LATE NEWS

Southland Times, Issue 24446, 28 May 1941, Page 5

LATE NEWS

ROUGH COUNTRY IN CRETE

LIKENESS TO PACIFIC ATOLL

CAIRO, May 26.

The Commonwealth Official War Correspondent in Crete describes the type of country where the Anzacs at present are locked in a life and death struggle with the German invaders. He says in some respects Crete resembles a typical Pacific atoll. It consists pricipally of a central mountain or a series of high peaks surrounded by a thin ribbon of beaches and flat fields. The towns, villages and aerodromes are cramped inside this narrow zone, which can scarcely have offered a hopeful target for parachutes or troop-carry-ing planes. There is little sign of human or animal life and there is no food whatever to be bought or stolen and unless supplies, as well as ammunition, can be got out of the air by a miracle the nests of hunted parachutists will eventually starve. Down on the flat the green coastal fringe is where the fate of the island will be decided. Here the Germans have been wasting bombs on towns already long since deserted. Other obvious targets in the string of coastal flats are the plantations of olive and fruit trees. These offer such manifest shade, comfort and hiding to troops bivouacked hereabouts that an attack would naturally be expected. The troops all round are diligently digging trenches, putting the last touches of a masterly camouflage and arranging for emergency concealment in other quarters.

“I shall be surprised if the reported machine-gunning of these olive groves has produced considerable casualties,” says the correspondent. “An Australian officer who went for a strenuous stroll up the range behind told me that the inland mountain tracks are so steep and rudimentary that it was actually more painful coming down than going up. What I have seen of the Cretan country increases my admiration for the Greek King's achievement in crossing from one side of the island to the other by foot.”