Authors: John Sadler
King George of Greece, by the end of April 1941, was a king largely without a kingdom. He was evacuated from Athens, together with his immediate entourage, by flying boat. His arrival did not spark any great enthusiasm amongst the pro-republican Cretans. The common sentiment was revulsion at the man who had acquiesced to the Metaxas coup in 1936 and, even now, brought with him the hated Maniadakis, Minister for Security, essentially a fascist thug who was bolstered by a full platoon of his equally thuggish secret police.
As a sop to the islanders' sensibilities, Emmanuel Tsouderas, a native Cretan, politician and financier, was appointed as Prime Minister in the wake of Koryzis' suicide. Most, however, saw him as little better than a turncoat, a poor substitute for the whole of the Cretan 5th Division whose heroism had been rewarded with abandonment. General Papastergiou, the divisional commander was, however, evacuated.
For this betrayal the locals ensured he was duly assassinated the moment he set foot on the streets of Chania. British diplomats regarded this sudden taking off of the despised and discredited general as a healthy sign! Cretan morale was not affected by the loss of the mainland.
As his official residence the King chose the Villa Ariadne, Evans' elegant Edwardian villa by Knossos, built once the present ruler's uncle, Prince George, ceded the freehold of the site in 1900. Pendlebury had been curator from 1930-1934. Here he established his truncated court, joined by Princess Katherine and other members of the Royal Family, (most of whom transferred to Egypt by flying boat prior to the attack). Though ousted from the bulk of his domain King George had ensured that the country's gold reserves travelled with him.
Congenial as Villa Ariadne might be it was too far removed from the hub of civic and diplomatic life in Chania whence the court was presently removed. British observers pointed out that the presence of the brutal Maniadakis was an affront to local, republican sympathies and he, together with his henchmen, was shifted to Egypt where he was able to continue terrorising the pro-Venizelist Greek community.
In a further, doomed attempt to win hearts and minds the King appointed two Cretan officers, Generals Zannakis and Skoulas as Minister of War and commander of local forces respectively. As, however, the Greek troops on the island had all been placed under Freyberg's own hand these sinecures held little currency.
As far as the Allied commander-in-chief was concerned the presence of the King within his enceinte was an embarrassment, yet another millstone of responsibility for which he could perceive little or no point. Freyberg would have preferred the King, his family and hangers on removed to the safety of Cairo but neither Wavell nor indeed Churchill would hear of it. King George was seen, somewhat wishfully, as a talisman, a guarantee of Allied legitimacy and, optimistically, a symbol to his people.
In reality the King was a symbol of oppression, adrift in a sea of republicanism, his tame surrender to Metaxas and the anti-republican measures which ensued had earned him nothing but opprobrium.
The Cretans particularly felt the confiscation of their firearms as a form of ritual emasculation. To the proud
Palikari
the gun was a symbol of independence, identity, liberty, even of manhood; to rob them of their arms was to forfeit any hope of allegiance. When, after the end of the war, in 1946, a plebiscite on the role of monarchy was held, the islanders overwhelmingly voted against. Equally they would have no truck with the communists, preparing to rend their battered country further with bloody civil strife.
In the halcyon interlude prior to 20 May the King spent his days touring his shrunken domain, his large limousine, complete with pennons, a prime target of opportunity for prowling Messerschmitts, adding a Ruritanian note to the drab attire of war. As the bombing intensified the court was moved from the dangerous environs of the beleaguered island capital to the supposedly safer isolation of Perivolia, near Galatos. Here the King was guarded by 12 Platoon, B Company, 18th Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant W.H. Ryan.
The events of the morning of 20 May shattered this meaningless if not unpleasant round. Ryan ushered his charge out of the villa and up into the hills behind as the sky filled with parachutists. None too soon; by the end of the day the area was in German hands, and the party was in full flight toward the central massif of the White Mountains. It is unlikely the invaders had any immediate notion of how valuable a prize had slipped from their clutches but the party faced a gruelling trek over the high snow bound plateau atop the Lefka Ori before the difficult descent to the south coast and evacuation aboard HMS
Decoy
.
