The Wilmington morning star., 1940-10-29
BRITISH NAVY HELPS

BRITISH NAVY HELPS
ATHENS, Oct. 28.-R-The out
numbered but resolute army OF
Greece reported it held the LASH
ing forces Of fascist Italy firm at
the border in day-long battle today
and took heart from British nava
help as war burst over the long
apprehensive Balkans.
A Greek army communicate to-
night said that Italian air raids on
military objectives-the ports of Pi-
raeus and Patras-did no damage,
and that the Italian attacks on the
Craggy northwest border with Al
bania were resisted with such cour-
age that the fighting was localized
to the border line.
Meager reports from the from
tier indicated that tn striking
force of some 200, 900 Italian S
twice the number Of the Greek
defenders; was surprisingly weak
and that Greek resistance aston
ished the att kcares.
Move Into Albania
A British report said that Greek
troops, at one point, broke through
the Italian line and drove eight
miles into Italian : subjgated AL
tania. The Greek communique did
not mention such an incident, how
ever. e.
Military analysts in other Bal.
kan countries shook their heads
and said the Greek mainland was
in danger of being overrun within
a week due to the vast inferiority
-125 planes to several thousand
Of the Greek air force.)
Latest reports from Patras list
ed the days air raid casualties at
so civilians dead and more than
100 wounded.
The British navy, Fastening to
make good on the British pledge
to Greece and to protect its own
valued stakes in the Eastern Med
iterranean, moved up on botn sides
of the Greek peninsula.
General Alexander P e o S.
Greek chief of staff, was named
by King George II as Generals
s,mo while the monarch himself
assumed supreme command of all
armed forces.
Metaxas' Message
Premier John Metaxas address
ed this message to the a r m e d
forces tonight:
THE entire nation is thinking of
you with affection and pride to-
gether with Gods blessing. 1t fell
to your lot to write your names
on the Golden Rolls of Greek his
tory beside those of the Marathon
warriors and the heroes of the
war for independence. Go ahead,
soldiers of Greece! Crush the en-
envy who has dared to attack our
country's honor! Victory and glory
are ours!"
Plump, bespectacled Premier
John Metaxas, the man who real
ly rules Greece, first tore up an
Italian ultimatum demanding the
use of unidentified "~strstegic''
Greek bases and unmolested mil
itary passage to and from them.
Then, in audience and by tele-
phone, he called up all the help he
could, modified Greeks men and
material and got on with the bust
ness Of fighting.
Many Active
Britain's King and prime minis.
er assured Greek quickly and firm
ly that they would send all the help
they could, and by early after.
neon informed sources reported,
that the British Mediterranean
fleet had done these things:
l. Occupied Crete, 15O-mile long
Greek island lying between Greece
and Egypt and not far from the
Italian : fortified Dodecanese.
2. Fought a hot battle with ltal.
ian warships off Corfu, sizeabls
Ionian island near the Greek-Lib.
anian frontier.
3. Landed Bluejackets on a small
island with an airdrome near Cor.
fu, which the Greeks themselves
are defending.
Greeks own fleet was guarding
the upper Aegean, massed, by a
prearrangement, off Salonika. II
consists of a cruiser, IA destroy.
ers 10 torpedo boats, six submar.
ines and eight mine-layers.
talked by telephone with President
Inonu of Turkey h, with
Greece, is the only state in Europe
still tied to Britain.
Neutral sources relayed reports
that Turkish troops actually were
entering Thrace, the northeast part
Of Greece, on their way to help
their ancient neighbor.
Turkey Silent
These reports were not confined,
however, and Turkey-like Yugo-
slavia and Bulgaria, the Other
neighbor states Immediately, af-
fected by the invasion-was silent.
officially.
Turkey is not obligated directly
to 60 to the aid of Greece, but
Britain is, and the Turks and the
British are bound together by a
defensive pact of mutual assist
ance. Britian's pledge to protect
Greece against attack and her mu-
tual treaty with Turkey, covering
the Eastern Mediterranean area,
are all that is left of Neville
many's small neighbors.
Greece had little or no hope for
help from Yugoslavia, and Bull