WAR DEPARTMENT WAR DEPARTMENT GENERAL STAFF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIVISION WASH I NGTON March lO, 1941 Subject: The Mediteranean Situation. Two German movements southvrard into the Mediteranean world are now in full swing. A German army or army group, under General Field Marshal List, consisting of 16divisions, three of which are motorized and five armored, has crossed the Danube and occupiedBulgaria. This movement southward, which is still in progress, has been coverod by strong concentrations of the Bulgarian army in the upper reaches of the Maritza valley and to the north of Adrianople. The direction of the German advance is still obscure. However, a part of the German army appears to be taking position in the Struma valley to the northeast of Salonika and, hence constituting itself as a major threat to Greece. The German advance through Bulgariais being protected by strong German air forces, the Fourth Air Fleet, under the command of General of Flyers Loehr. Twelve German divisions remain behind in Romania. This latter force continues to receive reinforcements from interior Germany. A second German army of undetermined strength is moving southward from Italy and Sicily into Libya. Very corfused and contradictory reports from different European capitals speak of the strength of this army as being somewhere between 3 and 12 divisions, a large part of which are mechanized. Italian reinforcements are also being sent to Libya The transport movement between Sicily and Tripoli is being covered by strong German and Italian air forces under the command of General of Flyers Geissler. British submarines have inflicted losses on the Italian ships comprising the convoys, but the German movement southward has not thereby been interrupted. At the present time there appears to be not more than two armored divisions of reduced strength in Libya. German mechanized unites are no in contact with British outposts to the southwest of Agheila. The German air force base in Libya appears to have secure air supremacy as far east as Bengazi The British state that, due to constant German air attacks, the |