Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-05-26
Crete Gives
British Lesson
In Air Con+roI
England Egypt Believed
Safe From New BIitz
BY PAUL MALLON

BY PAUL MALLON
THE British learned in Crete
the only way 10 stop a para
chute troop attack is from above.
Air supremacy is the single an
swer yet apparent 10 the new
Nazi blitz cloudbursts.
Consequently when the dis
patch came in late last Thurs
day announcing the British had
Withdrawn their air force, all
authorities here sighed and said
Crete was doomed from that
moment.
But for the very same reason.
Britain and Egypt were conceded
10 be safe from this new blitZ
mode AS long as the British can
maintain their air supremacy in
those areas.
The NaziS may have tried the
Crete parachuting venture as a
test for Britain's invasion. They
did everything to make the
world believe if, sending the
commanding General Won Brau-
chitSch publicly 10 Paris and
ordering out all foreign diplo-
mats from that area.
Actually the Crete proving
ground alone offered no real as
Surance of success in the next
steps which will lead the NaziS
against different obstacles.
TT SEEMS incredible that a
L minority of few thousand
troops landed within enemy lines
could accomplish a major VIC
tory. They have only small
weapons. Only food enough to
last three or four days. You
would think they could be easily
surrounded by superior defend
ing forces.
Great hordes Of Stuka dive
bombers opened the attack.
They bombed troop encamp-
mentS and forts, serving as a
demoralizing artillery preface to
the blitZ.
Before the dispersions of the
defending troops could be COR
rected. in the twilight before
dawn the following day. came
the swarms of silent glider
planes. These do not need land
ing fields but can be set down
in small open spaces at land
ing speed of only IS miles an
hour.
Cut loose AT sea. they were
able 10 come in against the riS-
ing sun without noise and were
difficult to see.
Other parachutists concen-
trated on the few air fields
available in Crete. Dropped from
transport ships continuously by
the hundreds, they managed TO
get possession of the fields, and
from then on the fight was in
b.
The possession Of the fields
enabled them 10 land 1000 men
an hour, and what is more i'm
portant, the stores of ammuni-
ton and food which made them
secure.
A MAILING cooperation was
"A displayed in their further
efforts. Each man in charge Of
a landing party served as a gen.
eral even if he only ranked as
private.
Those on the ground described
the descent of the parachutists
as a fall of snow. They could
clean 1t up as fast as il fell in
some spots, perhaps many. but
they could not keep il off an
entire area about three-fourths
the size of Connecticut,
Reports of new landings
turned them this way and that.
Decentralization ensued.
They did not know where 10
fight first. With Nazi troops be-
ing landed in their own uni
forms, they did not even know
whom TO shoot. They were far
superior in numbers but not at
many Of the particular points
where the parachutistS landed.
OBVIOUSLY the only way 10
" stop this sort of business
was by air attack. first on the
Stuka artillery bomberS. sec
ondly on the transport planes
and chutists' glidcrs, an q
thirdly. but most important on
the transports and supply ships
which come later to sustain the
landed parties.
The force Of the attack must
be partly broken as II is made,
and then the landed chutiStS
who get through must be cut
off from the air help VIII h
makes them secure.
The only way yet apparent 10
do this is TO keep the air full
of fast defending pursuit ships,
and this the British will be able
TO do in Britain and possibly
also in Egypt for a time.
Yet the military authorities
here look forward 10 perhaps
the most vicious fight of all
time if the NaziS decide 10 beard
the English lion in his own den.
Desperate dive bombing attacks
10 open the fray might conceive
ably destroy nearly everything
Is miles back from the coast.