Remembering the Battle for Crete, 1941 - an Eyewitness Account

The Maleme airfield & Hill 107 Cemetery. The capture of the Airfield was  one of the first tasks of the German paratroops 

Tuesday 20 May 1941

 'Well today is the day of days & Sandy Murtagh's birthday too. The long awaited blitz started at 0800hrs in the form of an extraordinary fierce aerial bombardment and machine gunning. The time is now only 1030, the strafing has finished around us and by  the sounds of machine guns & rifles going our companies have engaged  the parachute troops. Parachutists dropped out of huge Junkers troop carriers. The Huns used gliders this morning, for what reason, I don't know. One glider flew very low over us & to all appearances looked perfectly harmless. Probably the gliders were to attract AA fire.' 

This eyewitness account of first day of the Battle for Crete in May 1941, is an extract from the unpublished diary of Private John Edgerton Jury Westbrook of Auckland, a soldier of the 18th Infantry Battalion who is my uncle, known affectionately to all the immediate family as 'Winks'.

... the Jerry planes were given a reception that made several planes stay for keeps

In a letter home, expanding on the first day's events, Private Westbook says he found out later that, rather than drawing anti-aircraft fire the gliders "carried eight soldiers and a pilot. The pilot of one that was captured was a boy of 15." He goes on: "It was an uncanny experience to have a glider pass low over us. It was an immense thing and it made no noise but a low swish-swishing sound. Our first sight of them - they had us puzzled for a while - was during a lull in the bombing. We saw six of these huge things circling round and round very high up." 
He Continues: "The dropping of parachute troops was a great sight. The Jerry planes had been flying round as thick as flies for an hour and a half, bombing and machine-gunning anywhere and everywhere, covering the island in a pall of dust and smoke. Then we saw the first of the huge Junkers flying slowly through the murky atmosphere. We knew what to expect and weren't so very much surprised when we saw the parachutists drop out - the 'umbrella men' as one Greek woman described them. Out they dropped, one by one, their 'chutes opening as soon as they left the plane, 12 to 18 to a plane. Yes, sir, this war sure introduces some weird and wonderful things!"

"Our A.A, guns were by no means wiped out... when the Jerry planes returned, they were given a reception that made several planes stay for keeps."

Graves of German paratroopers at Hill 107, Maleme Airport

In 1990 I visited the battlefields on the island of Crete, an extention of a tour I led to the 75th Anniversary commemoration at Gallipoli. I had inherited my uncle's 1941 War Diary and had transcribed the contents onto my computer. The object was to visit some of the sites that he, and other New Zealanders, had fought over during the furious battle for Crete; the world's first airborne invasion.  At Maleme we visited the cemetery of German paratroopers who were killed during the battle. It is rather sobering to stand amid the graves of former enemies on Hill 107, looking across Maleme Airfield, which is still in use.  The nearby small town of Galatos was particularly moving.  I recorded my impressions, shortly after I arrived home, which I quote verbatim: "Signs of the battle have all but disappeared, although we did notice that the walls of a couple of older, unpainted, balconied houses near the Square still appeared to be pitted with bullet and shell marks after almost 50 years. The Orthodox Church, with grand Ionic columns at its entrance, had recently been repainted. Once a refuge for the wounded, it was once again the centre of village life and was still the largest building in Galatas. Orange trees in the churchyard were laden with fruit. One of my group, standing outside a teahouse just off the Square, suddenly called out. We entered and in the smoky interior, a group of Cretan men, were playing backgammon and drinking strong coffee and raki. They gave us cursory glances and continued with their game. But it was the notice board here that had attracted our attention. A discoloured sign had the emboldened words NEW ZEALAND 21^st BATTALION, and beneath, on an equally discoloured paper were the names of the 145 New Zealanders killed here during the battle. A faded Anzac poppy had been slipped under the edge of the board, a poignant tribute from some other antipodean visitor." 

At the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Suda Bay, seeing the graves of Maori soldiers brought tears to my eyes, they were about as far away from home as they could get. I particularly wished to see the place of evacuation, which my uncle calls first 'Sparta' and then 'Spakhia'. To the Allies it was Sfakia, and now is the attractive Cretan fishing village of Hóra Sfakion ,where we had lunch in a small fish restaurant. I returned to New Zealand, knowing I had modern first hand experience of the some of the areas he had so eloquently described some 50 years previously in his Diary. 

For the continuing events of the Battle for Crete, I now return to Uncle 'Winks' first hand account, continuing with day one of the battle.

