EYEWITNESS STORY OF CRETE INVASION

Chronicle (Levin), 15 May 1946, Page 5

EYEWITNESS STORY OF CRETE INVASION

-Pres.r, Association

♦ EVIDENCE OF MA JOR- GENERAL INGLIS NOT UNDERSTOOD

Bv Telearavh—

CHRISTCHURCH, May 14, As an eye witness of the death of Colonel Plimmer, one of the patiehts in the hospital hombed and strafed hy machine guns, and as one of the party of New Zealanders used as a shieid by the Germans in Crete, 'Mr. George A. Suckling, of Christchurch, today descrihed the evidence of Major General L. M. Inglis at the trial of Colonel Karl J Student, Nazi paratroop commander, as •'beyond comprehension." Suckling was then a corporal in the Army Service Corps. On the day hefore the inY'asion of Crete by the Germans, bombs were dropped on the 7th General Hospital, as clearly marked as such as any he had seen, and standing out in the open, said Suckland. He had never heard the reason for the hombing Which killed two or three British doctors. On the day of the invasion the Germans again bombed the hospital and para-! troopers who landed "in a heap"i strafed the hospital with machine guns. 1 No warning was given. A German pilot who had been shot down at Suda Bay but who was not badly wounded, was given a gun by the Germans when they reached the hospital, and used it to cover the other patients, many of whom. were in their pyjamas. j "What we said about his actions after being treated as a patient, can be lmagindd," added Suckland. The field ambulance , ne,ar the hospital Was flying a big Red Cross flag and the Germans, after herding the patients to-! gether, wanted some of the New Zea-' landers to go across and furl it and hoist the Nazi flag. He said none would do it, i

A definite declaration that Colonel Plimmer was murdered, was made hy .Suckling who said he was standing only a few yards away from the Wellington doctcr when he died. Major General Inglis' evidence that "one German officer entered the hospital and sprayed a wall with a tommy gun and it is believed murdered Colonel Plimmer commanding. the field ambtilance," was hopeiessiy astray from the facts. He could not understand how Major General Inglis couidi have given such evidence. "The shooting took place not at the hospital but in the field amhulance line," said Suckling.- "We had taken shelter in a shallow trench and a Nazi paratrooper landed right alongside us and ordered all of us to put up our hands. We did so. Colonel Plimmer, a big man, was getting out of the trench after putting his hands up when he was deiiberately shot. That happened an hour cr so after the strafing of the hospital. ' ' The Germans had, without any doubt used hospital patients as a shieid when advancing toWards Galatos, declared Suckling. With about 200 other patients, some being in pyjamas, he was compelled to march up a ridge while the Germans followed in a gully. "There was cross-fire hut I cannot say who shot our men — whether it was our own men trying' to shoot the Germans, or the Germans," he said. "After we had covered part of the way the cross-fire became too hot for the Germans. We were all among trees and surrounded. German officers were walking about and the New Zealanders must have thought we were all Huns for they opened fire on us. A scldier from Otaki was killed alongside me. A number of Germans were killed and wounded and we seized the turn of the battle to take their guns off them and to capture them. Some New Zealanders were also shot and I think it was an Australian padre who ran out and told the New Zealanders they were firing on their own men as- well as the Germans. What happened to the Germans we captured 1 do not know. Like other s I was ill and was marched down to Suda Bay. ' '