ENEMY PLANES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 123, 27 May 1941, Page 7

ENEMY PLANES

WRECKAGE IN CRETE Scattered Over Beaches, Rocks And Olive Groves United Tress Association.—Copyright. LONDON, May 26. Over 250 smashed German aeroplanes lie scattered over Crete, mixed with broken gliders unci burned-out stores. Wreckage is strewn in the branches of olive groves, along the beaches, and high on the rocks over Canea and Candia. More wreckage, including many stove-in fishing boats, is being washed up everywhere on the north coast".

German salvage gangs are pulling damaged German machines off the runways at Malemi and abandoning them on the beach, which is already piled up with torn fabric and burned-out engines. The Germans apparently are prepared for an insanity of wastage. Men, stores, machines and boats were flung in as though Hitler was ready for almost any loss.

Royal Air Force bombers and long-range fighters diving on Malemi found nearly 40 troop-carry-ing aircraft on the airfield and at least another 60 on the beach. Men were racing back and forth among the machines, tearing out stores, tuning up engines and taking off aeroplanes to make room for others cruising overhead. Air-borne Guerillas Rove the Country British bombers flung down every bomb they had, while our fighters dived, machine-gunning the ant-like figures. These raids continued all day, Sunday. Pilots say the only trouble is there Is so much to hit, and so far to go to hit it. One pilot said he arrived during a temporary lull, but before he left "clouds" of German aeroplanes were coming up over the sea. Supplies of food, ammunition and medicaments are now reaching our garrisons, and, in addition, the Germans are continually parachuting boxes of concentrated food, spare parts and shells, some of which fall in our lines. Quantities of heavier equipment were known to have been on the German sea convoys which were sunk or dispersed.

The Germans did effect a landing at Suda Bay within the last 24 hours but were driven off from the shore. German air-borne guerillas are still roving the country between Candia and Suda Bay, threatening our communications, but are not nearly as serious as the concentrations at Malemi.

The Germans each night are sending out from hidden coves in the Dodecanese Islands troop-laden fishing fleets to run the Royal Navy's gauntlet to Crete. The cessation of glider landings is the first sign that the Germans cannot go on indefinitely reinforcing from the air. Junkers 52's hauled up to six gliders each, giving the combined unit a capacity of 100 men with arms and small bombs.