Evening star., 1944-10-05
Port of Putrui
Entered by Sea
And Lund Forces
BY the Associated Press.

MIMI, OCb. C.-CtIlkllR from
the sea and air, British troops
have landed in Western Greece,
entered the port of Patrai and
seized airf1elds from which Raj
Spitfires already are operating
in support of the effort to drive
out or destroy German garrisons.
The Allied command, announcing
the invasion today, said landing
forces had made contact with the
enemy both in Greece and neighbor-
ing Southern Albania, where other
units went ashore 10 days ago.
The announcement gave no indi-
cation of the size of the new landing
force, but 1t is believed the units
operating both in Greece and AL
bania are small compared with pre-
vious Allied landings in Africa,
Sicily, Italy and France.
There appeared a strong possibil-
ity the operations might swiftly end
German rule throughout the Bal
kans.
(Reliable reports reaching Cairo
said the Germans had carried out
demolitions In the Corinth Canal
to block movements through the
Gulf OF Corinth and to form
large obstacle for forces proceed.
ing overland from the Pelopon-
neSus.)
Extent Of Resistance Not Given.
There was no immediate report on
the extent of German resistance at
Patrai, a city of 81 900 and Greece's
third largest port, or elsewhere, but
the Germans recently were said to
have three divisions on the Greek
mainland as well as other elements
evacuated from Crete and the
Aegean Islands.
All these have been reported ready
to flee northward on a moments
notice to escape the jaws of a great
trap closing in on the whole Balkans
with Russians, advancing from the
east and Allied forces with Patriot
support striking from the west.
In Albania the Allied forces were
attempting to cut enemy commune
cations around the port of Sarande,
supply base for the German gar
rison OF the strongly defended island
Of Corfu ,tKerkyra).
British parachute troops struck
the first blow in Greece. They
quickly seized an airfield on the
Peloponnesus from which Spitfires
wefe operating before the landin4s
from the sea began. Air transport
planes carried in other troops. BY
Tuesday night the invaders were
entering Patras.
The parachute troops and sea-
borne units were given q joyful well
come by the Greek natives who
under stern German rule have suf-
fered severely from food shortages.
The Allies already have promised
essential foods and medical supplies
to the country, which for six months
In l940-4l fought an attacking Ital-
ian Army to a standstill and might
have pushed it into the sea but for
a German drive across the Balkans.
Lending support to the invaders,
Mustangs from the United States
18th Air Force swarmed over the
Kalamaki, Tatoi and Elevsis air
dromes in the Athens area, destroy
ing several grounded enemy planes,
but meeting no all opposition.
Other planes blasted the thread
bare enemy lines of communication
through Yugoslavia, on which the
Germans must pin their last hope of
getting their Balkan garrisons back
to the fatherland.
liz Miles West of Athens.
Patrai, the only area of invasion
given in the first announcement of
the landings in Greece, lies ap-
proximately 112 miles west of Athens
near the entrance to the Gulf of
Corinth. 1t is on the north shore
OF the Peloponnesus.
The invasion returned British
troops to the Greek mainland for
the first time since l941, when an
ill-fated expeditionary force was
forced to flee before the then all
powerful German Army.
Earlier in the week Allied forces
occupied the island of Kythera of
the southern tip of the Peloponnesus
without opposition.
Today's announcement said lib
Grafton of the Greek islands was
continuing, but none of them was
mentioned by name.
n II ~ "A