NAZI BARBARITY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 126, 30 May 1941, Page 7

NAZI BARBARITY

Ferocity of Bombing in

Crete

(Rec. 11 a.m.) RUGBY. May 29. The depth of the barbarity to which the Nazis can sink is illustrated with appalling1 clearness by a telegram received by the Greek Legation from the Greek Prime Minister, M. Tsouderos, who is now in the Middle East. "The German air raids in Crete," he says, "have been carried out with unparalleled ferocity. The three principal towns, Canea, Heraclion, and Retirno, have been literally ploughed up by bombing, which was carried out with mathematical precision, laterally and diagonally, so that eventually there was not one stone left standing:. People trying to get out of their primitive shelters, particularly children, were ruthlessly machine-gunned. Raging fires completed the work of destruction. Hospitals, wounded, etc., of course were not excluded in the general catastrophe."—B.O.W.

small wireless sets, and even trench mortars. Each parachutist had two lights, red and white. The red indicated "I am in possession of this land," and the white "Form up on me."

LANDED EVERY QUAMiER-HOUR,

After describing hand-to-hand fighting and bayonet encounters between the Imperial troops and the parachutists, the officer continued: "Next morning the first air-carrier- arrived, landed its troops, and got away again at once. This went on all day, and by evening ten of these machines were lying about the ground, wredked and blazing. That day 280 troop-carriers landed, but the next day the number was reduced to 66. Each plarbe contained an officer and 16 men, fully equipped. They seeme,d to come every quarter-hour from 9 a.m. until 7.30 p.m.

"Around the aerodrome the fighting was fierce. Australians pushed the Germans back for a mile and a half, almost getting back to the aerodrome, and the Maoris were using their bayonets with deadly effect. A group of Australians was surrounded, but managed to get. away and reached-the top of a hill, and' under deadly fire they rolled tree trunks down. The 'New Zealanders attacked and captured a hospital. They managed to remove the British wounded, and held the building long enough to assure their retreat. One group of three officers and 66 men left Canea aerodrome, and, fighting all the way, 49 of them [regained their own lines."—B.O.W. \ I 5,