DRIVE ON SUEZ

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20571, 3 June 1941, Page 5

DRIVE ON SUEZ

EARLY NAZI MOVE? EPICS OF EVACUATION ANZACS' 3000 YARDS SWIM ' Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. June 3, 11 a.m.) LONDON, June 2. While everyone debates the importance of Crete, the military authorities in Cairo say that one thing is certain—the Germans will not be long in launching their new attack. Suez is the Marne and the Axis plans to get there in a hurry. The British iorces are busily preparing for the next move on the grim and fateful chessboard as the survivors from Crete are still reaching friendly shores. The destroyers carried out the bulk of the evacuation, entailing a tremendous effort by the navy. The little varships crossed the Mediterranean loaded to the topmost pompom station with the fit and wounded soldiers, unloaded and put out to sea again mmediately to again run the gauntlet of countless dive-bombers hovering,like vultures in wait for the rescue ships. Formation Held Under Fire There is a story of six Anzacs who, in formation, swam 3000 yards under dive-bomber and gunfire to reach one of the destroyers nosing into the beaches. The party had a painful valk over the mountains and reached a small beach westwards of Canea. Not even a rowing boat was. in sight. They waited patiently until they were down to their last ration. Then a destroyer appeared on the horizon. At the command the Anzacs took off their heavy clothes, entered, the water ■n extended order formation with 1012 yards separating each. German divebombers swooped on them with relentless fury, but with calm precision the men swam on as if advancing to attack on land. They managed to sprint over the last few yards and reached the destroyer’s ladders in time for it to withdraw to safety. The navy says that it was cool heads like these which made the evacuation possible.

The skirl of bagpipes sounded along the muggy waterside at one Middle East port as large contingents of Imperial troops arrived from Crete, the survivors including many New Zealanders who have been coming in here for a couple of days. There were a great number wounded among the survivors. Most are clad in strange multi-coloured clothes of all kinds which were issued when stocks pf uniforms ran short. Many tin hats Dore unmistakeable signs of battle and close shaves from death. Most of the men were bearded because shaving was impossible in 10 days of hell.

The weather was atrocious during the final move to the beaches. Alternating periods of scorching sun, rain, hail and even snow on the mountains made marching appallingly difficult for men who had been fighting days and nights, but even the wounded struggled on, climbing, walking, running and stumbling with arms in slings or legs and bodies bandaged, quietly determined to rob the Germans of the complete satisfaction.

Last Gun Kept BJazing

In the many glorious pages added to the history of British warriors there is the story of the bearded Lance-Corporal Nell, of the Royal Marines, who, according to survivors, manned for two days the last serviceable British anti-aircraft gun on Crete. His former comrades said the last they saw of Lance-Corporal Neil was near Canea. He and two companions were the only survivors of a gun crew of six, were left standing against a background of blazing trees which had been set on fire when a bomb intended for their gun blew up a petrol dump. Lance-Corporal Neil was singing and shouting as he blazed at the swooping planes. For the last 10 days, in which he had shot down at least three planes, Lance-Corporal Neil trekked around the Suda Bay area trailing behind a lorry loaded with ammunition after each attack so as to trick the divebombers, which were frantically making efforts to silence him. Finally, with all the other British guns out of action, flights of five and six planes appeared in procession backwards and forwards chasing him, but always the bearded marine held his fire until ;he last plane in the formation Was in range. The Germans nearly got Him once when they sent a decOy of three planes ahead of nearly 20 divebombers, but clever camouflage saved him and his gun. Lance-Corporal Neil was still firing, singing and still shouting when he was last seen. Carried ashore in a soldier’s boot while the soldier walked barefooted, a Cretan puppy which saved the lives of a party of London lorry drivers was landed at an African port with one of the last detachments from Crete. The exhausted party was sleeping on the hills when a detachment of Germans surrounded them. Only the puppy heard the Germans and yapped a warning. The machinegunners had time to disperse the Germans, killing many and taking some prisoners.