Evening star., 1941-04-07
Luftwuffe Disrupts
Transport System,
DNB Declares
Ry tte Associated Press.

BERLIN, April 7.-YugoSlavia' 5
whole transport and communi-
cation system has been fatally
disrupted by the swift blows OF
the Luftwaffe, DNB, official Ger
man news agency, said today.
Besides Belgrade, which has been
ralded four times, the LuftWaffe
hammered Sarajevo, Zagreb, Mostar,
Ljubljana, Kumbar and Podgorica,
Germans said.
The latest official report from the
front said German troops were stead
lily advancing along the Yugoslav
and Greek fronts.
Opposition in fortified places
was overcome by sharp attacks, u
this report said.
The German air force supported
troop movements in Yugoslavia to-
day with attacks on airports and
traffic facilities. informed sources
said Several important stretches of
oil IltlCS WClC oyCo Dy I'll GU
hits, these sources declared.
Authorized sources declared today
that Belgrade is fortified city, sub
ject to commandment.
This was forthcoming when they
were reminded of recent declara-
tions by Yugoslavia that Belgrade
is an open city.
Such declarations are naive" a
spokesman said Suppose Berlin
declares herself to be an open city.
Do you think the R. A. F. would lay
off Berlin just for that?"
25-Mile Advance Claimed.
Beyond stating that the German
Army already was 80 to 40 kilometers
(about 18 to Is miles on Yugoslav
soil, Germans stuck to brief high
command communiques issued from
time to time today.
"On the southeast front, the at
tack is proceeding on schedule
against stubborn resistance" the
war bulletin said.
Strong units of the air force are
supporting the advance of the army
by reconnaissance attacks on COL
umns, positions and means of trans
portation of the enemy"
Authorized sources explained that
during a blitzkrieg little is said
the first day or two. They also
warned that the same miracles of
the German Army as in the French
blitzkrieg should not necessarily be
expected since the geography of
Yugoslavia and Greece is such as to
enable even poorly equipped hostile
forces to hold up superior Germans
temporarily.
They were careful to impress.
however, that all these factors had
been calculated by the German gen.
eral staff and, therefore, even tenn
porary delays could not change the
final outcome.
104 Planes Reported Down.
A total of 104 planes, six of them
on old aerial backgrounds with
Britain, were reported downed, de-
stroyed or damaged, against seven
German losses.
The high command gave these re-
ports of action on Germany's two
main fronts:
Southeast:
Belgrade air-raided four times
yesterday; Notifications and "other
war-vital objectiyes" in the Yugo-
slav capital repeatedly attacked;
airports of Central and Southern
Yugoslavia effectively bombed and
attacked with machine guns; the
Belgrade main rail station. a pom
toon bridge east of the city and
several transport trains" hit.
Against Britain:
A total of 13 ships of about 50 900
tons destroyed by air attack and
an additional IA merchantmen dam
aged between April and this
morning.
1t broke down aerial losses:
British front-On British day and
night coastal attacks against France
and Northwest Germany, three
British planes downed by pursuit
planes, two by anti-aircraft and one
by a patrol boat.
In the southeast - Thirty-fl five
(See BERLIN Page A-5)