The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-17
GREECE, ITALY
 STILL BATTLING
CCOntinued from Page D


 According to a government spokes- man, Italian Modena divisions made a large scale counter -attack in the region west of the Drinos River in an attempt to recaptilre Skvovik. In one of the seven attacks on the mountain, the Italians were said to have lost the colonel commanding their And regiment of Modena. An Italian general was reported wounded. The Greeks claimed to have taken 200 prisoners.
 Christmas presents for Greek sol- diers were pouring into military headquarters. The Greek steam ship owner, M. Eugenides, contrib uted 30,000 bottles of cognac,
 Italian COmmunique
 Rome, Dec. IT, (UP) Fighting continues as flercely as ever on the Libyan front of. northern Africa, a high command communique said to- day.
 On the Greek front, the commu- nique said, there was bitter fighting in the area of the 11th Italian army but the sector of the ninth army was quiet.
 The communique said Italian air. planes continued to support the re- sistance of land forces on the Libyan front, subjecting the British to wear ing down operations.
 It was asserted that Italian tor- pedo carrying planes had struck with tow torpedoes a 6,000-ton British cruiser which had shelled Bardia, the Italian Libyan base near the frontier of Egypt.
 The communique said in full:
 'TThe eighth days (yesterday's) fighting in the desert zone on the Cyrenaica (LibyO front continued with fierceness not inferior to that of previous days.
 Aviators Keep Busy
 "Our aviation despite exception ally bad weather did not slow down its activity, aiding resistance of troops and strongly wearing down the enemy with chaser and bomber formations.
 At sea our torpedo planes hit with two torpedoes 5000 ton cruiser which had bombed Bardia. Five of our planes did not return.
 "On the Greek front the ninth army sector was calm while in the sector of the 11th army bitter fight ing occurred. During fighting in past days the Grenadier regiment and the Milan regiment of lancers particu- larly distinguished themselves.
 "In east Africa patrols and artil- lery were active on the Sudan front During yesterday morning one enemy plane .7nich was attempting to bomb Diredawa was shot kiown by our chasers, which took of when the alarm sounded. During the enemy air raid mentioned in communique No. 191, one of our chasers shot down an enemy Wellesley plane in flames"
 Smelling KIisura
 Struga, Jugoslavia, Dec. 17.-(UP) Frontier reports said today that Greek artillery was shelling Klisura heavily, setting fire to the eastern part of the town which is one of the key Italian positions on the central Albanian front.
 Tn the Osum mountains, the Greeks were said to have occupied Grabocka after a brief, sharp attack in which five Italian officers, 300 Italian troops, three field guns and nine machine guns were captured.
 From the coastal sector, it was re- ported that the Greeks moved into the town of Yuma, north of Chimara This morning while the right wing of the coastal column reached the Cika mountains.
 It was reported here that the Greeks have moved up the main road from Tepelini to Valona about two miles to point only a little more than two miles fro mthe village of Dorza which is about one-third of the way from Valona. Beyond Dorza the road runs down hill through the Griba mountains.
 Albanian rebels were reported to have attacked the Italians from the rear in this area today with hand grenades, killing number of troops According to accounts received here the encounter was on fairly large scale with about 100 casualties on both sides. The rebels were said to have forced the Italians to retreat leaving the southeast slope of the mountains in control of the rebels.
 A Greek column advancing slowly from the Opar mountains was said to have reached the Tomorica river valley where they attempted to force a crossing despite Italian ar- tillery fire. The Greeks appeared to be attempting to reach the Tomor mountains from which they could lombard Berat.