BLITZ" ON CRETE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 168, 19 July 1941, Page 4

BLITZ" ON CRETE

WANGANUI OFFICER’S DESCRIPTION

BOMBING AND FALL OF MALEME AERODROME

8000 FEET CLIMB TO MEET THE ROYAL NAVY

‘‘We sailed into Crete as a haven of refuge—left, just over a month later, refugees," writes Lieutenant C. N. Armstrong to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. N. G. Armstrong, of Wanganui, with reference to the battles fought by New Zealanders against the Germans leading up to the evacuation from Crete.

“To complete the chain of events," he wrote, "recall that, we took up our positions at Thermopalae (Greece), where the Spartans and, I think, the Turks fought of old; also the Romans and Macedonian's. After four days we received orders to move and, bymotor transport by night and lying up by day, we made the coast byAthens in four laps, boarded our ship, thanked God for the Navy and arrived in Crete the next afternoon without, mishap, but without anything else except arms and what ammunition we could carry. "In easy stages we made our way towards Maleme aerodrome . . . We were disposed on and around the southern perimeter of the 'drome, on a crescent with a radius of one mil”. A Lovely Life "There was a lovely swimming pool in the river. In the olive groves and vineyards (alas sans grapes) wc lived an ideal existence and built up some of our lost energy. The people of Crete are poor, but very industrious, clean and hospitable to our fellows. They would come round daily, selling eggs al five drachmas (a drachma is worth about a half-penny), bread and oranges at three drachmas, so the men would have becon and eggs lor breakfast and yards of oranges each day. We worked up a subsidy scheme with the company funds in good style for the platoon messes . . . “Then came Jerry's ‘blitz’—started in his own quiet way. Whenever an aeroplane or two of ours was on the 'drome (and this did not occur often), down would come a flight of Messerschmitt 109's and, after one dive, outplanes would be burning wrecks. “His raids developed on a rising crescendo until the 19th., when he gave us a real ‘blitz.’ Our intelligence was wonderful. We knew he was coming and when, but he fooled us by making Ute assault one day late .... On the morning of the 20th., at about 6 o'clock, he started his usual early morning ‘blitz,’ which lasted for half an hour and then all was peace. Then ‘the show’ started. We were on a spur and had a grandstand view because, by a strange twist of circumstance, we had been moved from the worst area to one Jerry did net strafe at all.

Severe Bombing “We have seen quite a lot of bombing at one time and another, but nothing could equal this effort. He dropped bombs like hailstones, and when he ran out of bombs, used his machine-guns. Every type of air machine ever conceived was used with wonderful precision and accuracy. There was a cloud of dust at least 500 feet high, an'd wc wondered just who. if any, would survive. “Then came the gliders—silent, unheard—about 30 landing by R.A.F. headquarters, while Jerry’s fighters and dive-bombers machine-gunned around them, making our fellows keep their heads down. Parachute Troops Then the parachute troops, in those great Junkers 52’s we had been watching for so long. This was about 11 a.m. Concentrated on our side and on the far side of the river, and then all round the crescent of our defences, right in the midst of us, they fell from about 300 feet. After a while we managed to account for our ‘callers,’ except for a few isolated ones who got away and had hidden up. Then we wondered what had happened to the rest of the battalion. Jerry then decided t.o ‘blitz’ battalion headquarters hill again, and this filled in an hour. Skipping the details, an order for withdrawal came and we moved about two miles from the ’drome.

“We stayed there two days and then withdrew to an alleged rest area at Canea, as protective troops to the division. Jerry then ‘blitzed’ Canea and, for three days, we lived in slit trenches; then back to Suda Bay: then to Styles, about six miles inland, from Suda. AU these moves were made at night and we took cover by day and waited for his troops. They always arrived just after breakfast Of course, from the time he found the ’drome vacated he landed his troop-carrying planes and went away for more. At. about 11 a.m.. on a defensive position on the hills above Stylos, we learnt that there had been an evacuation plan in hand for the past two days and we woie ordered to move to the coast (25 miles).

"We were tired and hail had very little food for the past five or six days, but we put our heads down and away we went. Never have I seen such a hili as was that mountain pass. A steady, winding climb on rough metal for 8000 ft., up and up, round and round, with the top always round the next corner, but it never was! “Early in the morning we reached the top and then just laid down to sleep, absolutely exhausted. We laid up that day and that night moved on a few miles overlooking the sea. What a lovely view I hat was! The land gradually rises from the north and the crest of the mountains is on the coast so that. I here is almost a she< r drop to the sea. Cigarettes From the Navy “No road in New Zealand could compete with these bends and curves. We were to go off the next night, but the next day we learneq that there would be no room for us that night and no more ships would be coming. However, they did. and z we beat it the next night and once again gave thanks to the Royal Navy. One of the naval officers gave me a tin of 50 cigarettes. You can imagine how we all appreciated the cigarettes we received from the Navy!”