'Moved to a position outside of Galatos. A number of  paratroops landed near B.H.Q. & 9 out of 10 of  them were wiped out almost before they hit the ground. The bombing has been very severe throughout the day and it seems as though most of the AA's have been wiped out or else run out of ammo. Standing picquet tonight. The Huns seem to be well equipped with m.g.'s  & ammo. Found a utility bag dropped by parachute. It contains haversacks of rations, ammo, spades & land mines. More parachute (sic) were landed 1700hrs.'

The Greek Orthodox Church in the centre of Galatos

Wednesday 21 May

'Was told that the 19th Bn found some Hun flags and for a bit of fun staked out an area with them. Later on Junkers planes flew over and dropped troops, ammo, motor cycles, pushbikes and M.G.s in the area. Of course the 19th gave them all a royal welcome. The day has been fairly free from bombing, but what bombs were dropped started a couple of big fires at Souda Bay. Harry Marsh said he saw a terrific number of troops landing in the vicinity of the aerodrome.' 

Thursday 22 May

'The mosquitoes are very bad. First thing this morning Vic Berryman and I went on a patrol to a white house nearby around which we have seen civilians moving. Coming up from olive trees below the house we came across some people living in a dug out. Poor devils were scared stiff at the sight of us & when we got them to understand that we were English, and friends, one old lady broke down sobbing, & brought out photo engravures of Christ & Mary, made the sign of the cross on us then made us kiss the engravures. A reconnaissance of the place revealed that there were a cluster of houses & many civilians. It is a wonder that they hadn't gone because bullets have been whistling round those houses for two days. The people were both scared and relieved to see us and assured us that there were no Huns in the vicinity. One house produced a cup of hot milk and a slice of bread for us. Sgt. Forest-Brown and I went back later on for water and the Greeks told us of a German utility box in the vicinity so a patrol of us set out to get the contents. One of the Greeks produced a German submachine gun & mags from his shed. We removed it from the utility box and hid it so the Huns wouldn't get it. An inspection  of the box brought forth 8 grenades, 3 land mines and two rifles. Apparently the foodstuffs & the parachute itself were taken by the Greeks beforehand. The Tommy gun is a little beaut and we are going to keep it. Was told that the Huns have captured the aerodrome and the consequence of the naval action last night was 80% of a German convoy sunk and the Italian fleet, once again, getting a hiding. A lot of German material has been captured and their M.G.s used against them. They use three types of bullets; tracer, explosive and ordinary. The Germans captured are a very fine type & all the boys admit it. Went  through the usual machine gunning and bombing by the Luftwaffe. Have been told that the Huns are massing for an attack on Galatos.'

The War Memorial for the Battle of Galatos, as it was in 1990

Friday 23 May 

'Had a pretty hard night. Our sector is the weakest point of the line so we had to double the strength of the piquet and by doing so we had two men awake all the time working two hours on and one hour off. There was another naval skirmish during the night. The mosquitoes are extra ordinarily bad. The situation on the island seems to be pretty well in hand. Was told that the Huns tried to land troops on the aerodrome but our guns just picked the planes off as they landed. The Navy is supposed to come in and blow Hell out of the drome tonight. A very concentrated bombing and machine gunning by Stukas & Heinkels at midday made us all think that more parachutists were going to be dropped here. General activity has been very slight, most of the noise seems to be coming from the aerodrome.'

While Private Westbrook does not mention it and his Brigade was obviously not involved, the fighting inside the town of Galatos was vicious. I found this account, in Crete 1941: Eyewitnessed  by Costas Hadjipateras, particularly poignant: 'The New Zealanders had been pushed out of Galatos leaving the great church full of their wounded, and now they returned with a vengeance. Bayonets had been fixed, the Cretan villagers had fastened knives and bayonets to old-fashioned rifles and had joined the Kiwis in a mad charge through Galatos. Their aspect must have been terrible. The troops were angry and cold-blooded, the Cretans proud and hot-blooded, and the result, as we heard later, was a stunning victory - at least for that day. No German soldiers remained in Galatos on Friday evening.' 

Saturday 24 May

'We moved last night & took up a new position on the other side of Galatos.  I'm not feeling the least bit fresh because of lack of sleep. The situation seems to be pretty shaky as the Jerry has consolidated himself at the aerodrome and has landed large numbers of troops, armoured motor cycles & side cars &  light tanks and has actually advanced about  four  miles. His Luftwaffe has  given us the biggest blitz to date, the planes bombing and droning about for the past six hours without a break. The island has been covered in a haze from the bombing. Machine gun bullets are uncomfortably close. D Coy., whose line runs at right angles to us on our left, suffered severe strafings by Messerschmidts & Heinkels. Junkers transport planes dropped supplies by parachute to the odd troops holding out near Galatos. At 1600 hrs we had to man all posts as a party of  Germans  are advancing along the coast road on D Coy's right flank. Our position overlooks the road. The Luftwaffe made two heavy bombing raids on Kania. Nine Blenheims flew over today and it was  the most inspiring sight we have seen yet. They bombed the aerodrome. They kept the Jerry planes away for two hours. We saw four parachutes coming down from a great height. Probably there was a fight up above.'

