1940-11-19 — Page 2

THE CHINA MAIL, NOVEMBER 19, 1940

Italian Air Force Compelled To Abandon Koritza Bases

Fall Of City

000000

YUGOSLAVIA

Believed Imminent FRONTIER AGAIN!

(By Reuter's Air Correspondent)

THE ITALIAN AIR FORCE IS BELIEVED IN LONDON TO HAVE EVACUATED TWO OF

ITALIAN DUMPS

ITS MOST MODERN ALBANIAN BASES. BOTH BOMBED

ARE AT KORITZA AND THE WITHDRAWAL IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE GREEK ADVANCE.

It means the Italian air force in Albania has been driven back to the coastline because the only other main aerodromes are at Durad; Valona and Tirana, some 20 miles inland from Durazzo.

The Italians are known to have paid considerable attention to the development of bases at Koritza before hostilities against Greece began.

Their labour and foresight may bra substantial benefit to alien alr forces who could make good use of a large and well-Jald-out airfield In their winter cam- paign.

While the Italian retreat is an- other feather in Grecce's cap it does not follow that the present Italian air operations on the de-i fenders' forward positions and communications will necessarily slacken.

still within

I

The distance from the Al- banlan

the coast to

front is

Italian range of dive bombers. and the Italian air force is known to be operat- Ing against Greece from Italy. At the start of the campaign the Italian air force was also operating from the Dodecanese Is- lands, which, region has been heavily pressed by the R.A.F. and the British Navy.

Remarkable Triumph

A senior R.AF. officer, outlining the present position in the Medi lérranean and Greek war yester day, observed: "By holding off the invader for three works and in some places driving him off the Greeks have scored a remark- able triumph.

Italian military and store dumps at El Basan, Albania, were bombed by the R.A.F. on Sunday, it was revealed yesterday.

All the bombs fell in the tar-

get area and a fire was started.

VIOLATED

The Yugo-Stavian frontier was again violated yesterday afternoon, according to a German news agency despatch from Belgrade.

near

The violation is said -to have taken place Monastir .by three fighter planes whose markings were painted over-Reu- ter.

The same night; raids were also carried out on Benghazi, Salım. Bardia and Tóbruk.

at Gura, Itálian | oc A building 00000000 East Africa, was heavily bomb- ed and set on fire' during an at- tack on Saturday. night and was! still blazing when the last British aircraft were over the target, states the Air Ministry news ser- vice.

600 ITALIANS SURRENDER

WITH TANKS

Six hundred Italian 130 with troops, tanks, crossed the frontier and surren dered to the Yugoslav authorities on Sunday night, according to a report from Djevdjeli- ja. Reuter,

HITLER'S

NEWEST

CONCOCTION

"The Greek air force, how- The possibility of a

ever, is small

and there is a statement defining definite ilmit to the amount of

Spain's attitude towards support with our preoccupas tions in Britain and Egypt

Germany's "new order" in that can be given.

"By concentrating the full Europe emerging from

:

A large fire was caused by a number of direct hits on railway sidings at Agordat.-Reuter.

DIAMONDS FOR WOOLLIES

KIDNAPPING

IN SHANGHAI

HITLER MISSED THE BOAT

-Sir Nevile Henderson

"I think the one person who regretted Munich more than anyone else was Hitler, declared Sir Nevile Henderson, former British Ambassador Berlin, speaking Ipswich yesterday,

in

in

"He thought he had missed his boat and if I may say so I think he did."

Sir Nevile did not know whe- Other critics of Mr. Chamberlain 28, realised that on January 1938, we did not have a Spitfire,

We had one or two experi

seven -mental Hurricanes and

motery A.A. guns for the de- fence or London out of the 400 estimated

minimum

The wave of kidnapping in Shanghai continues unabated,

Latest victim is Hu Tsu-tch, son

песеввагу

-as the Germany could have dropped London 2,000 bombs a day on and we could have given no re- ply.

the

of Mr. Hu Yun, Compradore of the Goering told him, "If you in- Sino-Belgian Bank, who was car-sist on making war, Before ried off in a motor car by four end there will be very little left kidnappers yesterday morning on of London and absolutely nothing Jessfield Road, when on his way of Czechoslovakia. Reuter. to school. The kidnappers' car on reaching Edinburgh Road was

In preparation for the coming halted by an SM. Police patrol, bui of the winter thousands of women "tat- due to the interference ters" are now going into action Japanese-organised Chinese po- knitting woollen comforts for the lice, the vehicle was allowed to Royal Air Force. Knitting par-proceed and finally disappeared ties have re-assembled up and into Western Shanghai's "Bad- down the country. Many more lands."-Central News. are needed. Gifts of cash to buy wool, which is obtained in bulk by the R.A.F. Comforts Com- mittee; are also urgently needed.

Among gifts recently received is a cheque for £50 from a lady and two, valuable platinum and diamond rings sent anonymously in a matchbox!

