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ANNEX III.
Copy of a Telegram dated 4th February 1941 from British Military Mission, Athens tỏ Commander- in-Chief, Middle East. Repeated War Office/
P.45 cipher 4/2.
Personal for General Wavell and General Dill from General Heywood.
1.
I saw Prime Minister on Saturday morning. He told me that Greek situation seems to him desperate. Shortage of material and particularly guns made finish of Albania campaign difficult. In two months there would be no artillery ammunition left. Unless England could send such material and substantial reinforcements rapidly it would be difficult for long to resist a German attack.
2
I explained difficulty as regards supply of material particularly fact that Greeks were equipped with French and German guns. Best source for this ammunition
was America. It would take time to convert our own factories. Shipping problem also difficult. Greeks had made vast demands and British authorities could not always decide what was most urgently required.
The
As regards reinforcements I reminded him of refusal of General Metaxas to accept tank and artillery units offered by you. You had few infantry formations available and since all our infantry divisions were motorised they would only be able to operate in certain limited areas. Furthermore, capacity of ports and railways at Salonika and Piraeus was limited. If available it would be (? more) economical to employ Greek and Yugo Slav divisions and support them with British technical units.
4.
Prime Minister asked if we could not send guns of units in Egypt without troops. I pointed out the impracticability of such a course and that in any case Greeks could not be trained in time to use them in Albania. I explained that you were sending available captured Italian equipment.
5,
Prime Minister promised to give me a list of vital requirements and begged that I should then cable and stress urgency. I assured him that all were alive to the necessity of keeping Greece to the utmost.
He informed me that he had asked C.-in-C., return from the front to discuss the situation.
6.
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