New Zealand war graves in the Commonwealth Cemetery at Suda Bay, Crete

Sunday 25 May

'The Luftwaffe has been unusually active bombing Kania again and all around. Started another petrol fire over by Suda Bay. Gave D Coy. another severe strafing. Last night Barney Lawn and I dug our post in deeper and put extra camouflage round it by planting whole grape vines around the trench. The general cave in of our line started about 1630hrs. Barney and I were completely surprised by seeing three men standing on the skyline on D Coy's ridge with their arms up in the air. Machine gun bullets were kicking up the dust behind them and grenades were bursting round them. Several other chaps came running around this side of the ridge but withdrew. The men on the ridge disappeared over the other side and a moment later a party of Huns with a trench mortar came into view. We gave them a bit of a reception and made them go back the way they came. Barney & I were a bit shaken by the bombing & machine gunning by the planes, but this action steadied  us up a lot.  We had several shots at a German creeping around the side of the ridge but registered no hits. We were in a pretty good position but the Jerries put bullets very close. At dusk we were given the order to withdraw. The Jerries had broken through the other companies and were flanking us. Barney & I were the  last two to leave and were being followed through the grape fields by Jerry bullets.  It was a tough little race. We lost the platoon & strung along with the M.G.Bn, an officer of which made us man a line behind the old hospital area. The hospital was a mess of  burned out tents so it goes to show that there is no target immune from bombs as far as the Hun goes.'

Monday 26 May

'At  0200 this morning Bill Lancaster woke us up and told us that everybody had gone so we hopped it, too. We found the rest of the Battalion not far from our last camping area. At 0400 the Battalion pulled out and we went to the area we first occupied when we arrived on the island. Had a short sleep under the trees till daylight then tunnelled into some briars in a drain & Barney & I had a good sleep well secured from planes. At 1100 hrs woke up & was told by Vic Berryman that there was a ration dump nearby so Barney & I paid it a visit and acquired some tins of pineapple, milk & beans. When we arrived back we were told by Jock McGruther to get three days rations & be ready to move. We pulled out about midday and were strafed shortly after. Capt Lyons, M.P. (Captain Jack Lyons was the Labour MP for Waitemata) & his batman were killed & I heard later, Jock McGruther was injured. We were given instructions to make our way to Souda Bay then strike south to Sparta (presumably Sfakia). I was with a small party for part of the time but lost them. Stumbled across a Tommy camp, had a cup of tea then joined C.Coy. who had arrived & were being treated to tea. We marched about eight miles along the coast road before we turned in for the night. During the day, a lone Dornier dropped some leaflets containing dire threats.'

Tuesday 27 May

 'Had a freshening wash and the first shave since the start of the blitz, in a creek nearby. We pulled out from here in sections of six and were given instructions to make our way to Neon Corinth, six miles away, and wait there until nightfall. From there we were to hike it to Spakhia on the other coast some 34 miles away and all our travelling was to be done at  night. Jack Purchase is the section leader of the one I'm in. There are quite a number of troops on the move. The day was very hot & the march over the country pretty stiff. We arrived at Neon Corinth about 1400hrs and moved out as a Company at 2100 hrs. There was a terrific congestion on the road and trucks were having great difficulty in passing the troops.'              

Wednesday 28 May

 'At 0400hrs this morning we pulled off the road and climbed a hill and turned in. The marching was pretty tough. We must have done about 16 miles. Just before midday we pulled out, and after walking a few miles met up with A Coy by a well, waiting for transport. We had to do the same and were transported to a pleasant little valley with countless little wells in the fields. We have to take up positions and have to form protection against parachutists. Looks as though we have to do another rear guard action. The planes have spotted the troop movements & have been doing a bit of bombing & machine gunning & I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see some parachute troops dropped. Artillery sounds can be heard so I hope we don't linger to long. Passed some Aussies today with two Greek girls. The girls must be the same ones that the Aussies smuggled out of Greece. The girls were marching with the boys and looked surprisingly fresh.'

