Evening star., 1941-04-19
Dispatch From Front
Indicates Fighting
Is Intensified
b. the Associated Press.

% tie hSeoCidtcu TIcSs'
ATHENS, April 19.-British and
Greek defenders of the frightened
Hellenic line declared today their
front was unbroken and their
flanks unturned under the ire
mendous onslaught of axis
armies bolstered by Nazi divi-
SionS streaming south from
YugoSlavia.
AS King George II worked to shape
a new government in an overnight
change necessitated by the death of
Premier AleXandros Korizis, word
from the north indicated fighting
had intensified along the entire de-
fense line.
The British Army headquarters in
Athens declared repeated Nazi at
tacks by armored formations and
infantry have been repulsed" and
said the attackers failed to penetrate
the line at a single point.
(Royal Air Force headquarters
in Cairo said 13 German planes
had been shot down over Greece
in the last three days. Four
British planes were lost in that
time. the r. A. F. said, but the
pilots of two were saved)
Whole Front in Contact.
Imperial forces are in contact
along the whole front" the British
headquarters said. Heavy attacks
by armored formations and infantry
have been repulsed and many prison.
ers taken. Enemy casualties are
severe.
Heroic Greek cooperation on our
left is playing valuable part.
Despite all efforts, our front has
nowhere been penetrated and our
flanks nowhere turned"
An Australian detachment, sur
rounded by German battalion near
the town of Servia, northwest of
Olympus. was reported to have
fought its way back to British lines,
taking $50 prisoners. The Germans
were said to have lost 300 dead.
All reports from the front up until
noon today indicated the Allied lines
were unchanged in the past II
hours, despite relentless Nazi pres
sure
I'VE NOV them down by the hun
dreds as they try to climb the steep
mountain sides, but as soon as one
wave is thrown back another pushes
forward" said a military officer.
Nazis Bring Up Big Guns.
Their losses are tremendous, I'M
equaled, I believe, by anything they
have suffered in the Euroean War
to date"
This source said the Nazis were
bringing up heavy guns to supple
ment the bombardment by their
Stukas, which fly over 20 and 80 at
a time.
Greek spokesmen admitted that
the outlook was far from bright,
though dispatches from the front
last night said the allied defenders
were holding their own.
The Greek high command said
"all enemy pressure" had been re-
PEELED by the Allied defenses around
Mount Olympus on the eastern end
of the defense line, in the central
valley of the Aliakmon River and
around Grevena in the central sector
farther west.
Arhoriar Noy~,.a,te r,rr;.S 0,,x
"On the Albanian front" the COM
munique said. "our movements on
Albanian soil were carried out
calmly"
Qtalian dispatches reaching
Rome from the war front said
the italian 11th Army was near
ing Ionnina. capital of Epirus,
80 miles inside Western Greece.
The capture of Porto Edda, AL
bania, which fell to the Greeks
December 6, also was said to be
imminent)
A Greek spokesman said Italians
attacking the Greek rearguard in
the Chimara sector of Albania "are
chased every time"
Chlmara, captured by the Greeks
December %, is 20 miles north of
Porto Edda and 6 miles north of
Porto Palermo, which the Italian
high command reported taking yes
terday.
The Greek Press Ministry, in q
review of the fighting last night,
declared:
THE situation is serious in view
of increasing German reinforce
ments from Yugoslavia.
THE struggle continues with great
violence all over Northern Greece.
German pressure is increasing.
So far no success has been achieved
(See ATHENS. Page A-8)