The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-08-02
Cretes Told To Aid
Pro-Ally Italians
Continued from Page u

cabinet member, to mediate between
the Badoglio government and the
Allies to have Rome declared an
opn city and to neutralize southern
Italy
Latest reports reaching the Jugo-
slav exile government here from
Gen. Draja Mikhailovitch's noun
tain headquarters were that 5000
Slovene guerillaS were engaging Ital.
ian troops in severe fighting in the
mountainous Udine area of north
eastern Italy.
Natives Taking Up Arms
The patriots we're said to have
extended their penetration of Italy
to between 20 and 80 miles after
cracking Italian lines in the Kobarid
Mountains on the Italo-Cr FROM
tier. The native population 'in
great numbers" are taking up arms
and joining the patriots, it was re-
ported.
One guerilla detachment am
pushed a German convoy rushing
reinforcements to Trieste, then re-
tired to the mountains after short
clash, Jugoslav government circles
said.
A serious clash between Italian
and German troops occurred at
Brescia, SO miles east Of Milan,
Madrid heard. Shots were ex-
changed by the italian and German
outposts, but quiet later was re-
stored.
Madrid reported that the Ger
mans were forcing the Italians to
abandon fortified positions and were
hampering italian troop movements
in northern Italy.
Fighting broke out among Ger
man and Italian forces on Crete
when the Nazis began disarming
their ALLIES" presumably to pre-
vent them from returning home
should Italy bow out of the war,
according to British general head
quarters in the Middle-East.
One Italian unit which refused to
lay down its arms was said to have
been surrounded and fired upon by
the Germans. ther italian troops
were tricked into entering the Ger
man-occupied area and they were
disarmed, Cairo reported.
The London Daily Telegraph
said three Italian divisions already
have left the Epirus region Of
Greece for Albania from which they
plan to embark Tor Italy.
Panic Spreads
Tfoliov, frny,finr ..sJ
confusion and panic rules among
100000 Italians hastily evacuating
cities which they believed were
marked for destruction from the air
by the Allies.
Partly responsible was the lack
of transportation. A large part Of
the railway personnel has been on
strike since last Monday and both
railways and other transport al
ready have been disrupted by Allied
Bombs.
The situation in northern Italy
was reported tense. Military police
and Carabinieri, including reinforce
ments rushed from Bologna and
Florence, seized large numbed OF
soldiers in Milan and Turin Friday
and Saturday for refusing to obey
orders to pu down peace demon
strations, many of which were led
Communist elements.
The arrested troops will be tried
by military tribunals, frontier dis
patches said.
Numerous civilians also were ar
rested in the twin northern indus
trial centers amid evident signs
that the government was attempting
to tighten up enforcement of mar
tial law.
Uncensored copies Of the Turin
newspaper, La Stampa, confirmed
previous reports that crowds In the
first flush o. excitement over the
custer of Benito Mussolini last week
had stormed jails in several north
ern Italian cities and released poll
tical prisoners.
La Stampa carried proclamation
Of Gen. Enrico Rossi, commander Of
the military zone, warning that pol
itical prisoners who escaped" from
Jail would be liable to heavy punish
ment unless they returned within
three days.