WILD LAST ADVENTURES IN GREECE

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 189, 8 May 1941, Page 10

WILD LAST ADVENTURES IN GREECE

New Zealand Soldiers’ Escapes In Small Boats

HUNTED ON SHORE AND SEA (N.Z.E.F. Official News Service.) CAIRO, May 6. The courageous leadership and determination displayed by small parties of New Zealanders that escaped successfully from Greek beaches where the Nazis were in control before the evacuation was complete will fill the hearts of those at home with pride in the resourcefulness and daring of their soldiers. Though the organized withdrawals from the Greek shore were a triumph, it is only natural that they should be overshadowed for sheer drama by the adventures oi little groups of men who refused to surrender and, after hair-breadth escapes, were picked up by the ever-vigilant Navy from small boats.

•‘We were waiting in the bush for nightfall when we heard the sound of an engine. It at first resembled that of another Nazi raider, but soon it could be distinguished- as that of a truck. A sergeant and a corporal went out to investigate, and before them was a brand new German car in which stood an officer in blue uniform with a revolver in his hand,” said a machinegunner in relating the stirring experiences of one band of men. •• ‘Throw down your arms!’ cried the Nazi officer. One glance at him and the n.c.o.’s wheeled about and dived into it lane where the others were standing. Two revolver shots rang out, followed by bursts of machine-gun fire. The ■ sergeant told them that the Nazis had broken through, and at the same time the German officer turned a tommy gun on them as he spied them in the lane. , „ -instead of surrendering, in less time than they realized they were in full Hight through vine fields, and bursting through cactus hedges unconscious of the sharp pain inflicted by the thorns. About half a mile away the little group collected together and found that they numbered 22, including three officers. Struck for Coast. "A decision was made to strike for the coast, and there followed a tortuous journey through vine fields, sneaking along hedges and diving Into ditches as German machines flew overhead, and finally plunging through a thick swamp for two and a half hours with the watc at times up to our waists. Always there was the thought in our minds that the Navy would not let us down ‘‘We reached the coast about a mile above a port to hear the sound of guns and to learn from the that the Germans were there With the aid of an interpreter we learned of a fishing village some miles up the coast where we might be able to get a boat, and we had someone to show us the way. We discarded all our surplus gear and set out. As we drew near the village an officer and two ment went ahead while the rest of u crouched under the lee of a shin = le bank anxiously awaiting their return. -About half an hour later one of them returned to lead us silent y the shore, where we found three boats waiting. Only two of us knew anything about sailing, so those in the boat led the way with the others 1 keeping within hailing distance. V sergeant who came from the bluff, where he had worked on the oyster 1X took the tiller, setting his course by the stars. ‘ Forced Buck to Shelter. -Progress was laboured as the me» were not used to using the beaiy and tile largest boat lost contact with the other two. At About 3.30 am. we heard the hum of turbines and our spirits soared, so with the aid ot a .vrch shielded by a steel helmet we < ndeavoured to attract attention bj an SOS, but a thick mist lay over the bay and we were not successful. Dawn was now fast approaching, and we had to seek shelter as the Nazi planes would not hesitate to bomb and machine-gun us if we were found. ‘•\Ve set a course for land, and as day broke we stepped ashore, wet and weary; we beached our boats and concealed ourselves in shrub along the slopes of the bay, where we slept from sheer exhaustion. Soon, however, we were awakened by planes, and not long afterward another boat turned up containing six more New Zealanders who had escaped from a port controlled by the Huus They had heard that the Huus had been driven out of the port, but we knew that they could bring up reinforcements so we did not decide to go back. "Never have 1 known so long a day to pass as we crouched there, hiding from the planes and the German troops That passed along the road above our hiding-place. During the afternoon peasants brought us food and water, their kindness was unbounded and, much as we appreciated it, we lived in constant dread that they would betray us as they came and went. Attempt to Reach Crete.

"We 'decided to make an attempt to reach Crete, and the three boats set out again with makeshift sails and what food and water there was divided up, but the smaller ones forged head and were again lost. We carried on with the arrival of daylight, an'd as day drew on a burning sun shone from a cloudless sky on our open boat. Our spirits were high till about 9 a.m., when we heard an ominous drone in the sky. and ail save the man at the tiller crouched in the bottom of the boat, hoping that we would be mistaken for a Greek fishing craft, as were were parallel to the coast about two miles out.

"Luck was with us, aswe beard him a little later bombing the bay behind us. How many more alarms we had during the 'day I cannot recall, but no one came near enough to spot us. About midday we were forced to take to the oars. Infantrymen, cavalry and machine-gunners, all strangers a few days before, were now discussing our chances of success, and cheering one another with good-natured chaff. The hours dragged on, but we never gave up hope, though the island we were steering for never seemed to get any closer. Between the spells of rowing we dozed fitfully. The boat was leaking, and we had to bale frequently. The Navy Appears.

“Shortly after 11 p.in. our dull senses were aroused to alert wakefulness by the hum of turbines, and we rested on our oars listening as the craft came nearer. In about 10 minutes we could make out the shapes of three destroyers ploughing toward us. We ha'd no doubt as to what flag they flew; only one Navy was in these waters.

“We used our flash-lamp with renewed hope, and the destroyers circled round, ever getting nearer, a manoeuvre which we found out later was employed to make sure we were not a decoy. They were taking no risks, too, for their guns were trained on us. As we heard a hearty British bail, we were safe at last, and we scrambled up the netting on the side of the nearest destroyer and were soon drinking scalding hot cocoa and seeing the smiling faces of the sailors, who could not do enough for ns. "A little later our rescuer went in to-

ward land and picked up another 200 men, but as dawn arrived she was forced to give up the search and head for port. We can never feel thankful enough to the marvellous British Navy, which more than justified all the faith we had in it,” the machine-gunner concluded.