Thursday 29 May

 'Pulled out 0500 hrs and took up another position a further four miles towards the coast at the head of the valley. Had a pretty easy day of resting. 1845 Stukas and Dorniers flew over and it looks as though they have been blitzing the port or ships. 1900 hrs rifle, M.G & artillery fire can be heard in the hills at the other end of the valley. Looks as though the Jerries have caught up. We are moving out from here at 2000 hrs. with 2 days water. The Jerries have broken through a Tommy Regt. and the Commandos and our A Coy is holding them at the pass at the head of  the valley. A Coy pulled out and passed us on trucks. They, only 40 strong  kept the Jerries back for five hours, so I hope the Aussies, who are two battalions strong, can keep them back for 24 hrs. The marines are taking up a rearguard action, too. (Despite all their tribulations, the New Zealanders still had time to take an interest in how the rest of the War was going) Heard that the H.M.S. Hood  had been sunk by the German ship Bismarck and that the latter in turn, had been sunk by the H.M.S. King  George  V. Also heard that Tripoli had been surrounded by the British and Syria had gone Free French.'

Friday 30 May

 'Waited on roadside till 0400hrs, then moved some four miles further on towards the beach and holed up under pine trees on slopes of hills overlooking the beach. On our way to this place we passed a long line of Tommies and it seemed as though they would panic any moment. Only about 1 in 6 of them have not thrown away their rifles. At 1315 a systematic shelling of these slopes made things a bit uncomfortable and the Tommies were the first to move. We moved out ¾ hr later and tried to clear the road to the beach of wrecked trucks, of which there were a great number. It looked as though they had been strafed, well strafed, and a few dead were still lying about. Found one wounded chap in the back of a truck. He had been there for two days. We got him shifted by the medicals. Half way through our job, Huns were sighted coming down the gully this side of our former bivouac area,  so we took up positions on the slopes. At 1700hrs, we withdrew and rested up in bushes nearer the coast. The Aussies are  keeping the Huns occupied. It seems as though we,  the  4th Inf. Bde., will be getting off first tonight. Found out today that we have had five casualties in our Platoon - Jack McGruther, Sandy  Murtagh, Barney Lawn, George Edmonds & Sid Pausina - all wounded. "Wog" Keane is missing but may turn up. At 2000 hrs we moved down through Spakhia to the beach and embarked about midnight.'

The fishing port of Khora Sphakion in 1990, from where the New Zealanders were evacuated on 31 May 1941

 Saturday 31 May

 'Well, once more we are on the high seas. Our convoy of  two destroyers, the H.M.A.S. Napier  & Nyzam pulled out from Spakhia Bay at 0200hrs. During the process of embarkation we formed  a cordon of fixed bayonets around the beach to stop any unauthorized persons from crashing in. Only a certain number from certain units were to be embarked, all the rest had to take chances until tomorrow night. The first thing we received on board was a packet of Woodbines then a feed of stew, bread & jam. The Aussie crew treated us real fine & were all after souvenirs such as Lugers, Jerry Tommy guns etc. The ship I am on is the Napier. I had a shower & a shave - the first since the start of the blitz - then tried to sleep on the floor. I was told that our speed was 30 knots & that we would reach Alexandria at 1400hrs. At 1200hrs we were attacked by Jerry bombers, two near  misses making the ship buck around a bit. Damage was done to part of the radio equipment & one of the engines. We didn't make port until 1900hrs. A movie camera was there & a Y.M.C.A. reception committee who gave us two bars of chocolate, 1 pkt biscuits, 1 orange, tooth brush & paste,  soap & a hot cup of tea. Shortly afterwards we embarked on truck belonging to a South African unit which took us to Amriya. There we were issued with a complete messing outfit & given a hot dinner of  stew, potatoes, bread & butter. The Y.M.C.A. was on hand again & we were given chocolate, cigarettes, soap, shaving soap & razor blades. Were shown to a tent & turned in for a decent sleep.'

Private J.E.J. Westbrook was from Auckland and had had aspirations of being a writer, having worked before the War as a publisher's assistant. He was a third generation descendant of the prominent Wairarapa couple, John Milsome Jury and Te Aitu-o-te-Rangi Jury and was born in 1915 in Apia, Samoa. His paternal grandfather was George Westbrook, who was a prominent trader in Apia. Known to his friends as Jack, he was known to the immediate family as 'Winks'. Private Westbrook enlisted in the first days of the War and was on the first draft of troops sent the the Egypt in January 1940. In 1941, he began his diary 'because interesting things should happen this year.' Private Westbrook served through the bitter Greek Campaign before being evacuated to Crete. In November 1941, he was part of Auchinleck's 'push to the wire' and the relief of Tobruk. The last entry in his Diary, on 30 November, reads: 'We seem to be on the defensive & things are looking a bit sticky.' Private Westbrook was killed on the morning of the 1st December 1941 during the furious Battle of Sidi Rezegh in Libya.

My paperback books on my Overland travels in Asia, Europe & Africa in the early 1970s and the experiences of a tour guide on the Asian Overland routes & leading Camel Safaris in Rajasthan in the 1980s are available from Amazon.