Campaign In Greece

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29401, 31 December 1960, Page 3

Campaign In Greece

The Gods Were Neutral. By Robert Crisp. Muller. 221 pp. This should be one of the more popular war books because of the compassion, humour and economy of phrase with which it is written. The author, a South African, took part as a 2nd lieut., 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, Ist Armoured Brigade, in the brief and abortive attempt of a militarily unprepared nation to stay the march of the highly-organised and well-equipped German Army in Greece, after the vitual defeat of the Italian forces by the Greeks themselves. The Ist Armoured Brigade consisted of aged and obsolete tanks, continually going out of action because of broken tracks and other mechanical defects, for which there were no spares or facilities for repair. Politically it was essential for the Allies to send support to Greece, but the practical effect proved to be sadly negligible, though a bitter extract from Hitler’s diary in 1945 reveals that the German intervention in Greece, made necessary by Italy's debacle was carried out unwillingly, and caused a "catastrophic delay” in their attack on Russia. The author’s personal narrative describes the hopeless situation of the British and Commonwealth divisions, committed to delaying the enemy advance, but owing to the mechanical troubles aforementioned seldom managing to engage him in battle. A few isolated skirmishes did however occur, and ended gratifyingly in favour of the defending force. A comedy touch is provided when Crisp describes his appropriation of a temporarily deserted New Zealand mess waggon, which despite a radiator damaged by German bullets, he succeeded in driving some distance before retribution overtook him in the form of Colonel J. R. Page, C.O. of the unit to which it belonged. The two men had met in London in 1935 when Page had just arrived with the All Blacks visiting football team, while Crisp was on the point of departure with the South African cricket XI. On this solid basis of Commonwealth goodwill the New Zealand colonel allowed the South African 2nd lieut. to bargain with him for an exchange of transport, and Crisp and his men reached the coast in a 15-ton truck provided for them by the New Zealanders. The author managed to obtain some excellent photographs, and his book makes a stirring record of a little-known campaign.