BRILLIANT WORK

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 107, 8 May 1941, Page 21

BRILLIANT WORK

GUNS AND ENGINEERS

LEAP-FROG WITHDRAWALS

fN.Z.E.F. Official News Service.) CAIRO, Mav 6 At Olympus and Thermopylae Now Zealand artillery regiments carried out rearguard actions w≥ are probably unique in artillery hislory. At Olympus field artillery units actually covered the retreat of infantry. Overcoming tremendous odds, they got their guns out. d ,f™i itioll s and amazing road blocks by New Zealand Engineers made it possible to withdraw outlfof T° the Th «™opylai are . S?9- Lamia ' Undei ' cover of night 25-pound guns withdrew Thev A S o G ,lH ght \ hrOUgh the ! "fam,? Thessah Z'V 16 £ U " advanc ? imo thltr nL, r e - th ? y consolidated area m the Thermopylae Big Guns Dominate River ■By performing brilliant leapfogging tactics the artillery were fnf *° COVer the withdrawal" of our infantry mto southern Greece and at the same time managed to cause tremendous German losfes In SK motor equipment and personnel Ou>big guns dominated the essential river crossing, preventing reconstruction of the bridge which our engineers had already destroyed When our shells hit German tanks a stream of molten metal poured from the blazing wreck which remained. Again it was a question of a timed withdrawal and if our flanks could nave been maintained our guns could have held the German advance almost indefinitely. The forward guns were dragged back behind the second line of guns. However each leap back meant the loss of moreguns. Effective Demolitions They were falling back on Athens and the time came for a last stand Infantry protection for the guns was withdrawn. The guns were spiked and engineers carried out a brilliant series of demolitions and blocking tactics, which held up the advancing Huns and enabled the artillery to evacuate almost the whole of their remaining personnel. Generally speaking the artillery losses were remarkably small for the work which they did, and the punishment they received from divebombers. It must be borne in mind that throughout these operations German reconnaissance aeroplanes and spotting aircraft were able to hover unhindered over our gun positions.