Daily News from New York, New York • 259

LADS WHO FLY FOR BRITAIN Italian Somaliland All Ours, Say Britis V. UN liy EDWARD KENNEDY. Cairo, March 7 (P). -Final conquest of Italian Somaliland was proclaimed by British forces today, along with the capture, destruction or grounding of 12 Axis merchantmen in naval operations which knocked out the Axis' two chief The British Tcifee Ovev S3 bright-eyed, bubbling with EGYPTIAN l7 'Vv SOMALI. Youngsters in their early 20's, JEirnnns The (This is the fourth of a England on Invasion Eve.) liy DONALD MACKENZIE.

(Coovriirht 1141 by News Syndicate Co. Inc The adjutant of the crack Spitfire fighter squadron lgrabbed both the writer's hands in eagerness to welcome kuiucuuuj' iuiii ijx. 111a friend at Milton, Mass. "Come inside. The place UGANDA.

llmV KENYA VMT Nairobi rInJian-Qceon write the name of your paper and America in capital letters in the visitors' book," he ordered." (EaDnDDnDDQnnnnannaiS Tsmch series of articles describing wiie is oLtxiug wiin a. xmiiiy is yours and don't forget to In the background a number of young men with wings and ribbons on their chests smiled an eager welcome. Most of them, while flying American pursuit planes, have shot down Germans. All the unmarried ones 98 have color prints of Hollywood stars pasted up over their cots and to a man they are "sold" on the United States if only because one of their star performers is Pilot Officer Curly Donohue, onetime transport pilot in the Midwest. Regulations bar naming the squadron, its position or any flier other than Donohue.

But the station is one of the largest in the country, has an astronomical number of victories to its credit, is in ruins, according to Nazi communiques, and houses a small RAF army. Meeting the mess was like going down on honors list. D.S.O.'s, D.F.C.'s, A.F.C.'s and almost every decoration bestowed for heroism. Most of the pilots are as advertised youngsters their early 20's, bright-eyed, bubbling with life. Some bore crash scars.

One had a seamed white face that told of a blazing doomed plane that had vomited flames over his head before he leaped from a sky in- (Continued on page 6, col. bases for Indian Ocean raid ers Chisimaio and Mogadiscio. AH Fascist troops who have not surrendered or fallen in combat have been run out of Somaliland and ate fleeing into Ethiopia, a military spokesman declared here at Biitish general headquarters. He listed Italian casualties in the three-week Somaliland campaign at 21,000 including killed and prisoners and said an area of 100,000 square miles, half of the colony, is now under actual occupancy of British 5 Ships Seized, i Scuttled. The bulk of the Fascist force able to get away, he said, is along the Mogadiscio road toward Jijiga in northern Ethiopia, and another retreat is proceeding from Lugh Ferrandu, in the northern Juba River Valley area of Somaliland, toward the southern Ethiopian lakes.

Five Italian ships totaling tons were captured and four others were scuttled when the I5nt-ish battle units stormed up to Chisimaio on Feb. 15 in a coordinated attack by land and forces, the Admiralty said in London. A German ship, the Uckerniark, 7,021 tons, also was scuttled, and a second German ship, the 590-ton Askari, was driven ashore, it was related in a communique. Fleet Shells Capital. Then the fleet hastened on up the coast, flinging shells into Brava and Mogadiscio, Somaliland capital, and helping in the capture of the latter Feb.

20. At Mogadiscio the cruiser Shropshire sent her eight-inch shells into the Italian tanker Pennsylvania and sank her. British suspicions that Chisimaio and Mogadiscio were used as refueling stations by German surface raiders were confirmed, the Admiralty said, by the discovery and release of 200 British and Allied seamen held prisoner near Mogadiscio after their ships had been sunk. The captured Italian ships were named as the Adria, 3,809 tons; Savoia, 5,490 tons; Erminia Mazzelia, 5,742 tons; Manon, ions and Leonardo da Vinci, 7,515 tons. One of the four scuttled Italian ships was identified as the Marghera, 4,531 tons.

100 Planes Raid Malta. As to the Mediterranean theatre, the British acknowledged that a mass raid by 100 or more German dive-bombers, bombers and lighters was carried out against Malta on Wednesday. The British said they bagged 1 of the raiders. Some damage to buildings was conceded along with the loss of one British fighter. (The sinking of the Biitish destroyer Dainty was announced by the Admiralty in London.