On the 21st they struggled for fourteen long hours to gain the summit, the sounds and sights of battle spread over the coastal plain below; the King, Prince Peter, M. Tsouderas, the President of the National Bank and a random rump of the attendant entourage bolstered by 12 Platoon.
Throughout this difficult and potentially dangerous journey, certainly the greatest test of any personality, the King remained a tower of optimism. He chatted and joked with the Australians, not likely to be easily impressed by a title, yet who clearly came to respect and like their charge who shared their hardships, the toil of the barren march, the meagre rations with constant good humour.
Despite the constant, harassing presence of German observation aircraft, the ubiquitous Fiesler Storch, the whole party eventually completed the difficult descent to the south coast without lost and were duly taken off by sea.
Antill, P.D., Crete 1941, Osprey âCampaign' Series England, 2005
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Aircraft
Bristol Blenheim
Fairey Swordfish
Gloster Gladiator
Hawker Hurricane
Junkers Ju52
Ju87 Stuka
Messerschmitt Me109
Air Ministry
Allied Forces
Creforce HQ
C Squadron the King's Own Hussars
B Squadron the Royal Tank Regiment
1st Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers
HQ New Zealand Division
27th NZ MG Battalion
5th NZ Field Artillery Regiment
4th NZ Infantry Brigade
18th NZ Infantry Battalion
19th NZ Infantry Battalion
20th NZ Infantry Battalion
1st Light Troop Royal Royal Artillery
5th NZ Infantry Brigade
21st NZ Infantry Battalion
22nd NZ Infantry Battalion
23rd NZ Infantry Battalion
28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion
7th NZ Field Company
19th Army Troops Company
1st Greek Regiment
10th NZ Infantry Brigade
NZ Divisional Cavalry
NZ Composite Battalion
6th Greek Regiment
8th Greek Regiment
HQ 14th Infantry Brigade
2nd Battalion the Leicestershire Regiment
2nd Battalion the York and Lancaster Regiment
2nd Battalion the Black Watch
2/4 Australian Infantry Battalion
1st Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
7th Medium Regiment RA (deployed as infantry)
3rd Greek Regiment
7th Greek Regiment
Greek Garrison Battalion
HQ 19th Australian Infantry Brigade
2/3 Field Artillery Regiment RAA
2/1 Australian Infantry Battalion
2/11 Australian Infantry Battalion
2/7 Australian Infantry Battalion
2/6 Australian Infantry Battalion
4th Greek Regiment
5th Greek Regiment
Greek Gendarmerie
HQ Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation
15th Coastal Defence Regiment RA
Royal Marine Battalion
1st Ranger Battalion (9th Battalion KRRC)
Northumberland Hussars (âNoodles')
106th Royal Horse Artillery
16th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion
17th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion
1st âRoyal Perivolian' Composite Battalion
2nd Greek Regiment
Cretan Division (5th)
7th General Hospital
6th Field Ambulance
Akrotiri Peninsula
Royal Artillery Memorial
Albert Canal
Alexandria
Aliakmon Line
Alikianou
Altman, Captain
âAmerica First' Organisation
Amerika
Amos, Private
Andrew, Colonel
Ankara
Ashworth, Private A.
Askifou Plateau
Association of German Airborne Troops
Athens
Axios River
Axis Forces
Luftflotte
HQ Fliegercorps
GGzbV 1,2 and 3 (Ju-52)
22nd Air Assault Division (deployed in Romania)
HQ 7th Flieger Division
(7th) Engineer, Artillery, Machine Gun,
Anti Tank, AA and Medical battalions
1st Parachute Regiment
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
2nd Parachute Regiment
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
3rd Parachute Regiment
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
HQ Air Assault Regiment
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
4th Battalion
HQ 5th Mountain Division
(95th) Artillery, Anti-Tank,
Reconnaissance, Engineer and Signals
Battalions
85th Mountain Regiment
1st Battalion
2nd battalion
3rd Battalion
100th Mountain Regiment
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
141st Mountain Regiment
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
Ayios Nikolaos
Babali Hani
Barrett, Major D.
