MAORI WARRIORS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 154, 2 June 1941, Page 4

MAORI WARRIORS

EXEV.PL.ARY COURAGE. BAT ' --VET Ev(YiTSTEI? S. i.Ji.Z.E.i". Official Nm Sorrioo-) CAIRO. May 31. One? ajfaju i 1h j Maori llaiUuirjis laovtu'i ilieiu-selve? by iho bravery. jiul]ui3Vf ami hariinio>s erf tli-e men. la OreeH-f' iboy >'arteJ a n aii J gl on ou> |>a go ni tie-ir Lin-ory. and in l roto iboy Lav? added to tbas glory. -7hi V:vt giand-tv-band agi»?rs. w b.civ.; o'T*:;■ ;p ilx j opsnjoii o:im:■ • »iio jigi-i waw-ibsd i.he .vcw -gy' line !fer.- 33 a-rcioa m Crete. _ i.« M.a.wis pjeferred *:,o abandon tk !«»• pe«;j style A seating and fight tn t«; jda.mgs-r A ibeir as«stors, and wtt-fl bare swe] they milk'teiil sievcre- casting * tdeis a]2.c>it every ert-rdr.g on the Han isvadiiig pani-es. Os* eresisg sear Maleics. a w»par.y of M i-.-ris were prooeC'CiHg relieve an oilier New Zealand battalion • wi(*s they 5.3 w a hnge Dormer cras-a ori -'b* Ii spewed forth a largo Bomber of troop-. who d mrib’■ r 'i* cover oi dcrkries.s .nto elite OTCs. . , , j>Maori* srooc-eded along the roaa i. carry on 'tV-ir reiki- when stiddesiv tber r'c.'isd themselves ambusboa. Tb*v sis men. but their leader made- a rapid dociskm to -'fix b3von•':1 s .'" Ir. the se mi-dark ness the Maori' extenriinate’d at the point «i ibe bayonet r. •: on3j the troops yno 2 yj lihoed from the Dernier t-u* also jane party e*i psrschntiits who ban -WONDERFUL irHCV." A sake ha officer w3jo has ioen with tberr.' sine the lan-shon's jnoeption i-i.rt : 'The Maori :>.y? pm up a ready •wonderi::. -row. We gr-.- aii v.ry pro mi of them. Tsey we:,.- right after k all Er ~~;Zi 1*:. _ _ A::--: me "Greek business." he said. Inav became a : -i: ■ restless. as :nc- g'. y «>;'•■ iii.patnn: tor r.;-:re- action, arm thus -when me oTip-orf'inny occurred again they were more than rvar.:;.r it. , "7.V:.r v.:rit 'mm me oaronet na' aca:;. >-n magnificent. Nothing msd’ t.ierr. .m'- rh-.-v ■:.o ’barge a . art m na. v, r.'-iher :t -as ’eg concentration -,r - iinai] me." This opinion vi- £ i v. •-•• b. r-.-nfirir;*a i*v New Zealand. A ban nr.’i British -oitie'S- who hold me Maori in high rmpe<: ; A ioorv .- --.id oi a conversation a Maori' eoidi’-r had with a prisoner and a nakeha ciSrcr The ore cor had a*}:ed me prisoner who lie timtg't was going to win the war. The j>-tson-' r repiioc •'Germany. A m-K-'-t. because B- tain sta» no sir:><.." The Maori rer- e;i. Vf - that • - sht. Wo swam ill’ss iron 'T'•- ••• i" WAV IOX Id.-. T(JC. in the spreating o: "• antor. destruction a.t.ing me -rt. p-.ac.--iu; aa’xj. ar.a ;. ...g-o; l :• ti.e .Vaz. atc-.-t an-tuer in.ani-jiis page to record ci br;:a.:t_ -ir. crune—proßaaiy one of the matt soicid o: all. ii. t.-.-e past «-i tat oomoeu civilians ..itLout v. arumg —i;i :act. teat nas >.-.-n part o: n.. programme. He has a.so stooped to a., kir.'ii oi trickery, deceit, and lying, out ir. C:•.he has oeldec aii me baseness into a oastaraiy wnok. in a ci-eati sweep throughout the island he iet loose an the i.eli at bis command, to wr-ak irreparable havoc among the home- oi me peasants, nepi;eras, and jisr.ennejj. llardiy had tin- smoke comint-ncvci to dear away wnr-n out oi tiic pianes ii .tiered thousand.- o; white pamphlets, dropping ~.-:e great ;g:y -i.oamakes upon xn*.- 1 gnt-;tor;i j/eip.e L-.io'.v. to warn them o: wnat was going to happen—alter it bad already occurred. As usual, the. j pamphlet was in any case based on = i-ai.-eitood. as is ti-st.iied by many oi t:.c- troops who have just returned. It read : "To the- population and military forces on Crete: It lias been brought

iij the notice os the German Supreme Command that German soldiers who :el! into the hands ot the enemy on the island of Crete have been illtreated. and even mutiiateu. in the most infamous and inhuman manner. A punishment and reprisal, therefore is announced as follows: Whosoever commits such crimes against international laws on Ch-rman prisoners or v. ar will be punished in the manner

of tlic-ir own 'cruel action, no mattes be he or she a man or woman. The localities near which such crimes have I wen committed will !.«:■ burnt down, and the population will be held responsible. Beyond these measures, rurtber and sharj>er reprisals will he held in store. —Tne German supreme Command." Above is an exact copy of one of the pamphlets shown to a representative ol the New Zealand Official News Service by a New Zealand soldier hack from Crete. To the best of his knowledge—and many others confirmed the •view—nothing like what had been accredited to the Cretans or our troopbed happened. "If there was any dirty work fining .Jerry managed to do it himself." the soldier added. From all accounts. the German troops wore treated very well and. in the case of the injured prisoners, no distinction uas made between the treatment meted out to them and that received by our own patients.