COMMANDER IN CRETE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 132, 6 May 1941, Page 5

COMMANDER IN CRETE

GENERAL FREYBERG

UNITY OF ALLIED FORCE LONDON, May 5.

Major-General Freyberg, V.C., Commander-in-Chief of the jSew Zealand Expeditionary Force, lias been appointed Commander-in-Chief of ihe Allied Forces in Crete, where the Creek Government has taken up its abode.

I In an ord°r of the da,v the Gieek Premier stated that, in order to continue the struggle, King George of the Hellenes and his Government had decided that the Allied troops on the island be placed under a single command, while the Greek people would await with confidence their delivery from the Nazis. The Premier added- By toui side yuu I have a people who are the indomitable r champions of national liberty. Let I'unitv be our watchword.

A British Official Wireless message says that British fighter .*■ successes against enemy aircraft raiding Crete are recorded in an R.A.F. Middle East communique, which states:

Enemy aircraft raiding Crete were intercepted by fighters. Four of the enemy were shot down and others damaged. Anti-aircraft gunners destroyed further aircraft and damaged others. * CONTEMPT FOB HUN.

"The Hun is tougher than the Italian, but 1 would be happy to fight against him at odds of two or three to one if I had reasonable protection against air attack."

This opinion, says a Cairo message, expressed by a sergeant with the Anzaes who fought in Greece against the Germans, is generally shared by the Australians and New Zealanders. Divebombing and dive-machine-gunning undoubtedly unnerved the troops in the early stages, but before the campaign was finished they realised that it was more noisy than destructive. Low-flying enemy aircraft turned sharply away from concentrated ma-chine-gun and rifle lire.