Evening star., 1941-02-13
British Expect Attempts to Seal Gibro
London Circles Believe Spain Will Give Germans Free
Movement; Turks May Fight but Greece Will Be Cut Off
BY DREW MIDDLETON,


LONDON, Feb. 13.-British circles
said today twin German thrusts
at Gibraltar and the Suez Canal
were expected within the next 80
days" In an effort to seal both ends
of the Mediterranean and isolate
British forces in the Libyan cam
paign.
A drive in the west, they asserted,
would be made with the full &C
quiescence of the Spanish govern
ment. which would allow the Ger
mans free movement through Spain
The drive in the east probably
will force the Turks to fight" but
this new foe would be balanced by
cutting off Greece, they added.
Mussolini Appeals to Franco.
1t was said the Premier MuSso-
lini of Italy was believed to have
appealed to Generalissimo Fran
cisco Franco in their Italian meet
ing yesterday for cooperation in
q German attack on Gibraltar.
British squadrons patrolling the
Western Mediterranean operate
from The Rock" which guards the
western end of the sea.
Few in London believe Bulgaria
would resist what was believed here
to be an imminent thrust through
that country by troops in Rumania,
plus two divisions of $4,000 men in
Bulgaria.
LAS soon as the Germans have
taken over Bulgaria, and they will
do this speedily, they will have a
route to Salonika through Rupel
Pass and along Seres roads" one
informant asserted.
Thus the Nazis would be in po-
sition to cut Greek communications
to Athens with an armored drive
southwark.
The natural corollary, it was
added, would be encirclement Of
Yugoslavia, which still is neutral.
Turkeys Plans Defensive.
Turkeys emphasis on defensive
lines led neutral military observers
to believe that, despite the stiffen-
ing of her attitude, the Turkish gen.
eral staff would prefer to stand on
its defenses rather than attempt
to meet the Germans in Bulgaria.
Oddly enough, there was little
apprehension in British military
circles over the fate of Gibraltar
as a fortress.
I'VE can hold Gibraltar forever
if need be-" one military man said,
"and a German Army on Spanish
soil would be sure to revive the
Spanish Republican movement
which the Germans helped snuff
out in Spain's Civil War"
According to the picture drawn in
British circles, the prime objective
of the first phase of German drive
in the east would be Salonika,
Greece.
Capture of Salonika would provide
a base for air and sea raids on Alex
andria, Britains naval bastion in
the Eastern Mediterranean, they
said.
1t was indicated that Britain was
mobilizing all her diplomatic re-
sources in the Balkans in an effort
to offset the danger of a German
thrust through Bulgaria.
Attitude Toward Bulgaria.
British diplomatic sources offered
an outline of Britains attitude
toward Bulgaria, asserting that
Prime Minister Churchill in his Sum-
day broadcast did not ask Bulgaria
to abandon her neutrality in favor
of Britain or any one else, but to
preserve and defend it,"
These sources emphasized that
Britain at no time had asked Bull
garia Ito attack Germany"
Diplomats said the status of Ru-
mania remained obscure. 1t was not
clear whether that country was re-
garded officially as enemy occupied
territory" like Denmark or Norway.
The general belief was that, until
Rumania is placed in that category,
the Royal Air Force will not bomb
the German-held Rumanian oil
fields.
The objectives of the British diplo-
matte campaign in the Balkans were
outlined as follows:
l. To insure Turkish support in
the Near East.
2. To encourage the Greeks to
continue their fight against the
italians.
3. To induce Bulgaria to resist
possible German invasion by accom-
plishing the first two objectives.
GambIed After Dunkerque.
Authorized sources said that while
Britain could increase her fighting
forces in the Near East as the sit
uation demanded there was limit
as to how many men she could send
in view of the threats to England.
when things were looking the
worst for us after Dunkerque we
quite frankly took gamble by send
ing urgently needed men and mate
rial to the Mediterranean and we
won," one source commented.
BE assured we are going to pro-
tect our winnings but we are not los
ing sight of the fact that any Balkan
or Mediterranean show is bound to
be a side issue for Hitler. He knows
he can't beat us without stabbine
the heart and the heart Is England