Evening star., 1940-10-20

HOW long Will the TurklSh-Greek-
Yugoslav forces be able to resist the on
slaught Of the axis? Will their resistance
the first serious resistance in that part
of the world in this war-cause as severe
headache to Hitler and Mussolini as
most military observers in Washington
believe? And finally, what will be
Russia's game in the new developments
in the Balkans which lie so close to her
back door?
These are the questions which the
White House, the State Department and
the two services are asking themselves
these days.
A German-Italian attack on the re-
naming independent nations of Europe
is impending. AS soon as the German
concentrations in Rumania are COM
pleted Italo- German tanks and airplanes
will begin to rumble again.
The three Balkan states, Yugoslavia,
Greece and Turkey, have decided to re-
sist; they want to maintain their ma
tional independence and if this is not
possible, they are determined to sell 1t
as expensively as possible.
The old spirit of 1s14-1s18 prevails in
Yugoslavia once more; the quibbles be-
tween Serbians, Croatians and Slovenes
have disappeared in the face of the
menace from Italy. Yugoslavia will fight
for her independence.
Yugoslavs Kept Neutral.
Prince Paul, the Regent of Yugoslavia,
despite his strong Anglophile tendencies,
has endeavored to keep the Yugoslav ship
of state on an even keel Because of the
geographical position of his country, the
Belgrade government has never refused
to give economic cooperation to Ger
many and Italy. 1t has accepted
cameras and wrist watches in enormous
quantities in exchange for Yugoslav feed
stuffs and minerals.
The general staff has never proclaimed
a general mobilization and the govern
ment, unlike those of Rumania, Greece
and Turkey, has never accepted guaran-
tees from any outside power. The Yugo-
slavs are realists. When Czecho-Slovakia
ceased to be an independent state they
realized that henceforth they must keep
as quiet as mice. The army formerly
relied on the Skoda works in Czecho-
SIovakia for its guns, tanks and air.
planes. With Skoda in the hands of the
them but to lie low and not antagonize
the axis.
But the failure of the German armies
to invade Britain has forced the high
command of the axis to modify its war
plans and Yugoslavia is comprised in
that change of plans.
Three-Cornered Conversations,
Belgrade knows what the two dictators
cooked up at the Brennero meeting. 1t
knows that the fate of Yugoslavia was
sealed there and the only alternatives left
to Prince Paul and his advisers are to
accept their destiny in the manner of
the Rumanians or fight. And every in
dication received in Washington from
Belgrade is that the Yugoslavs will live
up to their tradition and fight.
There are three-cornered conversa-
tions going on at present between the
governments of Belgrade. Athens and
Ankara These conversations are natu-
rally encouraged by the British, who,
without promising these three nations
the moon and the stars, are willing to
It appears that the Yugoslavs and the
Greeks will be the first victims of the
axis onslaught.
The Germans are massing in Rumania
some 900 men with the necessary
motorized and air compliments. The
Italians have modified two armies; one
is on the Albanian Greek border and the
other on the northeastern frontier along
the Drin River The first army is 176,0 900
strong; the second army has not been
completely concentrated yet, but it is
believed it will exceed $4,000 men. Three
German divisions which have arrived in
Rumania by way of the Danube are con-
centrated along the TurnuSeverin line
that is to say, close to the old Serbian
border. Yugoslavia expects to be at
tackled on two fronts at the same time
that Greece swings into action.
To meet this situation the Yugoslavian
government is reported to have decided
to establish its main resistance on the
Vardar line from Skoplje to Prilep, where
it expects to make a junction with the
Greek armies.
How far the Turk Greek conversations
have progressed is not quite clear yet,
but there are definite indications that
the discussions between the two govern
meuts have gone q long way already and