Evening star., 1941-04-11
Germans Reported
Fighting to Turn
Second Line FIonks
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ATHENS, April 11.-BritiSh ex-
peditionary troops have clashed
with Adolf Hitler'S blitzkrieg in
vaders for the first time in
Northern Greece, it was official
ly announced today, and the bat
tie of Greece apparently is de-
veloping.
Striking toward the right-wing
anchor of the British-Greek main
defense line, in the vicinity of tabled
Mount olympus, the Germans were
reported to have captured Yanitza,
48 miles due north of the Olympus
range.
Striking Through Pass.
Other Nazi columns were re-
ported trying to push through the
Bitolj (Monastir) Pass. in South
west Yugoslavia, threatening the
British left wing in a drive toward
Phlorina, Northern Greece.
Headquarters of the British Expe-
dictionary Force reported stifening
resistance against the Germans in
Southern Yugoslavia where Nazi
armored columns were said to be
rolling southwark from Prilep,
Yugoslavia, toward Phlorina.
Refugees arriving from Yugo-
slavia said the Slav forces fought
valiantly, inflicting terrific losses on
the invaders and suffering heavy
casualties themselves, but that they
had been unprepared for the violent
Nazl attack in the Strumica region,
between the Struma and Vardar
River Valleys.
They quoted Yugoslav generals as
attributing the defeat mainly to a
breakdown in communications,
which left many units struggling in
the dark, without knowledge of the
movements of other units.
Contact Established Yesterday.
A terse communique by the British
Expeditionary Force announced that
British troops established contact
with the Germans yesterday.
PRESUMABLY this contact was
developing today into a major
engagement at Bitolj Gap, just
east of the junction of the AL
Misunderstanding borders.
GA British Broadcasting Corp.
bulletin said German troops were
attempting to force passage
through the gap, under heavy
r. A. F. attack. Evidently the
Germans, having reached the
Albanian frontier, were trying
to turn the left end of the Brit
ish line in Greece
A British Royal Air Force COM
munique said British bombers and
fighters yesterday attacked IAN
enemy motor transport column"
near Bitolj, which is about 7 miles
above the Greek frontier, while
fighters machine-gunned trucks
and troops on Bitolj Airdrome, caus-
ing many casualties.
"Armored columns on the road be-
tween Phlorina and Prilep were
bombed successfully from low alti-
tude," the announcement added
Phlorina is less than 20 miles
south of Bitolj, while Pilep is about
rs miles northeast of Bitolj.
r. A. F. Hammers at KenaH.
Between Bitolj and Phlorina, the
Royal Air Force hammered at
Kenali, which lies short distance
north of the Greek -Yugoslav
frontier.
Railway stores in Kenali, Yugo-
slavia. were bombed and troops
machine-gunned," the communique
said.
The British operations, from which
all aircraft were reported to have
returned safely, were carried out in
extremely bad weather.
This new development, threat
ening Greece from the northwest,
came as the Nazis' blitzkrieg on
Greek soil itself appeared to have
slowed down while Greek and Brit
ish forces joined arms along solid
mountain barrier across the HELEN
ic Peninsula.
In the first phase of the blitz-
krieg, which engulfed Western
Thrace, Eastern Macedonia and the
port of Salonika, geographical fea-
lures favored the German invaders,
but now the defenders have noun
tains on their side, Greeks as
serted.
Lull Indicated Last Night.
Last nights Greek high command
communique had indicated an al
most complete lull on both the
See ATHENs page 40