THE ESCAPE FROM GREECE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIX, Issue 21960, 12 May 1941, Page 6

THE ESCAPE FROM GREECE

Anzac Group Last To Be Evacuated Brilliant Rearguard Action Thrilling Race Against Time (From the Official War Correspondent with the N.Z.E.F.) CAIRO, May 9. In a dramatic night dash between a large formation of parachute troops and the advance guard of the main enemy drive, a veteran New Zealand Infantry Brigade, forming the bulk of a composite Anzac group, evacuated the last British stronghold on the road to Athens after filling brilliantly another difficult rearguard role. It successfully covered the withdrawal of the remaining Anzac formations and the New Zealand force as a whole, and to-day it stands remarkably Intact in spite of all the violence used by the enemy on the land and in the air in an attempt to make its retirement a shambles.

With the southern exit menaced oy parachute troops who landed in numbers probably exceeding 1000 on the bottleneck near the Corinth Canal and with armoured mechanised forces closing upon Athens, this New Zealand formation turned to the sea for escape. While Wellington and South ■ Island troops engaged the parachutists in fierce guerilla clashes along the Athens-Corinth road, we sped down from mountain positions south of Thebes and through Athens to the coast a few hours ahead of the German tank columns. There, after artillery had flung disturbing parting shots at the enemy, the Royal Navy took us into its magical care and wished us without mishap to a safer haven still on Greek soil. The rest of the New Zealand and other British forces were meanwhile well clear of the rapidly forming cordon around Athens, for we who squeezed through the sole remaining loophole were the last to face and delay the German drive. An Unforgettable Move The most recent of my despatches likely to have reached New Zealand have told of the withdrawal from the Olympus passes behind the magnificent delayed actions fought by the Anzacs under ceaseless air attacks. That unforgettable move took us through Larissa and Lamia to the historic Thermopylae Pass, which is a narrow coastal strip between the cliffs and waters of Maliakos Gulf. There the Anzacs turned again to hold the enemy while the withdrawal continued in the rear, and on the eve of the twentyseventh Anzac Day, the New Zealanders once more struck back hard at the Germans in highly successful delaying tactics. The encounter was particularly noteworthy for brilliant artillery work, since 24 tanks were blasted out of action by our gunners. Using dive-bombers as artillery weapons, the Germans made a violent attempt early in the afternoon to break the defensive line established by a comparatively small composite force. The air attack was followed almost immediately by a tank advance, which was. quickly driven back. Towards dusk the enemy repeated the formula exactly, except that it pushed tanks forward in a more determined fashion. They ran into terrific artillery fire and the accurate ranging of our guns wrought havoc among them. The final phase of the battle was the advance of motorised troops who were filtering Into our infantry positions. They were repulsed with considerable casualties. The end of the engagement almost coincided with the previously fixed time for the evacuation of these positions, and as I watched the troops go by after the battle, one yelled cheerily: “Sorry If we are late, but we had a little business to clean up first.” A Delicate Task In the meantime this New Zealand Brigade, supported by Australian gunners, fell back under the cover of night to the Thebes area, straddling the road through the mountain pass only 30 miles from Athens ready to prevent the Germans from overtaking the tail of the withdrawing British forces. The delicate nature of this task cannot be overstated, for not only was the force required to hold fast for 36 hours after the last troops had passed through It, but also had then to retire itself providing its own cover for this operation. Most of those 36 hours were spent in the most extraordinary cat and mouse game evfer played. Our force was the mouse but, figuratively speaking, it had the cat on the end of a string. So skilfully were the positions concealed and so carefully were the movements shielded that the size and location of the force remained a complete puzzle to the Germans. We spent Anzac Day lying low while reconnaissance ’planes, bombers and fighters skimmed 50 feet above the road hedge and hopped over the hills in vain efforts to nose out our positions or draw betraying fire. However sorely tempted, our men answered their inquisitiveness and erratic machine-gunning only with a stolid, mystifying silence. Next morning reports of an enemy land movement ahead of our line tumbled in one after another. A motor patrol nosing cautiously forward was followed by the appearance of 40 mixed vehicles and the crack of field guns broke our silence as the Australians blew seven from the road and sent the remainder scuttling back out of range. The setback surprised the enemy into fresh but still unsuccessful air activity, and the gunners added a tank to their score and the machine-gunners drove off two infantry patrols before the day was out. With our guns booming across the pass till a late hour we left the enemy halted and guessing, while our vehicles streamed back over the hills and through the heart of darkened, silent Athens, whose streets were to see field grey German uniforms a few hours later. Intense Strafing With their backs to the sea the New Zealanders once more faced the enemy when daylight brought intense strafing and bombing attacks and 100 armoured vehicles were sighted massing in a village a few miles inland. Their readiness to meet this double menace was expressed by shooting down one ’plane and scattering tanks with artillery fire. The day wore on as one of the most tense we had known. Every man stripped off his personnel equipment to the barest essentials and tore up blankets and surplus clothing, while demolition parties smashed vehicles and heavy stores beyond recovery. Darkness fell with victory for us in this thrilling race against time. Scows and launches ferried us alongside swift warships now at rest on the sea. The tension snapped as we clambered aboard in the firm grip of hands that helped us over the rail and in friendly English voices directed us below to hot tea and places to sleep. We knew the enemy had been cheated of his last real chance to block our way of escape.