Evening star., 1941-03-02

British Minister George w. Rem
del last Thursday warned Bulgaria
that to join the axis would be to
invite Britain to attack Germans
on Bulgarian soil without any for
NAL declaration" of war.
With Sofia only a half-hour by
bomber from Salonika, Greece, and
only two hours from the British
base at Crete, many Bulgarians felt
that at any time the Royal Air Force
might attack communication CEN
ters to impede any German march
against Greece.
Could Slow Nazis.
Observers declared that British
bombardment of the pontoon
bridges over which the Germans
crossed the Danube into this coun-
try and attacks on the narrow
mountain passes and the tunnels
of the interior could seriously slow
the Nazis and give time for bringing
British troops from Africa.
Minister Rendel already has in
tinated that the oil fields of Ger
man-dominated Rumania also are
subject to air assault, having been
spared previously only because the
British did not wish to fly over
Bulgaria.
Although Mr.. Rendel was sched-
uled to see King Boris tomorrow, 1t
was considered likely that final in
structions from London concern
ing diplomatic relations might not
arrive for two or three days.
While Mr.. Rendel waited to see
the King, the British Legation staff
loaded its equipment and records on
trucks for quick dispatch to the
Turkish frontier.
Statement Expected.
The Bulgarian government was
expected in some circles to issue a
statement that it had requested
German troops to come "in the in
terest of peace"
(Authorized German sources in
Berlin insisted Saturday night
they were unable either to con-
firm or deny that German troops
were in Sofia)
The German military occupation,
however. extended even to the heart
of Sofia almost before the ink had
dried this afternoon on Premier
Bogdan Philoff's signature of the
German Italian japanese mill
tary pact at Vienna.
Official Bulgarian quarters ad-
nitted that Varna, strategic Black
Sea port, was occupied by the
Germans.
The rigor of the Bulgarian border
control for any other persons was
indicated by the fact that United
States Minister George H. Earle and
a party of American neWspapermen
were turned back when they tried to
enter Yugoslavia.
The Bulgarian Parliament may
meet tomorrow to ratify formally
Premier Philoff's signature of the
Axis pact, since Mr.. Philoff is ex-
pected back from Vienna at noon.
Occupation Accomplished Fact.
In any event, the German occupa-
tion already was an accomplished
fact. It must have started at dawn
today-hours before the Vienna
signing ceremony. Bulgarians mutely
watched German armored cars roll
into their capital even before many
had learned the pact had been
signed.
Information on troop movement
outside Sofia was scant. Six hum
dred thousand Germans are said to
have been concentrated in Rumania.
The vanguard of the German
mechanized forces reached Sofia
this afternoon only two hours after
the Vienna pact signing.
AS their column filed into the
traffic cleared streets, fleets of war
planes-fghting craft and troop
carrying transports-roared low
overhead.
Steel-helmeted troopers sat like
ninepins in the gray. numbering road
cars.
They were in full battle dress.
Beside them they carried rifles, gas