FIGHTING DESCRIBED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 125, 30 May 1941, Page 5

FIGHTING DESCRIBED

ARRIVAL OF GERMAN TROOPS ATTACK ON CANEA AND MALEMI j (Recd. 9.40 p.m.) Cairo, May 29. i The Australian official war correspondent stated that details of the German attack on Canea and Malemi airport were given by- three New Zealanders who returned to Cairo with a party of wounded. The men are members of a field ambulance unit. “We were having breakfast on the morning of May 21 when we were ' alarmed by the terrific drone of planes.” said one. “We were at a hospital near the Malemi aerodrome, jWe looked out to sea and saw the sky i black with planes. The anti-aircraft batteries opened up a heavy fire but I the planes seemed too low and rose j only- when almost overhead. Para- ; chute troops started to tumble out, i landing everywhere around the hos- ; pital. We were unarmed and, being ; a non-combatant unit, had no option but to surrender. German troops were i everywhere, but a mile or so away those coming down near our troops i were being shot to pieces. By midday they- had us rounded up and • marched us towards Galatos, where i they- sat us down on a hillside, with Germans armed with tommy-guns ‘guarding us. All day we stopped j there, watching literally hundreds of I planes dropping men or crash-landing lon the beaches. They- seemed to gain ! control of the aerodrome near mid- ; day and started landing big troopI carriers, many- of which were immeI diately- set on fire by the Australian artillery. There was fierce fighting I going on everywhere. Parachutists I were being killed like flies. They 'landed about 50 by mistake right I among some Maoris, and they lasted [about ten seconds. All that day they ' were also dropping supplies much of j which fell among our troops. About 11600 New Zealanders drove the enemy I back from Galatos. Our guards dropped behind us prisoners, using us as cover. This did not help them as thev were soon shot and we were free again. We attended to the wounded at once and it has been going on ever since. They- secured a footing on the aerodrome and plane after plane came in, unloaded troops and supplies, and flew off again. They bombed hell out of us and machine-gunned our lines. We prayed for night. A hundred fires were burning on the aerodrome. As we hit their planes others crashed. I They have a flare system as well as ■ signal flags indicating what they want land their positions so that they would | not be bombed. The whole area was I thick with dead Huns but still they J kept coming. Last Friday- they 'bombed the town of Canea all day and blew it off the map. Most of the ' civilians had made for the hills. The i streets were running with olive oil i from storerooms. The Germans came fin waves of 50 or 60 planes and flew la few feet above the trees. They I blew up the wireless station. We spent I a day-' in the trenches, dressing the [wounded, while scrapping went on | round the aerodrome. The German I losses are unbelievable but still they I come.”—U.P.A.