Evening star., 1941-01-13
Gen. Soddu Resigns
Due to I'll Health;
CovoIIero Successor
By the Associated Press.

terranean.
italian authorities insisted the
situation behind the lines in Albania
was satisfactory and an official an
nouncement said Gen. Ubaldo Soddu
who had been in command since
November 10. has been relieved be-
cause of his health
Today's high command commulil'
Que said an italian plane had tor
pedoed big enemy Warship' II
the Western Mediterranean. Thus
since Friday. nine British ships have
been listed as bombed or torpedoec
by Italian naval forces and COM
bined German Italian air units. Al
least one of them, a cruiser, was
declared to have been left in sinking
condition.
Relieved at Own Request.
Gen. Soddu was relieved at his
own request, the official announce
ment said.
Gen. Cavallero retains his position
as chief of staff, in which he
succeeded Marshal Pietro Badogho
December 6. Gen. Badoglio also re-
signed "at his own request.
The official announcement said:
Gen. Ubaldo Soddu. commander
OF Italian troops stationed IN Al
bania, has been relieved because OF
his health and replaced by Chief OF
Staff Gen. Ugo Cavallero,'
Stefan. the official italian news
agency, said Gen. Soddu asked TO
be relieved of command OF the army
group in Albania because OF his
health. which will force him to pass
several months in treatment ana
rest"
Deny Albanian Riots.
Greek attacks on Italian positions,
particularly those of Italy's llth
Army on the southern front in Al
bania. have been reported in the
daily war bulletins recently usually
in the phrase, Local actions, With
out announcements of any Italian
losses of territory.
Italian authorities insisted that
conditions behind the lines in Al
bania were satisfactory. They
categorically denied British reports
of riots among Albanians. They
said not a single incident had oc-
Cured which could justify such
rumors"
The high command identi-
fed one of the British ships
said to have been struck by tor
pedo last Friday in the Strait OF
Sicily as battleship of the Malaga
81, ,100-ton class.
The daily war bulletin said British
planes bombed Turin, Venice and
Catania last night, killing one per-
son at Venice and injuring several
others. Some damage" was said
to have been caused.
Two Planes Claimed.
Two British planes were reported
shot down over Catania and Venice.
Six men of one crew were said to
have been taken prisoner.
The communique reported patrol
and artillery activity on the Alban-
ian front and artillery action around
besieged Tobruk.
British attacks on Italian posts
along the Sudan frontier were said
to have been repulsed.
The high command reported also
that "one of our fast columns
clashed with British forces in the
desert around the Italian oasis
stronghold at Giarabub, $50 miles
south of Bardia.
Gayda Cites Sea, Air Attacks.
Repeated axis air and sea attacks
on British sea power in the Medi-
terranean over the week end were
cited by the authoritative Fascist
editor Virginio Gayda as proof that
''the new Italo-German war col
laboration is in full swing"
Gayda said last night the show OF
axis power gave evidence that "Ital-
ian fighting forces are intact, eff
cient and ready for action" and
continue to dominate the Central
Mediterranean, splitting the British
Eastern and Western Mediterranean
naval forces.
The Italian high command said
yesterday one of two Italian torpedo
boats which attacked a British flo
tilla in the Central Mediterranean
was sunk by shellfire.
A second cruiser, identified as one
OF the 9,100-ton Birmingham class,
was reported hit by a heavy bomb
dropped by a German plane.
Members Of the torpedo boat crews
were said to have seen flames squirt
from two British destroyers during
the same bomb attack.
Turin Attacked Saturday.
The first dav of the attack the
Italians reported two British air.
craft carriers hit and a cruiser and
q destroyer damaged.
The attacks reported yesterday
were said to have taken place "in
the Central Mediterranean" those
the day before in the Sicilian Chan
mel between Sicily and French Tu-
nisia in North Africa.
Little direct news has been heard
OF Gen. Soddu since he went tc
Albania, but his retirement recalled
series of designations early in De-
Icember after the Greek campaign
had gone badly for weeks.
After Gen. Badoglio resigned De-
eenlber 6, Brig. Gen. Cesare Maria
de Vecchi Conte di Val Cismon re-
signed as governor of the Dodecanese
Islands December 7, and Admiral
Domenico Cavagnari resigned as
chief of the naval staff and as under
secretary of the navy December g.
The only official explanation given
for the designations was that each
left his post "at his own request
Gen. Soddu, born 81 years ago al
/, >, (see SODDU. Page A-3)