ANZAC at Kreta

[Marc Garlasco]

What a day! Had lunch with a new employee here and got to talking about the war. Her father-in-law (deceased) served with the Kiwi forces at Crete. He was captured and spent the war in a prison in Czechoslovakia. Later walked to Portugal and took a boat to the UK. I am awaiting more info from her, but she and her husband want to take a trip to Crete. I hope when they are ready I will be able to provide herwith some good sights! But for now she has asked for any good books about the ANZAC forces there. Suggestions?

Thanks,
Marc

[milcollector]

Here is a start:

http://library.christchurch.org.nz/H...2/GreeceCrete/

There is tons of stuff down here in NZ on Crete. It is a big part of our national history.

[Marc Garlasco]

Thanks - that's a great start!
Marc

[15parabattalion]

Talking about Crete and the FJ. Does anyone know what state the FJ monument is in nowadays? This is the link but it looks as if it hasn't been updated for a while.

My idea: move the memorial to the FJ graves site - I'm guessing this still also exists.

I hope to make my first visit to Crete this year to see all the battlefields and museums. so if anyone has any good links....? Also if anyone wants anything looking up - allied or German let me know!

http://www.fallschirmjaeger-denkmal.de

cheers Mike

[Kyle Scott]

http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Cret.html
this book is a must read for the NZ side of things, all maps and text are online at this link. Some maps show positions down to coy level, so will likely be able to find the exact positions her father was in. This can be differcult on the actual ground though as I found out in 2005. My Grandfather was on a hill outside Galatas, but its hard to tell one hill or ridge from another even with the maps in front of you.
The FJ monument was in a sorry state at this time. The tablet had been smashed with a hammer, paint had been splashed on it and anti-facist posters stuck to it. Also the house nextdoor has set up a car port right in front of the stairs.

[90th Light]

Hello, there is an official history of Crete published by the New Zealand government as part of a series about the WW2. Well worth a look with plenty information including names of many of the New Zealanders involved.

On a more gruesome note, I have recently be given a photo album by a friend whose father was on Crete. Has a horrific set of photos of some German FJ having the "living- crap" beaten out of them by some NZ Maori Soldiers.

I asked my friend if he knew what it was all about and he said all he knew was that these Maori troops were in charge of an ammunition store feeding 25 pounder field guns. The German FJ assault unit tried to storm them but the Maoris won the fight losing some of their mates in the battle. They were none too happy about it as these pictures clearly show. The combat against the FJ was vicious and many were shot like rabbits in the sky,

Chris

[milcollector]

if you feel inclined I am sure many of our members including myself would be fascinated to see those photos.
If you are worried about copyright, make them small or put "copyright across the middle.

[Mike39]

I bet thats not all they did to them ! The Maori Battalion had very strong warrior traditions.
I'd be careful showing those pictures to too many people Chris & certainly not on a public forum. Some things are best kept preserved, if for no other reason than out of respect. It's one of those things during war time when people do things they never thought possible & there's a good chance some of those vets are still alive.

As for a book on the Kiwi's in Crete:

A near run affair by Matthew Wright. Gives a good overview of the Kiwi involvement at Crete & is probably more suited to those not wanting a complete breakdown on military strategies of the battle but provides a detailed account of what went on with those that were there.

Mike

[90th Light]

I bet thats not all they did to them ! The Maori Battalion had very strong warrior traditions.
I'd be careful showing those pictures to too many people Chris & certainly not on a public forum. Some things are best kept preserved, if for no other reason than out of respect. It's one of those things during war time when people do things they never thought possible & there's a good chance some of those vets are still alive.

As for a book on the Kiwi's in Crete:

A near run affair by Matthew Wright. Gives a good overview of the Kiwi involvement at Crete & is probably more suited to those not wanting a complete breakdown on military strategies of the battle but provides a detailed account of what went on with those that were there.

Mike

Hello Mike, you are right that is not all they did to them and yes things are happening in a warrior tradition. I am being careful how much detail I go into here.

I could not put the photos on the forum without my friends permission and he will not give that as long as there are family and tribe who could be up-set or stand accused by such photos (taken with a captured German camera too). He has however left them with me so they are not lost which there was a real danger of.

The reason I mention them is to express how tough things on Crete got and it was not just the Germans who committed all the sins. One of New Zealand's Victoria Cross winners now stands accused of breaking the rules of war by dressing as an FJ and shooting them from behind. The Germans however thought they would be fighting untrained British colonials. They placed little fighting value on the Maoris at all esp. given the training, moral, ability and the fact that many FJ were committed Nazis.

