ANZACS’ ADVENTURES

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 May 1941, Page 8

ANZACS’ ADVENTURES

thrilling escape described. [by CABLE. —PRESS ASSN.—COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, May 18. A party of Anzac soldiers posted as missing in Greece landed m Cyprus to-dav with a story more hair-rais-ing than any thriller, says a despatcn to the “Daily Express” from Nicosia. For three weeks, dodging across the Aegean Sea from island to island, they kept one jump ahead of the Germans. . The narrator, lying in a Cyprus rest camp, said: “Our story really started beyond Mount Olympus, when we got the order to retire. Dive-bombers kept driving us further into the hills, where there was no food, and it was each fnan for himself. Some of us, however, stuck together, including half a dozen men wounded by shrapnel. We lay doggo for six days, watching German troopcarriers fly southwards. Once we passed within 30 yards of a German patrol. ‘The food position was terrible. Seven of us had one roasted potato between us one night. Then we began to boil two tortoises, but half way through the cooking, the Germans began to show up. We grabbed the half-cooked tortoises and bolteo. Once we stumbled on three men and prepared for action, but they were New Zealanders, and our party grew as other refugees joined in. The Greek villagers everywhere helped us. They concealed us and gave us whatever they could. Near a Greek port a peasant led us to the coast. We arrived on the, shore at a spot with enemy positions northward and southward. We waited nearly a week, hiding near the shore, for boats, and we then decided to pool and divide our remaining money, so that we could split up into small groups. Some reached a nearby island, and began collecting small [ boats to take them on the long sea trip to friendly waters. “One party of officers and men found a Greek fishing smack and using a prismatic compass set out alone. After four days they hit an- . other island, where they secured a " steam yacht, with which they set out to find their mates. On one ’ island, they found the main party, ’ famished. Calling at islands all the way across, these had got enough J food and water from fishermen to keep going. The men cut down their heavy battledress to shorts and singj lets, because of the intense heat, j Many were suffering stomach com- , plaints through eating green fruit, S but there was no time to lose, be- . cause Italians and Germans were alj ready occupying the islands. 1 “One of our parties actually saw an Italian destroyer and two troop1 ships steaming into a harbour at one 1 island just as they left. Our leaders ’ decided to take the yacht clean through the Dodecanese, resting in r bays and inlets at night, and hugging f the coasts in the day. We saw Italians ashore and they saw us, but they were puzzled and did nothing. * Now we are here, waiting Io rejoin s our units. Someone is going to pay 1 for that trip.”