Evening star., 1943-11-17
Red Forces Close In on Gome|;
Germans Admit New Setbocks;
Nozis Capture Leros, IN Aegean
Allies Yield Island
In Dodecunese After
Severe Fighting
BY the Associated Press.

CAIRO, Nov. 1.-THE British
command announced today the
loss of Leros to German invasion
troops, one more major setback
for the Allied attempt to seize
and hold the Dodecanese Islands
outer defense line for Hitler
Balkans.
"Organized resistance ceased" late
yesterday after IAN overwhelming
air bombardment" and landings OF
fresh Nazi forces, a Middle East
communique said
tBy German account, the Allies
have lost all their footholds in
the Dodecanese and the Nazis
have control of the sea lanes in
the Aegean)
The British in September landed
on Leros. Cos and Castelrosso, in
the Dodecanse, and the Greek
island of SamoS, less than 20 milea
north of Leros. This campaign in
the Mediterranean was described as
not an isolated effort but part of the
major strategy of the Mediterranean
war.
Took Cos Last Month.
In mid-October the Germans said
they had retaken Castelrosso. Cos
fell last month.
(Other Allied landings were in
dicated, but not announced off,
cially, with the Germans claim
ing reoccupation of Symi and
Stampalia oAstypalaea). They
also reported repulse of British
Commando raid in October
against Kalymnos, between Cos
and Leros)
The Germans threw picked battle
teams into the fight for Leros, which
opened last Friday. Leros is about
the size of Manhattan. Some of
their troops were veterans of the
reconquest Of Cos, 20 miles south of
Leros, and others were from Crete.
Rhodes and the Balkans.
The Middle East command said
the island fell after very severe
fighting and in spite of the most
determined resistance"
Nazis Win Good Harbors.
Possession of Leros gives the Ger
mans excellent harbors, including
the naval base of Lakki Bay and the
deep harbor of Alinda on the east
coast, across the sea lanes of the
Dodecanese.
"a German broadcast reporting
the capture of the island said
5000 British and 5000 Italian
troops were taken prisoners, along
with 130 guns
No further details on Leros-where
only yesterday the Allied position
had been reported strengthened
were given by the Allied commu-
nique.
1t said Allied fighter planes made
extensive sweeps over the Aegean
area yesterday, with enemy install
lations damaged on Crete, and an
enemy plane downed over Leros.
Bombers by night hit the airfields
OF Calato and Martha on Rhodes
and preliminary reports point to
both attacks being successful"
Ferry Blown Up.
Beaufighters blew up ferry west
OF Calinos. Three Allied planes were
lost in all operations.
In their successful fight to win
Leros from British forces which
moved in after Italy surrendered
the Germans Waged a dual-purpose
Struggle-to protect their first line
OF defense of the Balkans and to
impress the Turks that they still
have power in the Aegean.
The British-Italian garrison was
under constant assault from Ger
man planes based on Rhodes, 80
miles away. Leros is only eight
miles long and three miles wide.
Deep, rocky inlets around the coast
make its defense difficult.
British occupation troops are still
on Samos. There have been uncon-
firmed reports that when they oc-
cupied the other islands the British
also moved troops into Castelrosso,
which is about 80 miles east of
Rhodes.
Link to Turk Situation Seen.
Perhaps the main purpose of the
Germans in wagering bitter and
costly struggle for Leros was to
keep Turkey, which is friendly to
the Allies, in state of non-b -belliger-
ency. The fight came close after a
meeting at Cairo between British
Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden
and human Menemencioglu, Turk
lsh foreign minister.
1t remains to be seen what effect
the German diversion in the Aegean
will have on other fronts in the
Balkans, Russia and Italy. The Brit
ish recall that air operations in the
capture of Crete in the spring of
1941 had an almost Gripping effect
on the German Air Force for time
] D.1.