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Authors: John Sadler

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Appendix 4
The King of the Hellenes

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.

Bibliography

Antill, P.D., Crete 1941, Osprey ‘Campaign' Series England, 2005

Barker, A.J.,
British and American Infantry Weapons of World War Two
, London, 1969

Barker, A.J.,
German Infantry Weapons of World War Two
, London, 1972

Beevor, A.,
Crete: The Battle and the Resistance
, London, 1991

Chant, C.,
Airborne Invasions
, England, 1976

Clark, A.,
The Fall of Crete
, London, 1962

Clark, A.,
Barbarossa
, London, 1965

Davis, B.L.,
German Army Uniforms and Insignia 1939 – 1945
, London, 1971

Durrell, L.,
The Greek Islands
, London, 1978

Garnett, D.,
The Campaign in Greece and Crete
, HMSO, 1942

Gordon-Douglas, S.R.,
German Combat Uniforms 1939 – 1945
, Almark ‘Uniform' Series, London, 1970

Keegan, J.,
Intelligence in War
, London, 2003

Kershaw, A.,
Weapons of Wa
r
, Purnell's History of the Second World War, 1973

Kershaw, A. (ed.),
The Tank Story
, Purnell, 1972

King, J.B. and John Batchelor,
Infantry at War 1939 – 1945
, Purnell, 1973

MacDonald, C.,
The Lost Battle; Crete 1941
, London, 1993

Moss, W. Stanley,
Ill Met by Moonlight
, London, 1999.

Psychoundakis, G.,
The Cretan Runner
, London, 1998

Simpson, A.,
Operation Mercury – the Battle for Crete 1941
, London, 1981

Index

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 (‘Noodles')

106th Royal Horse Artillery

16th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion

17th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion

1st ‘Royal 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

‘America 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., (‘Big 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 ‘Lofty'

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 (‘Satanas')

Guderian, General H.

Guns

20 mm cannon

anti-aircraft

anti-tank

Bofors

Bren

Lee-Enfield, .303

Mauser

MG34

MP40

Thompson, (‘Tommy') 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. (‘Captain 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. (‘Lofty')

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.

‘Vertical 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 (‘Jumbo')

Wingate, O.

Wittman, Colonel

Witzig, Lieutenant

Wolseley, Sir G.

Young, Warrant Officer L.

Young, Major

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