AIRMEN HEROES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20547, 6 May 1941, Page 7

AIRMEN HEROES

FIGHT OVER GREECE HEAVY ODDS FACED NAZIS AND GERMANS COURAGE OF BRITONS (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Rccd. 9 a.m. RUGBY. May 5. The Royal Air Force operations in Greece is consistently a story of a courageous, incessant fight against heavy odds. Although following the arrival of tl e first units in October, the Royal /ir Force gradually increased in s :-ength it never approached the strength of either the Italian or the German air forces operating against Greece, In many cases during the first few weeks bomber pilots arrived with one or two members of a ground crew and between them prepared and flaw aircraft against the enemy until the rest of the personnel arrived by SON

On the very day of the arrival cf the first British fighter squadron early in November it carried out offensive patrols and. discovering the enemy in great force, shot down eight planes, damaging many more Rescues From Yugoslavia

With the failure of the great Italian offensive in March and the Italian air force beaten to the ground. Germany came to her partner's rescue. It was not: until the Imperial forces were evacuating that the Royal Air Force pilots saw aircraft in the air again. With Yugoslavia unable to withstand the German onslaught Royal Air Force bombers and Sunderland flying boats had another job to do —the rescue of important passengers from Yugoslavia, including King Peter.

When, dun to the brean-through on the left flank, the army commanders decided upon withdrawal to new lines, the Royal Air Force suffered the most severe blow of the campaign. They were forced back to two or three bases only and odd temporary landing grounds they had prepared at the commencement of the campaign. Loss of Aerodromes

Ali the new aeodromes which had been built were lost, or were too close to the enemy lines to be used. The Royal Air Force carried on although the enemy hammered the few remaining bases continuously. It then became impossible to obtain replacement of aircraft. Those that did arrive were shot up on the ground. Nevertheless, aircraft even though officially unserviceable, took off all the time and inflicted great damage on the enemy forces. During the actual evacuation thousands of men and women came away from Greece by air. Thousands more were guarded as they made the journey in big and little ships. The personnel oi the no longer existing British air forces in Greece scored perhaps the greatest triumph of those six months of arduous campaigning and though the Royal Air Force suffered heavy losses the enemy suffered to a far greater extent.