Evening star., 1941-03-06

ing 10 HeQu JOT nearly 0lOnLH
since Britain UaS reported to
hare Uarned Bulgaria against
letting German troops cross her -
soil. Relations With Rumdnid
subsequently Were broken, Bull
gdrid and Turkey signed q nor-
aggression pact, the Germans
marched into Bulgaria and the
British severed relations Uith
Bulgaria.
BY tte Associated Press.
SOFIA, Bulgaria, March g.
The general staff of the German
eXpeditionary force, headed by
Field Marshal Gen. Sigmund
List, called on King Boris III, the
War Ministry and the Foreign
Office today while Nazi forces
continued their sweep southeast
within Bulgaria.
Waves of bomber planes we're con-
tinuing to arrive from the north.
Motorized equipment, field kitch-
ems, supply trucks and oil tank cars
now also are following the troops,
tanks and artillery which for days
have been pouring through Balkan
passes.
All telephone lines both within
the country and those connecting
with the outside world now are in
the hands of the military.
Many kilograms and cable mes
sages are being held up to avoid
the possibility of transmitting
military information (here the Sofia
connection with Bern, to which this
dispatch was being relayed, was cut,
presumably by the military censor)
Invasion Believed Near.
Steadily increasing German mill
tary preparations in Bulgaria to-
day famed belief that a Nazi in
vasion of Greece may come at any
hour.
Planes from the German Fourth
Air Fleet totaling 1,700 bombers and
fighters, already based in Bulgaria, o
were reported photographing both
Greek and Turkish defenses.
To meet the threat of 10000 Nazi
troops massed along her borders,
Greece was said to have concen-
trated six misunderstanding about
10000 men-in the mountain passes
north of Salonika. Some of these
were believed to be veterans of fight
ing against the Italians in Albania.
COmplicating Developments.
Complicating the menacing situa-
ton were these developments on the
diplomatic front:
l. Rumanian Premier Gen. Ion
Antonescu returned to Bucharest
this morning and summoned an
emergency meeting of his cabinet
after hasty conference in Vienna
with Reichsmarshal Hermann Will
helm Goering.
2. Rumanian government quarters
acknowledged that Gen. AntoneScu
| had received a note from Moscow
before comforting with Marshal
| Goeri6g, and reports we're current
in diplomatic circles in Belgrade
that Soviet Russia had demanded
immediate cession by Rumania Of
! Black Sea naval bases.
| 3. Dispatches from Belgrade in
| dicated Britain was eXerting every
| possible effort to prevent Yugoslavia
| following Bulgaria in signing up
with the Berlin al
lance. Some quarters expressed be-
lief that Regent Prince Paul of Yu--
goslavia might go to Vienna today
to confer with Nazi leaders.
Diplomatic advices from Ankara
quoted Turkish government quarters
as saying that the message from
Adolf Hitler two days ago had in no,
way affected Turkeys policy Of
strict loyalty to her treaty obiga-
tions to Great Britain. a
Ultimatum UncOnfirmed.
There was no immediate confir-
nation of reports that Russia had
delivered demands of an ultima
tive" nature to Rumania, but Balkan
diplomatic observers said they be-
lieved Joseph Stain had some move
under way to counter the German
occupation of Bulgaria.
These sources took the view that
in forming her policy in the Balkans
Soviet Russia faces the same geo.
graphical and strategic principles
which for centuries made imperial
Russia fight costly wars to keep
other great powers away from the
Dardanelles. RuSsia's outlet to the
Mediterranean.
Now German armies are at the
Turkish frontier, less than 100 miles
from the strategic strait.
Some observers believed Germany
might be willing to make Rumania
satisfy Russian demands for strate-
gic Black Sea bases in order to avoid
possibility of shutdown on vital oil
supplies from the Soviet's rich fields.
German quarters in Sofia said they
were taking an increasingly serious
view of "the strange turn in Soviet
attitude"
This, presumably, was a reference
to the sharp note which Russia de-
livered to Bulgaria declaring she
could not approve the Sofia govern
ment's policy of agreeing to the
presence of German troops in Bul.
garia.
(Authorized sources in Berlin,
however, ridiculed reports that
Russia had delivered an ulti.
matum to Rumania)
Nazis Face Terrain Problem.
Military experts, meanwhile,
speculating on possibility of a Ger
man attack upon Greece, expressed
belief that the rugged Greek ter
rain might prove problem for the
NaziS.
A German drive toward the stra-
tegic Greek port of Salonika on the
Aegean would be an operation de-
manding organization of difficult
lines of communication which must
follow the deep and narrow gorges
of the Struma River.
At the same time these observers
said that despite the possession Of
(See RAT,KANS Page A-23O