April 25, With the capitulation of the Greek armies in Epirus and Macedonia, and the evacuation of other forces by sea, the fact has to bbe, faced that the Germans have succeeded in assisting their Italian allies, and: are now on the verge of complete occupation of Greece. Thus Hitler has finished up for Mussolini the inglorious mess into which he got himself when he decided upon invasion. There does not appear to be much talk in Rome of an Italian victory. It would be idle if there were, for the fact is that the Germans were completely responsible for movements which forced the Greek withdrawal. Nevertheless the success of the Germans is such that the Greek King and his Government have been obliged to leave Athens and establish themselves in Crete signifying that though the Germans may overrun the country the Government intends to fight-on as best it can, There has not been any capitulation on the part of the continued with the forees which have managed to get away by sea, this hour of reverse it is as well to look back over what has been happening with regard to Greece during the past few months, Mussolini, fancying that the military machine which he had fashioned would be able to walk over Greece in the space of a few da} struck out of Albania with an invasion whi did: for a short while make some progress, Then, when the Greeks had fully mobilized their' strength, they struck back, and in a very short while had rid their country of the invader and were fighting him in his own territory, The almost unbroken series of successes which the Greeks gained over the Ualians will undoubtedly prove one of the most glorious pages in what was even before that a very glorious history. Against greater numbers, better equipped, the Greeks had little but their courage to strengthen them, and the sound thrashing which.they administered to the Italians was every whit as imposing as that which the British inflicted upon the same people in Cyrenaica and north-eastern Africa, When Hitler decided to move against Greece he threw forces into the field outnumbering the combined British and Greek forces, several times. By sheer weight of men and metal the Germans were able to forge ahead against a most stubborn resistance. There are some who seek to criti-size the British for ever venturing into the Balkans, or, as they have, for not sending there more substantial forces, 'The facts are that Great Britain considered herself in honour bound to give to the Greeks all the assistance she possibly could, but it is apparent that while that was done, it had the effect of weakening the British' position in northern Africa to such an extent that the Positions conquered in Cyrenaica had to be abandoned before the advance of Italian forces considerably strengthened by German reinforcements, without which it is doubtful whether the Italians would ever have dared to make the attempt. Even now, in face of* the reverse which the Allies have suffered in Greece, there cannot be the slightest doubt that the decision by the British command to run the risk in northern Africa of sonding help to Greece is justified on moral grounds no matter how it may be regarded from a purely practical, military point of view.
It is inevitable that the enemy should be indulging in his usual song and dance about the iniquity of the British in not sending greater strength to Greece and to quote one particularly foul article "getting others to fight for them." Thi gross libel of a valiant and great race—the Greeks, They chose to fight for the preservation of their honour and the salvation of their country if that were possible. They had no promise of British assistance when they decided resist the Italians, fully realizing that sooner or later the Germans would be obliged to come to ald Mussolini's troops. As a free and noble people, and not as the dupes of the British, they' decided to defend themselves. It is to be.regretted that the issue has not been decided other than it has. But the end is not yet, and the time will come when the sacrifices of the Greeks will be shown not to have been in vain, and they will regain their country richer in honour than ever before.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.