Evening star., 1941-04-08


Gilman to months OF Balkan
jockeying Which Saw Nasi forces
occupy Run1dnid ana Bulgaria
ana Britain land hundreds of
thousands OF troops in Greece.
YugosldUia, after signing pact
NTH aris, repudiated signature,
and Na2iS attacked.
j, The Associated Press.
ATHENS, April "a violent
battle between German and
Greek troops in the hills around
Nevrokopi, in Northeastern
Greece, was reported today to
have. turned in favor of the
Greeks and the Greek defenders
were said to be holding firm at
Rupel Pass, through which an
other German armored column
was trying to penetrate to the
Struma River Valley.
The German drive in the Struma
region did not take the defenders by
surprise, dispatches said. Persons
crossing the frontier from Yugoslavia
said the German column which
crashed through the Struma was
very large and for days before the
attack on Yugoslavia soldiers, We
hicles and supplies had rolled
through the valley to the frontier.
These attempts, dispatches from
the front said, and other thrusts
farther eastward along the Greek
Bulgarian frontier met terrific re-
sistance which already has cost the
Germans heavy losses in men and
material.
A German effort to cut communi-
cations behind the Greek lines by
using parachutists failed, an an
nouncement said, and 100 para
chutists were captured and others
killed.
Say Yugoslavs Withdrew.
The Greek general staff communi-
que said Yugoslav troops fighting in
Southern Serbia had withdrawn, ex-
posing the left flank OF the Greeks
who, however, were defending the
fatherland inch by inch"
A general staff communique said:
'Yugoslav troops fighting in
Southern Serbia withdrew, uncov-
ering the left flank of our troops who
were heroically fighting on the bor-
der line
Despite this, our soldiers continue
to fight with great self-sacrifce, de-
Tending the fatherland inch by
inch"
(The extent of the menace to
the Greek left f1ank-hinged at
the juncture of the Greek, Bull
garian and Yugoslav frontiers
was not explained Immediately.
However, the Germans have
been driving into Southeastern
Yugoslavia toward Skoplje and
the Vardar River. and a general
withdrawal of Yugoslav forces
from the frontier mountains in
this sector might open to the
Germans the broad Vardar VAL
ley. 1t runs south to Salonika,
cutting behind the present Greek
defense system along the
Struma.)
Death Battalion Meets Brunt.
The Greeks have a death battal-
ion meeting the brunt of the Nazi
attack, the newspaper Kathimerini
said, formed of volunteers for serv-
ice in outposts. Every man, the
paper said, was highly qualified for
the work of defending the positions
to the last moment to cover the
withdrawal of the main forces.
After that, the paper said, their job
was the blow up all communications
and bridges before falling back.
The paper related that one group
of $50 held back a German force 20
times as large for SO hours.
Greek correspondents returning
from Yugoslavia today brought only
fragmentary accounts of the war.
They said terrific air battles were
being waged over Skoplje and other
cities and that Yugoslav troops were
fighting valiantly against superior
German forces.
Apparently YugoSlavia was get
ting the heaviest fighting since the
battle of France. The United States
legation at Athens has been unable
to communicate with the legation at
Belgrade since Sunday.
Admit Two Forts Lost.
The Greeks earlier acknowledged
the loss of two border forts in the
Valley and evacuation of
Western Thrace, but said the main
Struma defenses were unbroken.
Several ravines are heaped with
(See ATHENS, Page A-3D