Well it was a fight they came looking for and a fight they got. Sadly for some, "all is fair in love and war" in this world. The interesting thing is that when I talked to New Zealand soldiers who were there, they said it was not the FJ who had them stuffed but when the Gebirgsjager got into action. They were the ones the Kiwis found tough in the hills esp. the Austrian units.

Anyway best regards, Chris

[happy maca]

HI AL fasinating info you have there would love to see the photos privately, does anyone know how many australian units were there serving on Kreta during the fj invasion [ nice info also on the rules of war , dressing up as the enemy , wouldnt be the first time any soldier in history has done this

[nzef1940]

http://www.shorelibraries.govt.nz/To...dbcn=b2158641x

Galatas 1941 : courage in vain - Lynn McConnell

Above is a new book 2006, and the best book I have ever read regarding The New Zealanders fighting on Crete, its a day by day account. Full of ordinary soldiers accounts of the battle. While its focus is on The battle for Galatas, it does cover from 20th May till the evacuation.

I have read them all, this is worth getting!

'This is the story of ordinary New Zealander's achieving extraordinary things: first, in defending the town of Galatas in Crete against overwhelming German military might; and secondly, once the town was lost, fighting to reclaim it in what has been described as the first time that any foe stood up to Germany during the Second World War and turned the attack back on them. Many Germans died at the end of New Zealand bayonets in this desperate struggle that is still celebrated annually in the small Grecean town. The battle for Crete was fought by combined forces of the Commonwealth, but Galatas was New Zealands own trial by fire. The voices of those who survived relate their personal stories honest, modest and unsentimental and, along with many historic and contemporary photographs, tell the story of what it is really like to be in this situation of face-to-face combat, and to live, or die, with the realities and frustrations of war. The legacy of sacrifice at Crete and Galatas in particular created national heroes out of mere mortals and serves to remind us of the futility of war and the resilience of the New Zealand spirit.'

cheers

Mike

[Aave Johns]

HI AL fasinating info you have there would love to see the photos privately, does anyone know how many australian units were there serving on Kreta during the fj invasion [ nice info also on the rules of war , dressing up as the enemy , wouldnt be the first time any soldier in history has done this

My uncle was in the 2/12th and was captured on Crete in one of the last actions on the island. No history lists the 2/12 as fighting there, but given the confusion on mainland Greece, it is no surprise that he was seperated from his unit. When the bullets run out they used rocks to hold off the FJ for as long as they could. Anyone who is not a Kiwi or Aussie should watch a bit of cricket to appreciate the distance they can throw...if they were Poms you could half it.

The main Aussie units on Crete were the 2/1st, 2/4th, 2/7th, 2/8th and 2/11th Battalions. There was also the 2/2nd and 2/3rd Field Regiments, the 16th Brigade Composite and 17th Brigade Composite Battalions, a battery of the 2/3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment and several groups of miscellaneous Australian troops. They were based around Retimo.

Regards;

Johnsy

[milcollector]

...and of course many people know how some Maori Batallion men threw Axis troops off the cliffs at Takrouna .

A very brutal unit.

"...The whole area was covered with stone huts, and there was some bitter fighting until one of the Italians threw a grenade into a hut sheltering Maori wounded. He may not have known that it held wounded men, but on this apparently callous action the Maoris went back a few generations and fought as their forefathers had done. No prisoners were taken, and the enemy were shot, bayoneted or pushed over the cliff; some jumped over of their own accord."

[90th Light]

...and of course many people know how some Maori Batallion men threw Axis troops off the cliffs at Takrouna .

A very brutal unit.

Yes milcollector that did happen but they were out-numbered by the Italians who were attacking at that time with no reserves to call upon so it was a situation of stand and fight or die.

What alot of New Zealanders do not realise is the the Maori Battalion was smashed up in the railway yards of Cassino. The FJ who were battle hardened and wise to the Maoris played a large part in this. Many of those leading the FJ who engaged the Moari at the Cassino Railway station had fought them on Crete or North Africa and had insight as to when was the best time to strike. Those Maori who were wounded or tried to surrender were finished off. Some historians have stated that the 28th Maori Battalion never recovered fully from its loses on that day.

Two wrongs never make a right in this world, Chris

[Marc Garlasco]

I just want to thank all of you guys for posting this information. My friend is really excited to read all of this. Great stuff!
Marc