Evening star., 1941-04-23
Nazis Declared
To $ Miles
From Athens
Losses of English
Are Likened to
Flanders Retreat
Earlier Stories on Pages
Al and A-4.)
Py the Associated Press.


British troops were reported
embarking from Greece at FL
raeus and other Hellenic ports
today as the Germans were said
to have approached to within 35
miles of Athens.
La Tribuna, Rome newspaper,
echoed the dispatch from a Greek
front correspondent of II Giornale
dItalia with the statement that
British which were cut of were
surrendering while the remainder
Of the eXpeditionary force was fee
ing toward embarkation ports"
Meanwhile, Nazi spokesman in
Berlin asserted late today that AN
other Dunkerque is in full swing"
with British eXpeditionary troops
desperately trying to escape" after
Greece's northwest armies surren-
dered and King George II fed
Athens with his government to the
Isle of Crete.
Reuters, British news agency. said
tonight that the Athens radio had
broadcast an announcement that
King George and his government
had arrived in Crete.
Losses Likened to Flanders.
The NaA spokesman said British
losses were approaching casualty
figures in the bloody retreat from
Flanders at Dunkerque, France, II
months ago.
The conquest of all Greece is
practically effected he said.
With Germans sStuka bombers re-
ported to have destroyed seven ships
totalling $1,000 tons and damaged Y
others in Greek waters within the
past "a hours. Berlin spokesman ex-
pressed belief that few B. E. F.
soldiers in Greece would ever see
home again.
The German radio asserted that
10000 British soldiers had gone down
with transports sunk by Nazi dive
bomberS in Greek waters.
If true, this would be approxi~
matelv half of the B. Z. F. contin-
gent which rushed to the aid of the
Hellenic kingdom when Hitler's
armies started their twin drives into
Yugoslavia and Greece on Palm
Sunday. April 6.
Thermopylae Victory Claimed.
AS the Allied situation grew
hourly darker-althOugh the British
insisted they were still holding their
| lnes-Berhn reports said Nazi
panzer columns had "annihilated"
the British rear guard at Thermopy-
lac and stormed on through the pass
! toward Athens. 100 miles away.
Thus in IS days of violent assault,
! the battle of the Balkans appeared
to have all but ended in an Allied
/ debacle.
There was wide divergence as to
4 how many Greeks had surrendered.
/ Nazi quarters in Berlin said at least
250,C0G Greek troops capitulated un-
conGitionslly, caught in an axis trap
in their retreat from Albania. Fas-
cist press dispatches. however, pre-
vlously estimated the Greek armies
in EpiruS and Western Macedonia
at 100000. while Virginia Gayda,
Fascist editorial spokesman. last
night indicated that the trapped
Greeks totaled only some $4,000
men. The Greeks and British gave
no figure.
Relentlessly Pursue British.
The Germans said Nazi panzer
| columns were relentleSsly pursuing
the British expeditionary force to-
ward Athens, but the London radio
| declared that British Greek forces
were still fighting Stubbornly and
holding their lines unbroken in
new positions"
Premier MuSSolini's high command
announced that the Greek armies
in Epirus and Western Macedonia
laid down their arms at 9:04 pm.
t2:04 pm. E. S. To last night after
three high-ranking Greek officers
appeared under a white flag OF
truce and asked for terms. The
answer; Unconditional surrender.
II Giornale dItalia attributed the
Greek defeat to the "gallantry,
I courage and abnegation of the Ital-
ian soldier" and called it a lesson to
America.
Once more British war-m -monger-
| ing has committed an error in call
culation," the newspaper said, and
there is still somebody on the other
side of the ocean who is founding
and building its war-mongering on
(See BALKANS Page o-XO