No details were given. The warship normally carried a complement of 145 men.) 15 French Vessels Lost to British, Nazis. Vichy, March 7 (U.R). The Government totay reported the loss of 15 French vessels during January and February and said the lost tonnage was "seriously limiting our already difficult imports" of foodstuffs. Most of the vessels were said have been lost in the British blockade, but some also were reported sunk by submarines and German bombers.

British announce final conquest of Italian Somaliland (shaded) along with capture, destruction or grounding of 12 Axis' ships in Chisimaio (A) and Mogadiscio (B). Italians are fleeing towards Lugh Ferrandu in south and Jijiga in north. (NEWS m-ip l.v Arti-I i llaff bardment of the harbor of Mogo-discio. No damage or casualties was sustained by our forces in any of these operations. One important naval result of the successful military operations in Italian Somaliland is that capture of Chisimaio and Mogadiscio have deprived the enemy of two East African bases most convenient for use of commerce raiders and supply ships.

It can now be stated that five Italian merchant ships with a total tonnage of 28,153 tons fell into our hands as a result of the capture of Chisimaio. These ships are the Adria, 3,809 tons; Savoia, 5,40 tons; Erminia Mazzelia, 5,742 tons; Manon, 5,597 tons, and Leonardo Da Vinci, 7,515 tons. Four other ships scuttled themselves in Chisimaio harbor. One of these is known to be the Italian Marghera, 4,531 tons. Losses also were inflicted on the (Continued on page 8, eol.

i) pied France. Bitterly critical of the Biitish decision, French Ambassador Gaston Henry-Haye hurried to the State Department to enlist the aid of this Government. He discussed the matter with Secretary Hull, who promised he would look into the situation. The French Ambassador savagely excoriated the Churchill Government for its refusal to permit the Red Cross mercy ship Exmouth to carry 300 tons of oatmeal to France. Terming Britain's action a "dreadful policy," Henry-Haye pointed out that his prostrate country was experiencing the "worst Winter since the Middle Ages." His voice vibrant with enotion, the Ambassador told reporters that the oatmeal could not possibly fall (Continued on page 8, col.

1) RRITISH London, March 7 (P). The Admiralty i the following communique today: It is now possible to give some details of the naval support afforded our army in Italian Somaliland during the advance in the coastal area. Military objectives at Chisimaio, Brava and Mogadiscio were bombarded by our naval forces and evidence secured by subsequent occupation of these ereas testified to the effectiveness of these bombardments. It is now known that bombardment of Italian positions in the Brava area carried out on the forenoon of Feb. 22 were conspicuously successful.

This bombardment, carried out by an eight-gun cruiser, H.M.S. Shropshire, caused damage and a large number of military casualties. It has been established that H. M. S.

Shropshire also sank the Italian oil tanker Pennsylvania during the bom BERLIN WOOS GREEKS, TURKS WITH PEACE BID By THOMAS F. HAWKINS Sofia, March 8 (Saturday) fP). With 150,000 Mazi soldiers on the Greek border poised for action, Germany appeared today to be making an intense effort to end the Greek-Italian war by diplomacy before resorting to force. Some quarters intimated that German diplomats had gone so far is to offer Greece a guarantee that she would retain all the territory she held at the outbreak of hostilities last Oct. 28, and to tempt Turkey with a promise of locomo tives, machinery ana otner eco nomic rewards.

Some Predict Nazi Drive. Neutral military observers in Bulgaria predicted last night that Vfierman iorces wouiu urive into nd Thrace toward vital Salonika today or tomorrow, but any military offensive now appears to hinge on the outcome of the diplomatic maneuvers. i The Greeks, having gone far to- Ward winning their war with ttaly, but now faced with a vastly nore powerful antagonist, seemed Wepared to take their "Absolutely Will Fight." I The Greek army, said Grecian linlomatic informants here, "abso lutely will fight any German invasion." if They added that if Germany ijoosed her long-prepared offensive, had hopes that the Turks uWould smash at the Nazi flank through the Rhodope Mountains, Which extend east and west along the Greek-Bulgarian frontier. Britain meanwhile, was rushing nil available military equipment to he Turks. jf (Britain, with Russia's tacit VICHY BEGS FOOD FOR KIDS liy JOHN PURCELL Washington, D.

March 7. Tension between Britain and the Petain Government heightened todayas British authorities refused shipment of cereals from this country to Hhe hungry children of occu- (NEWSfotol Departure of this ship, the freighter Exmouth, was delayed until next. Thursday by British authorities. Chartered by Red Cross, the ship "(now at Jersey City) was to bring cargo of cereals to France. (Continued on page 14, col.

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