Evacuation of Crete

Hutt News, Volume 15, Issue 15, 10 September 1941, Page 2

Evacuation of Crete

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In a letter which appeared in -a? recent Issue of the "Hutt News/' Pte. J. C. McMahoh, of the 19th Wellington Battalion; described his experiences during the "Blitz" on Crete up to the time the 'order to withdraw was received. In the letter published below he gives an account of the evacuation. We lightened pur kits, for we had a long road ahead of us f and made our way down off the hillside on to the road for the start of one of the most terrible marches I ever ; want to take part in. Tired even before they started, the boys set off manfully along the rough metal road, which twisted for miles through rough gorges and over mountain ranges. Mile after mile they trudged along' this white dusty road, with the burning sun pouring down upon them. On all sides of me I could hear jokes and witty sayings being bandied about, with now and then some encouraging remark to some" poor devil who was making heavy weather of it. On and on they trudged, ready at any moment to turn and fight again, if needs be. Rations were practically nil, and our water bottles, which we were able to fill at frequent intervals along the road, were our meat and drink. Up and up we climbed over one mountain and down the other side, only to be faced by another. Would this road never end? God, it was terrible! Flesh and blood could never stand this! But it had to, and it would. Grit and determination drove us on and on. Down the mountain side and the road ran through a fertile valley, bounded on either side by orange groves. But the orange season was finished, and we found no solace there. Finally we reached the foot of another mountain and rested for a few minutes while we filled" our water bottles. After filling my bottle, the boas said to me, "Mac, we are not staying, we are going on. Make up your mind here , and now that you are going to make ft/} j jijjahawered that "j( would be abouts when the and with that #e j'Xt was about 500 yards tojjtnejlobt of the hill, and at a brisk pace. At-the Wot' of'fH#foil! the colonel hesitated. The road took a long bend and it looked ever so much easier to go straight up the side 'of'the hill than to'go right round the road. Up he went! Hell, that finished rae., 1 couldn't make the pace, and I got left behind. 1 kept going though, but at a much steadier pace. Up and up and up! Would we never reach the top. Th< top must be just around this cor ner, but no, still the road stretchec upward. Packs were lightened still more, and in many cases thrown away altdgfether. But they, the New Zealanders, retained their weapons, even when their feet became a« lumps of lead; when their shoulders ached and their 'eyifftdß drooped heavily for want of'sleep, they still held fast to their weapons, as the last possession they would part with, to make their journey easier. Night came, and we were still marching steadily up the hill, our legs moving mechanically. The laughing and joking had by this time dwindled to a deep silence, which spelt sheer weariness. The road was just a blur now, and a darker blur than usual which was dotted here and there denoted some poor devil who had thrown himself down to sleep on the roadside in utter exhaustion. We could do nothing about it. The assembly point had to be reached, and those who lagged were just unlucky. That's all! I heard bosom pals cursing each other, hurling vile epithets at each other to spur them on to greater efforts. It was really heart-breaking, but the journey must be made. The journey must be made. It must be made. That was the one thought in our minds. Midnight came and we topped the hill, but it was no easier. Down hill going was just as bad as climbing, for it jarred our aching bones. 3 a.m. and at last we reached the bottom. Here "we pulled off the side of the road and lay down for a brief spell until daylight, when we once more took to the road. Our legs all but refused to function at first—we were so stiff and sore, but after a while they seemed to warm up and we managed to set up a steady pace, but oh so steady. To our amazement we had received no attention from the air except for a Spotter who appeared to be watching our. progress along the road. We marched for about six miles that morning, and made the assembly point. Here we dispersed among the hills and rested. The first real rest for over a week. Rations were nil. We scrounged around a nearby village and found some bread, by village and found some broad beans and onions. These we ate raw, and they tasted fine.., For dessert we had a handful of halfripe cherries, followed by a quart of aqua pura. At dusk we assembled again on the road and marched another five miles, when we once more climbed into the hills and hid. pown came and we gazed down on to the sea. How wonderful it looked. If only we could slip down for a dip. Twelve days and twelve nights and I had not had my clothes nor ray boots off. Twelve days and I had not had a decent waßh. Four days, since I had uad a shave. "How 'tempting the sea

iooked, but we dare not move from our position. We dare not show ourselves. German guns were even then pounding the road not 500 yards behind us. The rattle of ma-chine-gun fire echoed through the the hills for miles. Even then a rearguard action was being fought behind us. Our position was serious evpn yet. At 4 p.m. we assembled again in sections. Then, to avoid the vigilant eyes of the

spotter who circled periodically overhead, we slithered, section by section, at intervals of five minutes, down the rugged slope to a valley below, where we again took cover and waited for the hours of darkness before we moved off to the embarkation point. Anyway, at midnight, two ghost-like shapes gliued into view from out of the darkness and we were hastily ferried out to these two waiting destroyers, and away we sailed, fiat out, on a 360 mile trip to safety. We tried to make ourselves believe it was all a dream, and the Australian crews ol our ships helped us to do this with their unbounded hospitality. Buckets and buckets of steaming hot cocoa, great slices of bread, bully beef and pickles, biscuits and cheese. Tucker fit for the gods and a marvellous repast to men who tad not had a square meal for 12 days and for the past three days had had nothing. In the morning, when the German dive-bomber? made one last attempt to block our escape, we handed the war over to the naval gunners, and, boys, can they shoot! When the yellow Egyptian skyline rose up before us in the evening I don't believe there was a soul on board who did not thank God that He had seen fit to preserve him, and offered a prayer for tli< lads who were left behind. We marched on to the wharf, a batter ed, a sadder, a wiser, but a more proud army , than when we sailed away in all our glory just a short three months before. We know what the New Zealand lads are capable of, we know that as soldiers they rank second to none. We have proved it. The next time we meet our foe man for man, gun for gun It Is going to be a very different story. We know now what to ex pect. Let him try it on the wew Zealanders again, that's all! W<2 have had two kicks now, but wt should have no regrets. Though we have lost a lot, we have gained a lot of experience which will stand us in great stead. Only by death can a Victory be won. Only by wounds can ruthlessness fbe wiped out. Through it all, when I look back now, I have no doubt that Providence helped me. There were ! times when it. seemed that I was two, not one. Often, when I had my face burled in the earth, when the dive-bombing and strafeing was on, I had a curious feeling that I was two, that another person was there beside me.