Evening star., 1940-06-16
Some Areas OCCUPIED
On Alpine Border,
Army Reports
Allies Drop Leaflets
Over Rome Calling
or End of War
By the Associated Press.

0S inc ASSOCldleu F'ItSS.
ROME, June 15.-A dawn naval
attack on Genoa in which the
French lost a destroyer, and the
occupation of French territory on
the Alpine frontier were reported
today by the Italian high command
The italian advance across the
frontier, experts indicated. was part
of the plan for German and Ital-
ian soldiers to break the last French
resistance after the fall of Paris
The high command said that "some
localities beyond the border" were
occupied.
With France crushed, Italian
sources explained, both axis powers
could attack the British-Germany
striking at England while the Ital-
ians assaulted British bases in the
Mediterranean.
The Fascist press hailed as a
heroic naval feat the sinking by an
old torpedo boat, the 967-ton Gala
tafimi, of French destroyer which
sailed with eight other French war
ships to lombard Genoa and the
Ligurian Riviera.
Warships Driven Off.
italians said the attack, of the
torpedo boat and heavy fire from
coastal batteries drove off the
French warships but not until three
persons were killed and IL wounded
Another destroyer was reported
damaged by torpedo from the
Calatafmi.
The Genoa naval raid casualties
were among 10 civilians killed and
So wounded during the last few
days in naval and air raids on Turin
and the port cities of Genoa, Sa-
vona, Imperia and Venice.
An aged woman was slightly hurt
authorities announced, by the eX-
plosicn of an anti-aircraft shell
against a building in Rome when
planes believed to have been French
few over the capital yesterday and
scattered leaflets.
Mussolini, sure of his people,
allowed the leaflets to be published.
The Duce wanted war. Here it
is!" The leaflets said in Italian.
France has nothing against you.
Quit and France will quit"
Italian bombers continued their
attacks on the British naval base
on the island of Malta in the
Eastern Mediterranean and upon
the British air and naval base at
Alden, just east of italian Somali-
land.
Fighting on Egyptian Border.
Spirited fighting on the Egyptian
Libyan frontier was reported, the
Italians declaring British troops
attacked the Libyan frontier gar
risons from Egypt.
(The British War Office re-
ported the capture of Fort
Capruzzo near the Egyptian
Libyan frontier, with four officers
and 100 troops taken prisoner,
and the surrender to the British
of the Italian Fort Maddalena,
in the same area.
CA British communique from
Cairo said Italian bombers at
tackled frontier posts held by the
Egyptians at Shagga and Weshka.
This apparently fell within the
terms of Egypt's warning to Italy
that she would enter the war if
Italy made air raids on Egyptian
military objectives. Informed
circles in Alexandria said they
could not see how Egypt could
remain out of the conflict much
longerD
Egypt's position was put before
Italy today by the Egyptian minister
to Rome. Egypt has severed diplo-
matte relations with Italy.
The French Ambassador, Andre
Francois -Poncet, still had not left
Italy four days after his special
train left Rome with 284 French
citizens aboard. A dispute between
the French and Italians over ex-
change of their nationals is delaying
his crossing into France.