HEROES OF GREECE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21603, 4 January 1945, Page 6

HEROES OF GREECE

A SECRET FORCE YEARS WITH PARTISANS With the driving of the Germans from Greece comes release ol the storv of one of the most secret torccs of 'the Middle Easi. young Brilisii officers, laler reinforced by Americans, who two years ago began there (lie work of stiffening the partisans and undertaking all manner of hazardous tasks against the Germans there. In the autumn of 1942, when Greece was a supply corridor for Rommel’s Afrika Korps in the Western Desert, their primary job was to disrupt German communications. They came to play an important part in Greek guerrilla operations, prompting and encouraging the Andartes, supplying them with arms, composing or trying to compose their differences, and also manning a licet of pugnacious little caiques in the Aegean. More recently they led small Allied forces in occupied Greece, ihe British known as R.S.R., or Raiding Support Reserve, and the American as 0.G., or Operational Groups. Botii cruelly harassed the Germans on their limping retreat. There is all tlie material for an epic history of these men in the last two years, their exploits and endurance, their hairbreadth escapes, their triumphs and disappointments, then adventures among the mountain brigands and the villagers. They depended for sustenance and shelter on their rather incalculable partisan allies, and had every sort of adventure, sometimes experiencing grim comedy. It once happened to Colonel L. F. R. Sheppard, Cairo University lecturer in English, who won the D.S.O. in tlie Abyssinian war. to be billeted in the same house as a German officer. Ranked With tlie Heroes

Their daring feats add glory to scenes glorious from antiquity. One of their first; exploits was the wrecking of the Gorgo River bridge near Thermopylae. Here are some of the names which,, if a full account could he given, would rank. with those of Homeric heroes—Henry Macintyre. Don Stott, Robert Morton, Robert Ford, Eddie Myers, Chris Woodhouse. Arthur Edmunds. Tom Barnes and David Wallace. With these, chosen almost at hazard from many, rank numberless Greeks, known and unknown, rich and poor, who sometimes ran risks greater than the British liaison officers themselves. Such arc Kapsalis, Vourekas, and Nikobeis, of .whom the last-named has been awarded the 0.8. E. The Greeks incurred the severest penalties in feeding and harbouring these officers, but it is stated on the highest authority that, throughout, not one case of treachery occurred. Even reluctance to assist was almost unknown. ‘’Without the spirit which the Greek population showed, its courage, its unselfishness, its loyalty to us, we could have done nothing,” said an authoritative spokesman. He quoted a typical case. ‘‘The villagers knew that one of our operations meant the likelihood of their houses being razed. The townsmen harbouring us knew that discovery probably meant death to all the family, but they never flinched. The Greek people have proved themselves worthy of their great past.” The appearance and exploits of the first handful of British officers were a great inspiration to the partisan movement. There is a lumforous as well as a tragic element in the partisan rivalries. E. h. A. S. Command e r General Sards, now commanding the E.L.A.S. (National Liberation) forces, was originally an independent partisan leader. He was seized and imprisoned by the E.L.A.S., to be released on British intercession. The measure of Greek unity achieved in June, 1943. must he credited to Ihe British officers’ diplomacy. Joint headquarters were set up at Pcrtouli in the following month. American officers arrived that summer arid thenceforward all the achievements of this force count as an Allied effort. Among those who arrived in Greece in the spring with our men were Greek-speaking Americans,

The Italian collapse vastly increased the arms possessed by the partisans. Now is not the moment to analyse the fratricidal clashes that followed, nor is it possible yet to give an account of the Italian troops that surrendered at the time. Attempts were made to accuse the Allies of favouritism in distributing arms and supplies, but there is nothing but prejudice in this. We supplied arms to anyone who was fighting the Germans.

E.L.A.S. forces last winter were given replacements of the munitions that had been expended, but E.L.A.S. bands, in point of fact, had great quantities obtained from the Italians, far more than their operations required. One great exploit, the wrecking of Asapos bridge, was undertaken by British ofliccrs against the advice of the partisans, who regarded the enterprise as foolhardy. Many exciting episodes were provided by the Aegean caiques, manned by army officers who had been yachtsmen and were tired of the desert sands. They seldom had any professional sailor with them. One caique, named the Santa Claus, had to its credit the surrender of the Germnn-Italian garrison, 100 strong, on Santorin, one ol the Cyclades group. They released seven of their comrades who had been captured in an attack by another caique on a 2000-ton German ship. The episode can scarcely have been paralleled since the days of Sir Richard Grenville. When a British warship arrived. Die caique's claim to the garrison's surrender was accepted. An Army captain named Brekinsalo was in command of the Santa Claus.