ENEMY ONSET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 May 1941, Page 5

ENEMY ONSET

! METHODS OF PARACHUTISTS DESCRIBED MANY KILLED BEFORE LANDING. ARRIVAL OF TROOP-CARRIERS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 10.5 a.m.) RUGBY. May 29. The methods of parachutists were described in an interview with a News Agency correspondent at Cairo bj' a young officer, who tells in vivid terms of the first parachutists coming down on a hilltop. "There were perhaps a thousand of them, and at least one hundred were killed before touching the ground or as they landed." he said. "Wearing zipp-fastened overalls of a greenish colour, over webbing equipment, they were finely built men. but were shaking all over as they were brought in. One I searched had dropped from 210 feet. Three others captured by our men asked to be shot. They said they had had enough of the war. Another of the captured parachutists was fifteen years of age. The parachutists’ food containers were filled with chocolate biscuits, coffee and whisky and their objective was to gather at the top of the hill and attack the aerodrome. All those who came down in the valley were quickly rounded up by New Zealanders. Then down came parachutes of a different colour, with containers carrying two Tommy guns, hand grenades, anti-tank rifles, ammunition, food, water, telescopes, small wireless sets and even trench mortars.”

Each parachutist, the officer said, had two lights, red and white. The red indicated: "I am in possession of this land" and the white: "Form up on me."

After describing hand-to-hand fighting and bayonet encounters between Imperial troops and the parachutists, tho officer continued: "Next morning the first air-carrier arrived, landed its troops and got away again at once. This went on all day and by evening ten of these machines were lying about the ground wrecked and blazing. That day 280 troop-carriers landed, but next day the number was reduced to 66. Each plane contained an officer and sixteen men, fully equipped. They seemed to come every quarter of an hour, from 9 a.m. until 7.30 p.m. Around the aerodrome the fighting was fierce. The Australians pushed the Germans back for a mile and a half, almost getting back to the aerodrome, and the Maoris were using their bayonets with deadly effect. A group of Australians was surrounded, but managed to get away and reached the top of the hill and. under deadly fire, rolled trees down. Below New Zealanders attacked and captured a hospital. They managed to remove British wounded and held the building long enough to assure their retreat. One group of three officers and 66 men left the Canea aerodrome and. fighting all the way. 49 of them regained their own lines.”