KING BORIS

SEES HERR

TEAR UP ITALIAN HITLER

PASSPORTS

A message from Cairo says

King Boris of Bulgaria that 600 Greeks from the Do- had a conversation with Games and sports equipment decanese Islands have torn up Hitler of Berchtesgaden

darts and shove ha'penny boards, table tennis, draughts, chess and playing cards-are welcomed.

their Italian passports in repudia- tion of their Italian nationality. Router.

GREEKS DOMINATE

at present talks

weight of its air offensive the against the Greek forward posi- tions the Italians are using the Berchtesgaden was stress- artillery on the German model, in lin correspondent of the air force as long-range aerial ed yesterday by the Ber-

contrast to their tactics at the start of the offensive, when their "Basler Nachrichten." attacks were widely spread in the evident belief that they could crushi the Greeks by breaking their 'ntoralt,” Reuter.

The

the

statement will concern both poli-

correspondent says tical and economic arrangements. Berlin diplomatic circlès are con- vinced that a programme is about tween Germany, Italy) Russia, Greek forces are again on all fronts, it was announ-power bloc, says the "National ced in Athens yesterday, and are Zeitung Berlin correspondent. -reported to have destroyed an Ita-

Russia, he says, has now de- lian motorised division which was finitely taken her plase in this apparently attempting to escape bloo. into Yugoslavia.

Advance Resumed to be mooted for cooperation be- advancing Japan and Spain in a new five-

Greek forces resumed the ad-

Closer contact between- Ru-

KORITZA: EARLY

FALL EXPECTED

AS A RESULT of their rapid advances during the past few days, the Greeks are very optimistic about taking Koritza very shortly, according to information reaching London military circles yesterday evening.

on Sunday, according to the Italian Stefani news agency yesterday..

The agency says that the news is contained in a official ċċii- munique which will be publish- ed in the Bulgarian newspapers to-day,

have

King Boris is stated to been on a private visit to Ger- many and left for Sofia imme- diately after the conversation.- Reuter.

STUDENTS ENTERTAINED

Mr. Lee Sing-kul, vice-Chair-, man of the Tung Wali. Hospitals Chinese General Chamber

of

mun former Chairman of the Commerce, was host to some 50 commercial students on Sunday

at his bungalow at Castle Peak.

The students from the Chung

Ankara Radio said that information had party. The afternoon was spent

vance to the north-east of Koritza mania, Hungary and Slovakin, is been received from Athens expressing, th

also expected. Reuter.

In the afternoon after a morning spent in preparations."

In the Koritza ̄area'the' Italians; counter-attacked with- 'planes, nine of which are reported to

· have been brought down,

SUNER IN

In a village near Koritza maż BERLIN

terial captured, included 10,000

blankets and large food supplies.

same view.

It is pointed out in London that the capture of Koritza will pro- bably put an end to any threa- tened attack on Salonika, The only other spot likely then to be threatened would be Yanina, in

In this advance captures in SENOR SERRANO SUNER, the Epirus sector.

Ankara Radio reports that] roads and ways of communica tino in and out of Koritza are now dominated by the Greeku from the heights around the

city:

Shing Institute of Commerce. arrived shortly before noon and; were later entertained at a tiffin- niking on the nearby hills, Mr. Lee acting as guide," pointing cut places of interest,

R.A.F. COMMANDER IN GREECE

Koritza houses a large barracks.

The British forces in Greece to a hospital and an ample water eluded

10 guns, 33 anti-tank SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER, It is possible, therefore, that the and it is reported that, In addition

WHO ARRIVED IN BERLIN Italians will make a great effort supply, the Italians have stored a with units of R.A.F. squadrons are guns and 15 mortars,

WAS. ENTER to hold Koritza or to try, and re-

large quantity of war material in under the command of Air Con- modore J. H. Dalblac, who is, one It is learned that, the Yugosla- YESTERDAY,

the elty. vian authorities have interned a TAINED AT TEA BY HITLER.capture it should it fall, .....

(Italian Foreign

They are reported to have car- of the youngest air officers after Korliza has a population of number of Italian armoured

Count Chino cars which entered their country near Minister), von Ribbentrop (Nazi about. 25,000 and is the largest ried out a lot of work on the civil having served in all three British Kalcobred to avoid capture by the Foreign Minister) and Field-town in Albania; Two roads run aerodrome, which is about three fighting services,

from Koritza to kilometres outside the town They Born in 1804 he has neen service Greeks, who are mopping up in Marshal Keitel (Chief of the Ger- northwards the Koritza region.

man Army Staff) were also pro-Elbasan, but the roads run through also planned a military aerodrome In India, Egypt, Trans-Jordan and difficult country and it connot be in the same locality and it is Palestine and commanded. RAF. These may be part of the Italian sent.

sent appointment.→→→British Wiro- divisioni described as destroyed by Cater Hitler had a conference, said that the capture of Koritza possible that construction of this units in Palestino before his pre-

would open the way to an easy has already been completadi.

less. Greek artillery and aircraft with Clano in the presence

Neuter. Reliterin

Ribbentrop. Reuter,

Greek advanec.