Bassenge, Colonel
Bassett, Captain
Battles
Beda Fomm
Cape Matapan
Gallipoli
Tel-el-Kebir
Thermopylae
Bedding, Major T.G.
Belgrade
Benghazi
Blamey, General T.
Blucher, Count
Bonaparte, Napoleon
Borwick, M.
Brauer, Major B
Breamish, Wing Commander G.R.
Bronze Age
Brown, Private
Bruce-Mitford, T.
Brunskill, Brigadier B.
Burkhardt, Captain
Burrows, Major
Burton, Sir R.
Butler, Private B.
Cairo
Campbell, Captain
Campbell, Lieutenant Colonel I.
Canberra
Cape Spartivento
Cemetery Hill
Chania Naval Museum
Chappel, Brigadier B.H.
Charlies
Churchill, Winston S.
Clemenceau, P.
Cochrane, Captain
Colditz
Colvin, Major
Constantine I, of Greece
Corinth
Corinth Canal
Corunna
Cumberledge, Mike
Cunningham, Admiral
Cyrenaica
Dakar
Daratsos
Dawson, Captain (acting Major)
De Guingand, Colonel
De Soissons, Louis
Derpa, Major
Dhaskaliana
Dikti Range
Dill, Sir J.
Dill, Lieutenant
Dittme, Lieutenant Colonel
Donovan, Major W., (âBig Bill')
Dordrecht
Dowsett, Lance Corporal
Dunabin, Tom
Dunkirk
Dunz, Captain
Dyer, Major
East Hill
Eben-Emael fort
Eden, Sir A.
Elvey, Private
Epirus
Fallschirmjäger
Farran, Roy
Fellows, Private âLofty'
Fielding, Xan
Fleet Air Arm
Forrester, Captain M.
Franco, Generalissimo
Fraser, Private
Fraser, (PM of New Zealand)
Freyberg General B.
Galatas
Gambier-Perry, Major General
Gentry, Lieutenant Colonel
Genz, Lieutenant A.
George, Prince of Greece
Gericke, Captain W.
Glennie, Rear Admiral
Goebbels, Josef
Goering,
Reichsmarschall
H.
Graham, Major E.F.C.
Gray, Lieutenant Colonel
Graziani, Marshal
Grazi, Count
Grigorakis, Antonis (âSatanas')
Guderian, General H.
Guns
20 mm cannon
anti-aircraft
anti-tank
Bofors
Bren
Lee-Enfield, .303
Mauser
MG34
MP40
Thompson, (âTommy') sub-machine
Walther 9mm
Webley 38 revolver
Halder, General F.
Hanson, C. J.
Hargest, Brigadier J.
Hatzidakis, M.
Heidrich, Major R.
Hendaye
Heraklion
Heraklion Historical Museum
Heydte, Captain von der
Hill A
Hill B
Hill C,
Hill D
Hill
Hill 107 German Cemetery
Hill-Rennie, Private M.
Hitler, Adolf
Homer
Hotel Grand Bretagne
Howard, Corporal
Hulme, Sergeant
Hunt, David
Idomeneus
Imbros Gorge
Immans, Major F.W.
Inglis, Brigadier L.M.
Ios
Iran, Shah of
Jahnke, O.
Jeschonnek, General
Johnson, Captain
Karasos
Kaso Strait
Kasos
Kastelli
Kennedy, Joseph
King, Rear Admiral
Kippenburger, Brigadier H.
Kithera Channel
Kleye, Captain
Knossos
Knossos Hotel
Koch, Major W.
Koenitz, Lieutenant
Komithades
Koryzis, M.
Kriegsmarine
Kriepe, General
Kroh, Major
Larissa
Lassithi Plateau
Lawrence, T.E.
Laycock, Colonel R.
Layforce
Leckie, Lieutenant Colonel
Lefka Ori
Leigh-Fermor, Patrick
Lemnos
Lindbergh, Charles
List, Field Marshal von
Lohr, General
Longmore, Air Marshal Sir A.
Lübeck
Luftwaffe
McDermid, Private
McDonagh, Major S.
Maddon, C.
Maleme aerodrome
Maleme modern airstrip
Marathon
Marshall, Major
Maxwell, Lieutenant
Meindl, General E.
