Evening star., 1941-04-08
Athens
Continued From First Page)

German bodies and dozens of
smashed tanks and armored cars,
dispatches from the front said.
In one valley, these accounts said,
the Greeks let the Germans advance
some distance without opposition
and then opened with heavy ar
tillery and machine-gun fire from
the forest and from nests concealed
on hillsides.
This column was nearly destroyed,
the dispatches said. Those who
survived fed.
Withdrawal of weak screening
forces" from Greece's Western
Thracean frontier with Turkey, was
described by the high command as
lin accordance with our plan, and
to avoid useless sacrifices"
That made the narrow, mountain
trimmed valley of the Struma River
from the Bulgarian frontier to the
Aegean Sea Greece's front line, and
fort, after fort there was reported to
have stood off hard-driven attacks
by German bombers, tanks and
infantry.
Clusters of parachute troopers
were reported dropped from German
planes behind the Greek lines, but
these were being captured, Greek
spokesman said.
The Greeks, whose defense posi-
tions were being strengthened by
steady stream of British imperial
forces, including veterans from the
Army Of the Nile. reported counter
attacks of their own and said bay
onet charges and hand-to-hand
fighting left German dead heaped
before the strong points they at
tempted to capture.
Tank Attacks Beaten Back.
Forts Istinbey and Kelkaya, out
posts of the Greek defenses just
south Of the Bulgarian frontier
along the Struma Valley, were the
two the Germans were said to have
seized yesterday. :,
Bevond them Forts Rupel and
Ussita were reported to have with
stood "intense bombardment from
the air and heavy artillery and
beaten back tank-led attacks with
which the Germans tried to break a
way through one of the Struma S
narrowest passes.
The high command gave this &C
count of the defense at other strong
points:
ION the high Nevrokopi plateau
(east of the Struma) the enemy
managed to penetrate forts, but,
after fighting in the subterranean
galleries, the attackers were deci-
mated and the forts remained In
our hands.
Further enemy efforts in the di-
rection of Fort Lyssi made by tanks
we're repelled and many tanks were
destroyed by gunfire.
In the same region an officer at
the head of one of our detachments
intrusted with destruction OF a
bridge to the north of the Nevrokopi
waited until the enemy tanks were
crossing it before firing the charge
and destroyed all the tanks.
"Echinos and Nymphaeon Forts
guarding the wav from Western
Thrace) withstood attacks and pre-
vented the passage of heavy ma
terial. ."
At the same time, the Greek COM
munique reported vigorous action
against italian forces in Albania
and said 500 prisoners were taken
and large quantities OF arms and
supplies seized.
(The Italians declared yester-
day they had broken up Greek
| effort to break through to join
Yugoslav forces north Of Lake
Ochrida and said the Greek divi-
sion which made the attack
virtually was wiped out)
Thousands of British empire
troops-English, Australian and New
Zealanders were said to have
brought to the Greek front lines the
best weapons Britain and the United
States could provide.
Most Of their equipment was
described as glistenins new, but