry munitions to the Suez Canal. :

In Libya the R.A.F, continued. to hatass the advancing German mechanised forces. Considerable damage was caused by enemy bombers in the Midlands and Bristol. "The invasion of England has been shelved until after the settlement of the Balkan campaign," said a Berlin spokesman. New Zealand troops invalided back ‘to New Zealand from England stated that they had been burying German troops drowned in an attempted invasion. Monday, April 14 Communications between Yugoslavia and the allies severed by the German’s capture of Monastir. British and Greek troops had rot yet met the enemy in a major clash. A Neutrality Pact signed between Russia and Japan at Moscow, just before Mr. Matsuoka departed. In Cyrenaica the Germans claimed to have advanced to Scllum on the Egyptian border but fighting was going on in the Tobruk area. A Greek hospital ship was bombed and sunk by German bombers. Mr. Anthony Eden reported to the Cabinet that the Germans were behind the coup in Irak. Tuesday, April 15 The Greek army evacuated Koritza in good order. The Germans made a double push through north Greece and Albania. The Germans claimed that only remnants of the Yugoslav army were offeting resistance at isolated points. The Soviet- Japan Neutrality Pact caused much comment throughout the world, and was generally believed to aim at freeing Russia’s hand in the Ukraine. Moscow assured China that her policy of aid was unaltered. The Yugoslavs revealed that the Germans had offered them the whole of Bulgaria. Wednesday, April 16 In Yugoslavia unified and controlled resistance appeared to have ceased. In Libya British forces attacked the the rear of the enemy position in the Capuzzo region. The Duke of Aosta, Viceroy of Ase sinia, sent an envoy to the British command. Northern Ireland received full-scale enemy air blitz. Damage was done to industrial premises and casualties were heavy.