71st Anniversary of the Battle
of Crete
Speech by the Australian Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic
H.E. Mrs. Jenny Bloomfield
At the Hellenic-Australian Memorial in Rethymnon
25 May 2012
Of all
the events in the shared history between Australia
and Greece ,
the Battle of Crete is the most significant. During this battle, which shaped
the outcome of the Second World War, Australian soldiers joined Greek, British
and New Zealand
comrades to defend the island against Nazi invasion.
20 May
1941. It was an invasion like no other – the first airborne invasion in
military history. The Germans had dropped 8,000 paratroopers in a single day.
While suffering severe casualties, they eventually gained control.
Several
thousand of British, Australian and New Zealand
troops who had evacuated from the mainland, poorly armed and battle-weary,
joined the Cretan garrison and fiercely defended the shores of Suda Bay
The
battle was savage and bloody. The Germans met a resolute Allied Force. And the
local Cretans joined the battle with whatever weapons were at hand.
This
was the first time in the war that the Germans had encountered strong and
widespread resistance from a civilian population.
The
crippling losses suffered by Germany ’s
airborne troops delayed by a month the German advance into Russia , and
possibly affected the outcome of the war there.
But the
price paid by Greece
and its defenders was very high.
Of the
Allied British forces, 797 were killed in action, 263 were wounded and 6,576
were taken as prisoners of war.
Of the
Australians, 274 were killed in action, 507 were wounded and 3,102 were taken
as POWs.
Of our New Zealand
comrades, 271 were killed in action, 967 were wounded and 2,108 were POWs.
Thousands
of Australian soldiers were surrounded and taken prisoner in Crete .
A few hundred managed to escape to the South over mountain tracks and be
evacuated; others wandered in the mountains and were either recaptured or
managed finally to escape. At risk of summary execution, the local people of Crete sheltered the exhausted Australian war prisoners
and helped many of them regain freedom.
Australians
have never forgotten the strength, the bravery, the self-sacrifice of the
people of Crete . The events of those days
forged an eternal bond between our two nations.
This is
why thousands of Australians visit this sacred island, to honour our shared
loss and sacrifice.
And
it’s why the Australian Returned and Services League continues to honour these
bonds and to express ongoing gratitude to the people of Crete ,
by awarding annual scholarships to outstanding Cretan students.
The
Battle of Crete may have occurred 71 years ago, but its message of solidarity
and friendship remains alive today. During these difficult times, Australia stands
by our Greek friends with the same spirit of solidarity which joined our
nations in 1941.
Nearly
half a million Greeks died as a result of the Second World War - a time of
incomparable tragedy for this country.
And
over 6,000 Australians fought in Greece during that time. Nearly 600
were killed, 1,000 injured and over 5,000 taken prisoners of war.
It was
an extraordinary sacrifice by service men and women so far from their home.
Today
we honour the sacrifice of those brave soldiers.
We
thank them for their contribution to our nation’s security.
And we
acknowledge the sacrifice of our friends and allies with whom we fought to
protect our shared ideals.
But
most of all, we thank the people of Crete .
Australians will not forget you.
Jenny Bloomfield
Ambassador
