The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-05-24
Field Marshal EnricO ca
viglia, 81, Most Likely
Choice at Present
100000 Modified
FOR ALLIED INVASION
New Drafts More Than Re.
place Army Losses in
North Africa
BY SAMUEL ID. HALES
UNITED Press Staff Correspondent.


London, May "a. - (UP)
- The London Daily Mail
said today that Italy has mo-
bilized 100000 men - prob
ably a larger army than with
which she entered the war =
to meet the imminent threat
of an Allied invasion. New
drafts have more than re-
placed the larger losses suf-
fered by the Army in Tunisia and
elsewhere in North Africa, the news
paper said. Equipment is the main
weakness of the home defense force,
the dispatch said, but it emphasizes
that the Italians probably will put
up much SITTER resistance in de"
Tense of their homeland than they
did in Africa.
Overthrow Likely
Nevertheless, reports from con-
tinental sources persisted that an
11th-hour anti-Mussolini coup may
take Italy out of the war. One pos
sibility, according to information
reaching here through neutral cham
nels, was that junta of generals.
with the acquiescence of the royal
family, will overthrow the Fascist
regime and install one OF their
number acceptable to the United
Nations.
Most likely choice to head such
an Fascist regime, these reports
said, was 81-year- old Field Marshal
Enrico Caviglia. one of Italy's five
outstanding World War generals
and a former war minister. He re-
tired when Mussolini became pre-
mier, repeatedly telling the dictator
that he could not continue In office
because he owed all his allegiance
to the king.
Other possible leaders Of an anti
Fascist regime were Field Marshal
Pietro Badoglio, conquerer of Ethio-
pia, and Count Dino Grandi, but
both have been identified in the
past with the Fascist party in vary
ing degrees and therefore probably
would be less acceptable to the Al
lies.
However a Daily Express dispatch
from IStanbul said King Victor En-
manuel was believed to favor Ba-
doglio. This source claimed that the
German ambassador to Rome, DR..
George Won Mackensen, also was
throwing his support behind the
king as part Of scheme to have
Italy arrange a separate peace ard
become neutral, thus depriving the
Allies of air bases for attacks on
the Balkans and Germany itself.
Mackensen Meets Muzzy
The Russian news agency Tass
reported that Mackensen conferred
three times with Mussolini during
the past week. Mussolini was said
to have demanded that the ambas-
sador arrange for the transfer OF
German heavy coastal artillery to
southern italy.
Indications that Italian troops
were being brought back TO their
homeland from the Balkans because
of the invasion threat were seen in
a Stefani Gtalian) dispatch from
cara on the Dalmattan CoSat.
The dispatch reported that whole
battalions of squadristi-first class
Italian infantry-were being trans
ferred from Dalmatia to "other
zones" The British radio said that
German troops made their first APP
pearance in Montenegro, southeast
of Dalmatia, where guerrillas have
launched new attacks on italian
occupation forces.
San Giovanni Blasted
Cairo, May 24-(UP)-BritiShr
heavy bombers scored hits on the
railway sidings near the ferry
berths at San Giovanni, Italian
mainland terminus of the railway
ferry from Sicily, Saturday night,
conmunique announced today.
During intensive sweeps of enemy
a