The Wilmington morning star., 1941-02-24
MUSSOLINI SAYS
A z STATIONED
IN SICILY, LlBYA
CONTINUED From Page One)

,UUU IOu11Oo VI oAASAAo, A'o11'
287. 275 rounds of small arm am
munition, 1877 tons of other ma
terials, 779 tanks, some Of them
heavy; 1854 trucks, and 4,809 mo-
torcycles.
Dedicated to Defense
''These figures show that an ef-
fort which may be called impos-
ing was dedicated to the defense
of Libya," Mussolini sho"ted. THE
same thing may be said about the
preparations for resistance in East
Africa, Notwithstanding the dis
tances and the total isolation which
exalts the will and courage of our
soldiers"
(The British have claimed over
100, 900 prisoners in the Libyan
campaign and numerous guns,
tanks and trucks.)
AT present, Mussolini said, Italy
has about 1000, 900 men under
arms, but could have 1000, 900 this
year.
He explained the Italian defeat
in Africa by saying the British
jumped Give to ten days. before
the Italians expected to start their
own offensive, and offered a SIM
liar explanation for Italy's delayed
entrance into the war last June
10. Italy, he declared, would have
been in the war from the begin
ming had she been ready.
But the largest section of his
address was devoted to the power
of Nazi Germany. This power, he
asserted, did not diminish during
the winter but rather increased
by ''gigantic' proportions.
Losses Held Down
Germany's human losses were
held to "a minimum in proper.
ton to the effort, and losses in
material were insignificant" he
declared.
INLAY it be said for foreigners
who are always ready for wicked
SANDER that the behavior of Ger
man soldiers in Sicily and Libya
is perfect in every way" he added.
Italy's losses in the Greek cam
paign, he assured his listeners,
were limited to "a few thousands,
mostly wounded while the Greek
losses have been Extremely
high"
Italy was forced into the war
with Greece, he said, b e C a u S e
Greece would not renounce British
guarantees.
AS in. Libya, he continued, men
and arms have been sent to Al.
bania without reserve"
"Let it be said one for ALL"
he roared, that our soldiers in
Albania have fought superbly. The
Alpini especially have writer
pages of glory which would honor
any army"
Conceding that the Italians have
been having gray days" in Afri-
ca, Mussolini said that happens
in every war;"
He told his listeners that two of
the battleships damaged by Brit
ish aerial torpedoes in the Nov.
II attack on the laramie naval
base have been repaired and are
virtually ready to return to serv-
ice.
All Fronts Common
Speaking of German aid to It.
ally, he said:
1.-THE cooperation offered by the
fuehrer of the German air and
armored attachments now in the
Mediterranean sea is only proof
that all fronts are common dor
the Axis) and that the efforts are
common"
The a S S e m b l e d blackshirts
cheered him loudly.
Mussolini referred twice to the
United States. The first time he
said: England is alone. This iso-
lation pushes here towards the
United States from which she des-
perately and urgently invokes aid.
tober, 1888, chiefly in New Jersey.
The industrial power of the United
States is certainly great, but for
it to be felt, supplies must reach
England safely and must be in
quantities not only to compensate
for the destruction wrought and to
be wrought on the industrial plants
of Britain, but to give superiority
yer Germany which is impossi-
be because men, machines and
raw materials of the entire Euro
pean continent r now working
with Germany"
The second reference to the Unit
ed States was this:
Let me say that what is hap
pening in the United States is one
of the most colossal mystifications
in the records of history. An il
fusion and a lie are at the base
of American Intervention, the il
fusion that the United States is
still a democracy while in fact
it is really a political financial
oligarchy dominated by Jewry
through a form of extremely per-
sonal dictatorship.
1T is a lie that the Axis powers
want to attack America after Brit
ain. Neither in Rome or Berlin
r fantastic projects of that kind
held. Such projects could only
come from an insane inclination.
Let Americans rest at east
and not believe that as regards
them is there a big bad wolf
which wishes to devour them. In