Evening star., 1940-12-06
Porto Eddo Capture
Officially Announced

ATHENS, Dec. 6 [R.-An ofdcial
announcement today said Greek
troops had occupied Porto Edda, one
of the Italian Army's main bases in
Southern Albania.
The fall of Argirocastro, another
important Italian military base, Is
miles northeast of Porto Edda, was
expected at any moment, the Greek
high command said.
Greek troops also were reported
advancing rapidly westward from
Premet, on the Central Albanian
front, where the mountain pass
south of Klisoura was said to be
under the fire of their artillery.
Klisoura is about 10 miles west Of
Premet.
Reports from the front previously
had said both Porto Edda and
Argirocastro were aflame and Greek
leaders expressed belief retreating
italian troops had set fire to equip
1nent and supplies to keep them
from falling into the hands Of the
Greek Army.
Reports from Porto Edda said the
Greeks entered the town early today
after the Italians cleared out hur-
riedly, leaving behind virtually all
their vast war material assembled
there. They placed the torch to
what supplies they could before
leaving, however, the Greeks said.
The Greeks found in the harbor
an Italian destroyer they declared
had been sunk last Wednesday by
British bombing planes shortly after
1T arrived to take out Fascist staff
officers.
The Italian position in Porto Edda
became untenable, the Greeks ex-
planned, when their forces captured
the nearby towns of Lykursi and
Vyroni.
The main battle in the southern
sector. meanwhile, appeared devel-
oping in the vicinity of Klisoura,
road junction north of Argirocastro.
Armies Moving Forward.
The Greek high command, in a
terse communique, declared its
armies were moving forward along
the entire 100-mile front in Albania
extending from the Adriatic Sea to
the Yugoslav border.
The Greek advance westward from
Premet toward Tepelini, 80 miles
inside Albania, threatened to cut
the line of retreat for Italian forces
reported falling back from Argiro-
castro, which is situated about Is
miles southwest of Premet. Greek
columns were said to be driving on
Argirocastro from both the south
and east.
A Greek spokesman said reports
from the front indicated a persist
ent" Italian retreat from Porto
Edda.
The high command indicated the
Italian air force was offering stlf1
resistance to the Greek push on
this front.
On the northern wing of the front
the Greeks said the last Italian
troops had been dislodged from
mountain positions in the Pogradetz
area and that the Greek advance
was continuing toward Elbasanl.
italian losses in this area were de-
scribed as heavy and the Greeks
said they had captured more than
500 prisoners.
(Reports from YugoSlayia,
which also told of continued
Greek advances toward Elba-
sani, placed the number of 1tal-
ians taken prisoner at 1,50Oo
500 Machine Guns Seized.
The Greeks estimated they al
ready had seized more than $8,000,-
900 worth of equipment abandoned
by the retreating Italians. More
than 500 machine guns were said
to be among the loot.
Some of the captured arms, in
cluding six heavy guns seized in the
advance beyond Premet, have been
turned on their former owners, the
Greeks said.
Italian warplanes were reported to
have bombed the Greek island Of
Corfu again yesterday, but damage
was officially described as slight.
The Greek Admiralty denied today
rs "a fantastic invention" the Italian
claim yesterday that the Fascist
submarine Delfino sank Greek de-
etroyer November 20 In the Aegean
Sea.
The naval announcement, report
lSee GREEK. Page AID