VALIANT FEW

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 135, 5 December 1944, Page 6

VALIANT FEW

GREEK GUERRILLAS

EXTRAORDINARY RECORD

(Official War Ccrrespondent N.Z.E.F.)

GREECE, November 29. To watch the development of a few hundred ragged guerrillas into a superbly trained and equipped force, which recently drove three times its number of German troops from western Greece, has been the experience of Lieutenant-Colonel C. E. Barnes, of Christchurch. He was one of a military mission of Allied officers who parachuted into Greece in November, 1942, to interrupt communications and later to aid and advise the partisans They found the patriots often barefooted in mountain snows,' pitifully armed with Italian carbines and obsolete weapons, and lacking enough ammunition to keep these in action for any length of time. These were the Andartes, whose only uniform was a beard, a bandolier, and sometimes a cap badge. Colonel Barnes saw them fight m the high ranges for three days at a time without food. Their normal ration was a poor maize bread called kalumboki. On operations, members of the mission were given double" the Andarte fare, and even then they felt half-starved.

The commander .of these patriots was General Zervas, a short, thick-set man of about 55, with a bristling irongrey beard, and a great sense of numour. He was a man of great personal courage and a brilliant guerrilla leader.

Shortly after the mission landed, complete success was achieved in the destruction of the Gorgopotamos bridge, a vital link in the German supply system to North Africa. When I met Zervas today, he was wearing ■?hn^r?TjSSle aecoratl°n the ribbon of the 0.8. E. awarded him for his part m this exploit. Soon after this arms ammunition boots, and battledress began parachuting down into parts of Epirus but never food. The tou«h Andartes, m their desperately poo? bn?^| Cfh had h9fn 'hungry for yeras; fi"£f «, ®y w^ ted was the means to a£m-f 4ha n iXr A escape agam B t the Italian Alpini and the GeY iTpH S^J a tnge? tO, a synchronised Al- "';. A sabotage scheme, timed to cover me landing in Sicily, was earned out with such zest and enterprise that for twelve vital darsall the roads and telephone lines in western Greece were, cut, and no track was W £ r,Ax^" forces- 2er™s and his lew thousands were responsible for Pinning down at least two divisions w£^io U3^~ aeeaeA'°* the DISASTROUS SETBACK. But in October disaster struck in the 3?^ i?f 0Ui nt?- lns' where after a running fight lasting fourteen" days the Andartes routed two .German battalions. German crack mountain troops fresh from Albania, smashed straight at Zervas's headquarters in a two-pronged assault. Simultaneously a strong-body of ELAS rival Greek Partisans, fell on the Andartes's rear The Andartes were battle-weary and short of ammunition. After a desperate fight for four days in snow and sleet, Zervas and his staff, including members of the mission, escaped, barely fifteen minutes before the enemy swept through fhe area. In the days of fighting and marching that followed, with Germans often only an.hour or two behind, Zervas's men were scattered far and wide through the ranges. Complete disaster was averted by the magnificent work of the E.A F which flew at night through the worst of weather to drop supplies of ammunition at points indicated by beacon fires: The core of the movement remained, and munitions kept pouring in. To speed this service, Andartes adopted the audacious tactics of seizing a beach-head. While they held a footing on the rugged western coast, sometimes as many as 1200 mules bore i cargo into the mountains, often for as' long as 36 hours at a stretch, with little pause for food. Meanwhile training was pushed forward, aided by the natural aptitude of the Greeks for learning new weapons. These- they soon had in plenty—7smm pack guns, heavy and medium mortars, captured weapons of every description, and the best of light .automatic arms. Their woik with artillery and mortars was exceptionally efficient. SPLENDID RECOVERY. Under the influence of the military I mission they graduated in an amazingly short time into a superb guerrilla force. Five months ago they went over to the offensive again, witn well-planned and boldly-executed atta,cks against powerful defences, which included wire, mines, Spandau nests and artillery. The" dash and skill of the Andartes won them the tjort of Preveza, with some coastal guns and many prisoners. At Menina, three hundred of Zervas's men swept through the defences and completely wiped out a German force which equalled them in numbers. The battles of Menina and the Paramythia airfield netted much plunder in the way of guns, trucks, ammunition, and an assortment of equipment, including radio* sets. • - . 1

Then on September 1 Zervas issued an order, which 'should go down in Greek history: "Fight ttie Germans wherever you may find them, and continue until the invader is driven from the soil of Greece." Down from the mountain fastnesses came the Andartes. There was no holding them. First of all, artillery and mortar fire would crash down upon the hapless Germans with devastating accuracy and speed. Then from the rocky outcrops along the mountain trails would rise ferocious bearded men. armed to the teeth with rifles, - Bren guns, tommy guns, and knives as deadly as the Maori bayonet. The Germans learned to surrender to the Andartes, for humanity reignea Jfmong the Greek force. For this and their prowess their enemies paid them the supreme German tribute —they called them "soldiers."

In sixteen days of whirlwind battle among the.peaks and passes of western Greece, all the roads were cut, and 35,000 German troops were bottled up. Of these at least 1200 were killed, 1100 wounded, and hundreds more taken prisoner. Finally the remnants of those divisions were driven right out of the territory. Over three hundred trucks were destroyed, and many others captured, and much of the arms and gear of the well-equipped German force fell into the hands of the patriots. It was a victory comparable with some that history has made famous, for the Germans did not stand again. It was accomplished by a little army that at the time numbered not more than 12,000.