FIERCE STRUGGLE IN CRETE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 May 1941, Page 5

FIERCE STRUGGLE IN CRETE

Disclosure of British Naval Losses TWO CRUISERS AND FOUR DESTROYERS BOTH SIDES REINFORCED ON LAND IjIXDO.X. May 27. In Crete, where the fighting’ has entered its second week, the issue hang's in the balance. The British forces have been reinforced and the enemy has also received further reinforcement by air-borne troops. The enemy’s losses are serious and much greater than the British. Mr Churchill, speaking in the House of Commons, gave details of the British naval losses in the Crete area. Two cruisers, the 9,400-ton Gloucester, and 8,000-ton Fiji, and the destroyers Kelly, Juno and Cashmir, of 1,690 tons each and the Greyhound, of 1,335 tons, were sunk. By far the greater part of the crews had been saved. An Admiralty communique states that it is known that more than 1,000 survivors have been, landed from the lost ships and there are hopes that many of the Gloucester’s complement, of which there is no news, are safe, as she sank not far from the Greek mainland and was well equipped with boats and rafts. Two British battleships and several cruisers were also damaged, but not seriously, and some are already at sea again. Mr Churchill said there was no question of the naval position in the Eastern Mediterranean being prejudicially affected by these Jesses, The British Navy was relatively stronger compared with the Italian Navy, than it was before the Battle of Cape Matapan. So far, the li’avy had prevented any landings of a seaborne expedition, though a few small boats might have slipped through. Very heavy losses had been inflicted on the Germans and it was not known how many thousands of the enemy troops had been drowned. The Navy had been compelled to operate without air protection, within effective bombing range of enemy airfields. In addition to the two troop convoys already announced as having been broken up, a submarine sank by gunfire two small boats full of German soldiers, two enemy E boats had been destroyed and two others damaged. A number of German aircraft had been shot down. Owing to the geographical conditions British Air Force activities had been restricted. The fighting on land was swaying- backwards and forwards with indescribable fury at Canea and on a smaller scale elswhere. The enemy launched another attack west of Canea and eventually penetrated the British defence positions. The British troops withdrew to new positions in the rear.