Menzies, R.C.
Metaxas, General
Meurbe, Lieutenant P.
Middle East Command
Military Intelligence Research (MIR)
Minoan Age
Moir, Tom
Molotov
Morse, Captain J.A.V.
Mountbatten, Lord L.
Mount Ida
Mount Olympus
Mussolini, Benito
Mycenean culture
Nagele, Lieutenant
Nagle, Lieutenant
Narvik
Nauplion
Northumberland, Duke of
Operations
Action
Barbarossa
Hannibal
Marita
Market Garden
Mercury
Punishment
Weserubung
Oslo
Palikari
Papagos, General
Paul, Prince of Yugoslavia
Pendlebury, J.
Perivolia
Perkins, Gunner D.C. (âCaptain Vassilos')
Peter II, of Yugoslavia
Petrol Company
Petroleum Board
Philip, Major W. D.
Pink Hill
Piraeus Harbour
Pirgos
Platanias
Plimmer, Lieutenant Colonel
Ploesti Oilfields
Pridham-Whipple, Vice Admiral
Prison Valley
Proud, Private
Psychoundakis, George
Pumphrey Sir L.
Puttick, Brigadier E.
Raeder, Admiral
Ramcke, Colonel B.
Rapallo, Treaty of
Rawlings, Rear Admiral
Red Hill
Reinhart, Major
Rethymnon
Richtofen, Wolfram von
Ringel, General J.
Ritchie, Sergeant W.
Rommel, General E.
Roosevelt, T.
Rotterdam
Royal Air Force (RAF)
Ruffina
Ruin Hill
Ruin Ridge
Rupel Pass
St George's Church, Perivolia
Salisbury-Jones, Brigadier G.
Salonika
Sandover, Major
Schaette, Major
Scherber, Major O.
Semmering
Ships
Abdiel
Ajax
Barham
Calcutta
Carlisle
Clan Fraser
Coventry
Diamond
Dido
Dolphin
Eleanora Maersk
Fearless
Fiji
Glengyle
Gloucester
Greyhound
Hereward
Hotspur
Imperial
Juno
Kandahar
Kashmir
Kelly
Kelvin
Kingston
Kipling
Lupo
Naiad
Napier
Nizam
Orion
Perth
Phoebe
Queen Elizabeth
Valiant,
Vampire
Voyage
r
Warspite
Wryneck
Sitia
Smith, Captain H. M.
Smith-Hughes, Jack
Souda Bay
Allied Cemetery
Special Operations Executive (SOE)
Sphakia
Sponeck, General H. von
Stakoriakis Gully
Stalin, Joseph
Stanley Moss, W.
Stavanger
Stavramenos
Stephanides, Doctor
Stewart, I.M.G.
Stenzler, Major E.
Stockbridge, R.
Student, General K.
Sturm, Major A.
Sullivan, Johnny
Sussman, Lieutenant General W.
Tanks
Matilda
Vickers light
Tanner, Private R. (âLofty')
Taranto
Tatoi Conference
Tedder, Air Marshal A.
Tenedos
Teutonic Knights
Thomason, Major
Thriptis Hills
Tidbury, Brigadier O.H.
Topolia
Torr, Major
Tripartite Alliance
Troy
Tsatsadakis, Captain
Tsipakos, Major C.
Tukhachevsky, Marshal
ULTRA
Upham, C.
Utz, Major
Vasey, Brigadier G.A.
Venizelos, E.K.
âVertical Envelopment', theory of
Vlakherontissa
Volos
Vrysses
Wadi Pigi
Walker, Lieutenant Colonel
Walter, Captain E.
War Cabinet
Warburg
Waugh, Evelyn
Wavell, General A.
Wehrmacht
Weidermann, Captain
Weimar Republic
Wellington
Wenning, Major R.
Westick, G.
Weston, General E.C.
Westphalian Plain
Wheat Hill
White, Private
Wilkinson, P.
Willoughby, Corporal
Wilson, General (âJumbo')
Wingate, O.
Wittman, Colonel
Witzig, Lieutenant
Wolseley, Sir G.
Young, Warrant Officer L.
Young, Major