GUNS AS REARGUARD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 May 1941, Page 5

GUNS AS REARGUARD

| ; NEW ZEALAND ARTILLERY IN GREECE FIELD BATTERIES COVER RETREAT. IN SPITE OF DIVE-BOMBING ATTACKS. (N.Z.E.F. Official News Service.) CAIRO, May 6. New Zealand artillery regiments at Olympus carried out rearguard actions which are probably unique in artillery history. Field artillery units actually covered the retreat of the infantry; then, overcoming tremendous odds, they got their guns out. Covering demolitions and amazing road blocks by the New Zealand engineers made it possible to withdraw the big 25-pound guns to the Thermopylae area, south of Lamia, under cover of night. They passed right through the infantry who had held up the Hun advance into Thessaly, while they consolidated their new line in this Thermopylae area by performing brilliant “leap-frogging" tactics. The artillery was able to cover the withdrawal of our infantry into southern Greece and at the same time managed to inflict tremendous German losses in tanks, motor equipment and personnel. Our big guns dominated an essential river crossing, preventing the reconstruction of a bridge which our engineers had already destroyed. When our shells hit the German tanks streams of molten metal poured from the blazing wrecks which remained. Again it was a question of a timed withdrawal, and if our flanks could have been maintained our guns could have held the German advance almost indefinitely. The forward guns were dragged back behind the second line of guns, however, and each leap back meant the loss of more guns. They were falling back on Athens, and the time came for the last stand. Infantry protection for the guns was withdrawn, the guns were spiked and the engineers carried out a brilliant series of demolitions and blocking tactics, which held up the advancing Huns and enabled the artillery to evacuate almost the whole of their remaining personnel. Generally speaking, the artillery losses were remarkably small for the work which they did and the punishment they received from the divebombers. It must be borne in mind that throughout these operations German reconnaissance planes and spotting aircraft were able to hover unhindered over our guns’ positions.