Story of Greece and Crete

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 142, 15 August 1941, Page 3

Story of Greece and Crete

TRIBUTE TO THE NAVY

<By Lieut. A. G, Hultquist, M.P.)

In the following continuation of this article written by Lieut. A;. G. Hultquist, Mi.P., the withdrawal and embarkation of the New Zealand troops l'rom Crete is described. The journey and experiences are now drawing to a close and in our next Issue the final instalment will appear.

That night I learned for the In si time that we were on our way to a lieach -where Ave re to embark and be taken from Crete. Up till then I was under the impression that we were retiring to a new line, but as we had lost C'an<?a and Suda Bay I could readily see the uselessness of attempting to hold any other part of the Island. That night we marched between 15 and 20 miles over a mountain. I believe we went up over 5000 feet. It was a long and liard march, especially for dead dog ed men. We all learned what a wonderful drink water is on thai march. Gaillant Men I was veryi unfortunate in that 1 had lost my water bottle in the evacuation of Galatos, and. one felt a cad having to scrounge a drink out of other chap's bottles. But there were many in the same box, and the chaps were grand to each other. They were throughout the campaign. One saw many many acts of gallantry and began to understand how decorations are won. The New Zealanders were marvellous. The Maoris particularly distinguishing themselves.

The Maoris earned a great name in bayonet charges in Greece, but they excelled themselves in Crete on several occasions. Get a Maori worked up with a haka and give nim a rifle and a bayonet, and then watch the Hun run. I' think the New Zcalandcrs were better fighters in the scrap. English Tommies and Australians all admit that and the New Zealanders came out in the most orderly manner too. Gradually stragglers rejoined our unitsi ami our Bns. became better and better organised the nearer we got to the port we were bcrund for. Men plodded on and on throughout the nignt.

Fell Asleep

Away behind us we could see Canea burning and the trucks stil] Mazing in the camp site we had vacated at dusk that evening. About 1 a.m. I heard a "Recce" plane and saw it drop a parachute flare, but It was miles back from us however. Anyway we were ready to take cover if a flare was dropped over us. That didn't happen so we plodded on. Resting for ten minutes every hour except on one occasion when during a ten minute halt everyone, including the leaders fell sound asleep until someone awoke after a 25 minute snooze, and woke the leaders up, and we resumed our march.

That next morning we arrived at the top of the mountain and again concealed ourselves. By noAV, food was getting scarce.' The ration system had broken down as Ave were cut off from supplies. Tobacco, one of the soldiers greatest comforts Avas getting scarce. Cigarettes were a luxury. Those feAV who did possess tobacco were very generous AA T ith it and handed it round. Cigarette papers were unprocurable, and Ave found ourselves tearing pieces of paper off our airmail letters Avhich wc

hadn't answered arid were trying to .save for tlic time when we could write home again. Art of Camouflage By now we were in a type of country that one could move through in the day time as plenty of conccalment was to be had in the rocks and in the valleys. Strangely- enough the number of planes wc saw decreased almost to nil from now on, or at least were so few and far between that Ave could move and get enough .warning of their approach to get

Ready for Embarkation

again to be our saviours

Huns Reported Tired

Again Aboard Destroyer

(To be continued).

THE EMBARKATION under cover and camouflage ourselves. By now we had learned all the arts of camouflage and took jno risks. Some men carried sprigs of trees or scrub on their tin hats. : Others used sacking to "cut out" the ' shine of the paint on our helmets. Quite a few of us vised our caps comi i'ortcr as a cover for the helmet and one of these days I will he able to tell Miss Petrie (daughter of Mr C. Petrie, M.P. —my room mate in the House of Representatives in New Zealand) that I finally used the cap comforter she knitted for me, in that way.

So during that Wednesday we moved on over thq mountain and down a very steep face on to a plain where Ave took up a defensive pcsl-

tion against any possible attempt by parachutes landing and cutting off the retreat of those who were still behind us fighting rearguard actions. We had been bitten once that way in Greece and were not goins; to be caught again if we could avoid it. Fortunately none landed and we were able, to push on that evening to a point about 3 miles nearer to the port of Spakhia.

At this next halting place we were drafted into groups ready for embarkation and then lay in hiding all day. I spent the day in a good position with a Major (my brother's 0.C.) and we had- a pleasant day together, not worried unduly by the planes. I cannot explain the reason for the "let-up" by the planes except and unless they were concentrating on the navy which was

All sorts of rumours were going the rounds—to the cffcct that the Hun was evacuating bis troops from Cyrenaica and that the planes were on that job, that the Hun was satisfied with the progress made and that his planes were engaged in another campaign in some other theatre of war in the same role as thev had been engaged against us, and that the planes were long overdue for overhaul and advantage was being taken to put them in good order

Reports were coming through that the Huns in Crete were absolutely tired out and that difficulty was being experienced in keeping the forward troops supplied with food. Certain it was that their advance had slowed down considerably, and any shooting, we heard was spasmodic, and isolated.

That Thursday night wc all moved cut in most orderly manner to the coast, and took up positions in hiding under trees on the side of n high and stony hill overlooking Spakhia. At three the next afternoon \vc moved in a long single file Avith 10 yards, between each man down the hillsides on to the beach. That evening at dusk we marched into the Port of Spakhia, and at midnight went aboard barges and by 1 a.m. I was again aboard a destroyer

God had been good to me and to j other men in the section and ouly those who went through. Greece and Crete can aj>preciat-e what a wonderful feeling _of relief permeates one? being, when one climbs out of a Hell like we'd seen and over the rails and on to the deck of one of Britain's destroyers. A bath, hot soup, coffee, plenty to eat (and believe me we were very hungry by now) and a bed on the floor all made one feel that the Navy was one of God's gifts to man. A Close Shave During the sea voyage on that destroyer we learned that the Hun was busy attacking the Navy in its efforts to evacuate the troops from Crete and we were attacked alt 0 a.m. by 19 planes. Not all of them concentrated on our ship thank goodness, but their attention was divided. I was sitting on the floor in the Officers mess when our ship received a "Near Miss" which put one of the engines, out of action. It certainly .was a close shave and our escape was most certainly due to the ability of the Naval Captain, who twisted and turned the ship in all directions.