Word: albania
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Hitler obviously cannot let Mussolini lose in Albania and Libya. The former campaign, planned as a pushover, was to have been only the warm-up for a much larger Axis drive into the Near East conducted in the usual Hitler manner: politics backed by power. The thrust into Egypt, even if not successful in capturing Suez, was at least to occupy Britain's full strength in the Near East while other Axis victories were won northeast of Suez. Now both shows had not only flopped but threatened to cost the Axis dear in power and prestige. Reports began flowing...
About 100 tons of shells flew into Valona, the Italians' best debarkation place in Albania. They smashed into what the R. A. F. had left of the docks, barracks, supply piles, truck parks, oil dumps...
...Italy's collapse had still to occur. Though the battle in Egypt was a major victory for Britain, her first in the war, even well-informed Londoners guessed it was not decisive. It was equally hard to see how the Greek invasion of Albania could be decisive. The best the Greeks could do would be to get all of Albania, and last week's lull suggested that this was pretty much to hope...
Explaining the necessity of this acceleration of production, the letter points out that despite Britain's recent successes in Albania and Egypt, her position still remains critical. "Bombings and submarine attacks are taking a steady tell of British resources," it states, "and Germany's military might cannot be withstood without a greatly increased output of planes, shipping, and supplies in this country...
Grief of the Ally. Italians last week rode to cold homes in dark, jampacked busses. The grapevine added details to succinct communiques reporting the setbacks in Albania and the shake-up in the High Command (see p. 28). There were uncon firmed reports of rioting. In Rome there was grumbling over ever-increasing prices and the severe rationing of already frugal meals. Spaghetti, flour and rice were added to the list of rationed foods. Any farmer withholding his crops from compulsory storage was ordered imprisoned for a year...