Evening star., 1941-04-18
Advancing Divisions
Sight Porto Edda,
Italians Declare
Occupation Of YusosIov
Adriutic Coost Now
Reported Complete
~ tts Associated Press.

~ aht hoooSAatCa iNSot
ROME, April 18.-Itahan divisions,
advancing without rest against the
Greeks, are within sight of Porto
Edda, the Albanian port formerly
known as Santi Quaranta but which
was renamed for Premier Mussolini's
daughter, the official Italian news
agency reported today.
Porto Edda is the last Albanian
port held by the Greeks, who oc-
eupied it December s.
Premet, Argirocastro and Porto
Palermo also have been reoccupied
by the Italians, driving the Greeks
back in disorder, the high command
said.
Arrival of Fascist troops at Du-
brovnik coming from both north and
south also completed occupation OF
Yugoslavia's Adriatic coast, the high
command indicated.
Hitting Hammer Blows.
Describing the advance on Porto
Edda, which is opposite the Island
OF Corfu, Stefani, the news agency,
said, "Our columns are hitting the
enemy line with hammer blows,
pulverizing every attempt at de-
tense"
The dispatch said the Italian 9Th
Army, after deepening its wedge at
Klsura, was carrying out huge
encircling movement in which Porto
Palermo was occupied.
This action relieved the long
Greek threat at Valona. Porto
Palermo is north of Porto Edda.
Premet fell to the Greek forces
last December and they took the
important city of Argirocastro four
days later. The two towns are IN
Southern Albania only about 10
miles from the Greek-Alban1an
border.
Dubrovnik is about rs miles
up the coast from the northern
border of Albania. Porto Palermo
is 6 miles south of Chimara, which
the Greeks captured December 23
in a vain drive to reach the port
of Valona further up the coast.
Chimara had been mentioned at one
time as the extreme west END OF the
Greek Allied defense line.
Motor Columns at Dubrovnik.
an Yugoslavia. after occupying
Mostar and breaking through the
last enemy resistance at Metkovic,
the Italian second army's motorized
columns reached Dubrovnlk and
Joined fast moving troops coming
from Albania which had occupied
Cetinje and Rotor" the high COM
mand communique said.
"On the Greek front" 1t added,
a maneuver to encircle enemy
armies drawn up between the Osum
River and the sea is in full swing.
sss The enemy, everywhere pursued
by our troops and machine-gunned
and bombed by our air squadrons, is
falling back in disorder, leaving
many prisoners and all kinds OF ma
terial in our hands"
Earlier Italian dispatches said the
Greek Army retreating from Klisura,
Albania, was in grave peril of being
cut of by an Italian column pushing
toward Perat, on the Greek
Albanian border.
The bridge over the Viosa River
at Perat, affording the only means
OF escape, is being bombed constant
" by Italian dive bombers, cor
respondents reported.
Sneed tn Jutercent Greeks.
Fascist troops who captured Erseke
are speeding south, they said, in an
effort to intercept the retreating
Greeks before they are able to cross
the Viosa, which intersects the
Greek-Albanian frontier at Perat.
Perat is about 20 miles airline
south of Erseke and 80 miles SOUTH
east of Klisura.
South of Klisura, in the italian
18th Army sector, the Greeks were
reported resisting strongly. The COR
respondent of II Popolo di Roma
said Fascist forces on this front
were Obliged to exert themselves to
the utmost in order to prevail"
With the occupation of Cetinje
two days ago, the Italians claimed
to have liberated" all of Yugoslav
Montenegro, former independent
Balkan kindom which was the ma
tive land of Italy's Queen Elena.
When Italian troops entered Cetinje
a message was sent to the Queen
telling of the soldiers joy at having
participated in the action.
Stefani said that in Cetinje and
other Montenegrin towns the ma
tional flag which few during the
reign Of King Nicholas, father of
Queen Elena, again was displayed
when Italian troops approached.