Crete Invasion First Step In Three-Phase Battle For Nile

Northern Advocate, 27 May 1941, Page 5

Crete Invasion First Step In Three-Phase Battle For Nile

Next Goal Said To Be Capture Of Cyprus

(Received 2 p.m.) LONDON, May 26. INFORMATION WHICH, ACCORDING TO THE ANKARA CORRESPONDENT OF THE SWISS NEWSPAPER “NEUE ZURCHER ZEITUNG” HAS REACHED THE TURKISH MILITARY AUTHORITIES, SHOWS THAT THE INVASION OF CRETE IS THE FIRST STEP IN A THREE-PHASE BATTLE FOR THE NILE, WHICH THE GERMANS BELIEVE MUST BE WON BEFORE SEPTEMBER. The Gormans fear the influence of increased American supplies for Britain thereafter. The Tories believe that up to 6000 German troops are concentrated on the islands of Chios and Mytilene, in the Aegean, with orders to embark for Crete in caiques as soon as the parachutists have established footholds. The correspondent does not mention whether the orders have been held np, but says that the next phase is scheduled to begin before the middle of dune at the latest with the capture of Cyprus. The Germans hold that operations in Syria and Iraq must be complete before the end of July to enable the final decisive attacks on Egypt, to be launched from four directions, including -Syria.

f Heavyweight Drops In A Berlin radio announcement says that Max Schmelling, world heavyweight boxing champion in 1930-31, was among the first parachutists to land in Crete on Tuesday last. Litter of Smashed Planes Over 250 smashed' German aeroplanes lie scattered over Crete, mixed with broken gliders and burnt-out stores. Wreckage is strewn in the branches of olive groves along the beaches, and high on the rocks over Canea and Candia. More wreckage, including many stove-in fishing boats, is being washed up everywhere on the north coast.

German salvage gangs are pulling damaged German machines off the runways at Malemi and abandoning them on the be:-- h, which is already piled up with torn fabric and burnt-out engines.

The Germans apparently are prepared for an insanity of wastage. Men, stores, machines and boats were flung in as though Hitler was ready for almost any loss.

Royal Air Force bombers and longrange fighters diving on Malemi found nearly 40 troop-carrying aircraft on the airfield, and at least another GO on the beach.

Men were racing back and forth among the machines, tearing out stores, tuning up engines, and taking off aeroplanes to make room for others cruising overhead.

So Much to Hit

British bombers flung down every •bomb they had, while our fighters dived, machine-gunning the ant-like figures. These raids continued -all day on Sunday. Pilots say the only trouble is that there is so much to hit, and so far to go to hit it. One pilot said he arrived during a temporary lull, but before he left “clouds” of German aeroplanes were coming up over the sea. Supplies of food, ammunition and medicaments are now reaching our garrisons, and, in addition, the Germans are continually parachuting boxes of concentrated food, spare parts and shells, some of which fall in our lines.

Quantities of heavier equipment were known to have been on the German sea convoys, which were sunk or dispersed.

Landing Repelled

The Germans did effect a landing at Suda Bay within the last 24 hours, but were driven off from the shore. German air-borne guerillas are still roving the country between Candia and Suda Bay, threatening our communication, but are not nearly as serious as the concentrations at Malemi. The Germans each night are sending out from hiden coves in the Dodecanese Islands troop-laden fishing fleets to run the Royal Navy’s gauntlet to Crete. The cessation of glider landings is the first sign that the Germans cannot go on indefinitely, reinforcing from the air.

Junkers 52s hauled up to six gliders each, giving the combined unit a capacity of 100 men with arms and small bombs.

Feeling the Strain Supporting reports that the Germans expected to take Crete in 48 hours is the fact that parachutists and airborne troops now landing are not members of the original air-borne divisions. Dive-bombers are not coming so low, and taking double their earlier losses, indicating that less experienced airmen are now handling them. The number of Germans captured in Crete amounts to several hundreds.