GREAT ACHIEVEMENT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23954, 2 May 1941, Page 7

GREAT ACHIEVEMENT

RE-EMBARKATION FROM GREECE OVER 45,000 TAKEN OFF 3000 CASUALTIES IN ACTUAL FIGHTING By Telegraph—rress Association —Copyright (.Received Hay 1, 1130 p.m.) LONDON, May 1 The news that the great bulk of the British and Anzac forces which fought so heroically in Greece have been safely evacuated from open beaches, thanks to the courage and devotion of the Navy, the Merchant Navy and the Air Force in the face of heavy and sustained German air attacks, was made known in London yesterday. Mr. Churchill, in a statement to the House of Commons, said that of the Expeditionary Force of 60,000 men at least 45,000 had been brought away. A communique from British headquarters in Cairo says at least 80 per cent of the original, force —48,000 men—has been "safely conveyed to an area where it can undertake further active employment." According to Mr. Churchill the force, which included one New Zealand division and one Australian division, suffered about 3000 casualties, in killed and wounded, in the actual fighting, principally at Mount Olympus, Grevena and the Pass of Thermopylae. It is indicated that the troops saved their fighting equipment and light guns, but the heavy equipment and transport vehicles were lost. Original Force Totalled 60,000 Mr. Churchill's statement was as follows: "As I am most anxious to give the House, the nation and the Empire information at the earliest possible moment, and also in view of the extravagant claims made by the enemy, I think it right now to give the figures, so far as they are known to us, of the evacuation of our forces from Greece. "Up to the time when evacuation was seen to be inevitable | we had landed about 60,000 men in Greece, including one New Zealand and one Australian division. Of these at least 45,000 have been evacuated. (Cheers.) Considering that our Air Force was, through the superiority of the enemy, forced to leave the airfields from which alone it could give effective cover to the retreat of our troops, and that only a small proportion of it could , cover the points of embarkation, this must be considered remarkable.

Praise for Gallantry of Troops "The conduct of our troops, especially the rearguard, in fighting their way many miles to the sea, merits the highest praise. This is the first instance where air bombing, prolonged day after day, failed to break the discipline and order of marching columns, who besides being assailed from the air were pursued by no fewer v than three German armoured divisions, as well as the whole strength of German mechanised forces which could be brought to bear. "In actual fighting, principally around Mount Olympus, Grevena and Thermopylae, about 3000 casualties, killed and wounded, are reported to have been suffered by our troops. This :is a very small part of the losses inflicted on the Germans, who on several occasions, sometimes for days at a time, were brought to a standstill by troops sometimes one-fifth of their number; nor does that take account of German losses in any assault made on them by the Greek and Yugoslav armies. Loss of Heavy Equipment "It should* be possible for me to give the House a fuller account next week, but I think I have said enough to show that, painful as our losses are, we have much to be thankful for, and the Empire forces much to be proud of. Sir Hugh O'Neill asked: "When the Prime Minister says 45,000 men were evacuated, does he mean they have successfully reached their base without mishap?" Mr. Churchill: I believe that is so. Indeed I think I am well within the figure. Questioned further as to equipment, Mr. Churchill said: "Heavy equipment could not, of course, be removed, but the Germans are not short of heavy equipment. Enemy's Complete Command of Air The communique from British headquarters in the Middle East stated:— "When it became obvious that the resistance of the Greek army to the German invasion was at an end, the Government of Greece requested that the Empire contingent which had been sent to its help should be withdrawn from Greece, At this time the Empire troops were in close contact with the enemy on the Thermopylae position after withdrawal from more forward positions. "The enemy, by the employment of greatly superior numbers, had obtained complete control and command of the air and by repeated attacks made unusable the one available good port Piraeus. Consequently, their re-embarkation has taken place on open beaches in the face of continuous enemy pressure on land and heavy ard repeated attacks from the air. In such circumstances the withdrawal of a large number of troops can only be effected at the cost of heavy losses of vehicles and equipment, while the rearguards which cover this withdrawal may have to sacrifice themselves to secure the re-embarkation of the others.

Skill and Courage of All Services "The re-embarkation of the personnel of the Empire forces in Greece has been taking place under the most difficult conditions. The full results cannot yet be given, but at least ,80 per cent of the original force has already been safely conveyed to an area where it can undertake further active employment. "This operation has only been possible as tie result of great skill and devotion by all three arms of the Services. The rearguards who covered the withdrawal have imposed on the enemy a slow and cautious advance in spite of his great superiority in numbers. 1 he Navy an d the Merchant Service have shown great courage and devotion in the face of sustained air attacks against the ports and beaches where the embarkation has taken place. Although very heavily outnumbered, our aircraft have played their part both in providing some measure of protection to ships during their passage and in conveying key personnel from Greece. Troops Full of Fighting Spirit "It is noteworthy that in spite of the heavy fighting they have been through and the trying experience of re-embarkation under such conditions, the troops who have returned from Greece are entirely unperturbed by the struggle against such oads, and are convinced of their superiority over the Germans both as individuals and as units and formations. "The success ful withdrawal of so large a proportion of these invaluable troops is a noteworthy achievement. The troops have brought with them all their fighting equipment as well as their fighting spirit, and the heavy equipment and transport which have ueen lost will soon be replaced." A statement from Berlin says: "Our forces have occupied all the ports of the southern Peloponnesus, thus preventing the remaining British troops from escaping by sea.