Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-05-24

/ sea-borne troops away from Crete s
rocky shores can't be "child's play"
Britons said. since the navy must
have great deal of difficulty in
contending with warplanes over
! head.
For this reason, they said, 1t
would seem improbable that the
| fleet would be able to prevent every
vessel from landing troops or sup
plies along the coast.
Difficult Operation.
However, if German troop or sup
ply ships did reach the coast. these
sources continued, landing in the
face of opposition from an army
ashore is very difficult operation -
The Germans also would need some
time to land heavy equipment on
the beaches and that is why the
recapture of Gambia with it's rela-
lively good harbor for mountainous
Crete was very important"
There was no information about
German troop landings on other
parts of the island than Malemi.
but military quarters here said the
Nazis probably we're still dropping
parachutists.
Dispatches last night from Alex
andria said 5000 Germans headed
for Crete had drowned in the dark
hours before dawn Thursday when
a British naval squadron smashed
into a hodge podge convoy in
three-hour engagement in which an
Italian destroyer two merchantmen
land 40 sailing vessels were sunk.
None of this convoy reached Crete.
British naval sources declared, and
an attempt to land men and ma
terial on the eastern tip of the island
from the Italian Dodecanese also
was said to have been smashed by
the British.
Fresh Invaders Land.
Fresh invaders landed from the
sky, however, and again the defend
ers were said to have inflicted heavy
casualties as desperate fighting men
for whom there is no retreat slugged
it out in an endless series of hand
to-hand encounters.
Most of the fighting was reported
in the extreme western end of the
island in an area about 10 miles
square, where villages were being
taken and retaken a half-dozen
times daily.
Around Malemi, Cairo dispatches
said, the British and Greeks were
tightening their ring of tanks,
machine guns and artillery. Big
guns were said to be throwing a
heavy barrage at the NaZis at the
Malemi airport.
The longer the fight on Crete
lasts, and so long as the feet main
talns control of the waters around
the island, the better the British
chances for ultimate victory, in
formed quarters here asserted.
If the battle goes on much longer,
they said, a larger proportion of
German planes-which up to now
have been ferrying troops and para
chutists-will have to carry NUM-
tons and other supplies. The
British and Greeks are depending
on boarded stores of food and other
supplies already on the island, Cairo
reports said.
Lack of Air Support.
The one danger point-and the
British acknowledged it to be a
gigantic handicap-was the COM
plete lack of air support. since the
R. A. F. was forced to withdraw soon
after the battle began, because of
lack of adequate bases. Swarms of
Stukas were said to be haraSsing
the ground defenders mercilessly.
In all phases of the fight, Cairo
dispatches said. the Nazis have been
prodigal with their planes and still
are operating virtually constant
ferry service from Greece to Crete
despite the loss of several big
Junkers So transports and the dis
ablement of others trying to land on
makeshift air fields.
These inadequate air fields and
the rough terrain of the embattled
island also were causing many
gliders carving NaZi troops tn crash