of any attempt being made to help Alpha Company fend off the breach in the defences. He wondered whether he could work his way round the back and reach Bethlehem Bastion by avoiding Plastira altogether. There was, he knew, a narrow alleyway that ran behind the houses along Plastira. Perhaps if he was quick, he could cut through that way.
Turning down Stratigou Vassou, a narrow street running away from the walls, he stepped into the alley only to be met by a burst of sub-machine-gun fire. He flung himself to the ground, bullets slapping into the stonework above his head, then glanced up to see the darkened shapes of a number of dead Greek soldiers.
Fighting could now be heard to the north of the town, towards the sea, and Vaughan realized they had been duped. The attack on the Canea Gate had been nothing more than a feint, drawing their fire and attention, while the enemy attacked two of the weak points. And yet he had reckoned that Alpha Company’s defences had been good. Goddamn it, he had visited them that very afternoon. Those Greek soldiers had held the buildings beyond the gate and those directly opposite the gap in the wall. Even highly trained German paratroopers should not have been able to breach them. They might live in modern times, yet he had recognized that the walls held the key to the town’s defence. Without any heavy firepower, no paratrooper, armed with rifle or machine-gun, should ever have been able to break through, even in the places where the walls had started to crumble.
But it had happened and now they needed to work out a way of forcing the enemy back. He found Pendlebury with Alopex, Satanas and a distraught Greek captain desperately trying to gather men together at the foot of the walls. Around them were a cluster of Cretans and Greek troops.
‘Well?’ said Pendlebury, as Vaughan reached them.
‘It’s bad,’ he said breathlessly. ‘Jerry’s through between here and Bethlehem. They’ve got Alpha Company Headquarters. I tried to get through to Battalion at Bethlehem Bastion but failed, I’m afraid.’
‘That’s a bore,’ said Pendlebury, ‘although I guessed as much. It’s why we’re organizing our guerrillas here.’
It was now almost dark, but a bright moon and a canopy of stars shone a milky light across the town so that it was still possible to see clearly out of the shadows.
‘We need reinforcements,’ said Vaughan. ‘I can’t understand why the rest of 3rd Battalion haven’t mounted a counter-attack.’
‘Because most of their men are already along these walls down to the sea,’ said Alopex.
‘It’s the 7th Battalion that needs to launch the counter-attack from the south,’ said Pendlebury. ‘Perhaps they’re worried about an attack from the south.’
‘Why don’t I head to Jesus Bastion and see if I can get some help from the Yorks Rangers?’ said Vaughan. ‘I can get across town if I’m quick.’
Pendlebury nodded. ‘Yes, all right. Satanas and I will stay here with Kapitan Milos and try to hold the gate. Alopex, you take some of your men and see what’s going on down by the sea. Get the Garrison Battalion at the harbour if necessary.’
Vaughan glanced at the motley band of men now with Pendlebury: Greek soldiers with rifles and old uniforms, puttees wrapped all the way to their knees, and Cretan guerrillas, waist-coated, high-booted, with bandoliers around their waists and across their chests. He knew that Pendlebury was right to suppose the Cretans at least would fight with passion, but was that enough against highly trained German paratroopers? Looking at them, he doubted it. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can,’ he said now, then turned and began to run.
Captain Peploe and CSM Tanner had hurried to Battalion HQ as soon as they heard the fighting going on to the west of the town. It was perfectly obvious to Tanner that they should send reinforcements and Peploe was of the same opinion.
‘What about holding the line here?’ Colonel Vigar had asked.
‘Sir, we know most of the enemy in our sector landed to the west of the town,’ said Peploe. ‘CSM Tanner led a patrol earlier and he was able to confirm that those troops that landed further south have been making their way west to join the rest of their forces there.’
‘And now they’re attacking.’ Vigar scratched his chin with his thumb. ‘Hmm. And we’ve not had any requests for help. For all we know they might be holding on easily.’
‘Sir, I’m not sure how many Jerries came down this evening,’ said Tanner, ‘but they won’t have enough to attack the west of the town and here in the south.’
‘All right, Tanner,’ said the colonel, a touch of irritation in his voice. ‘Don’t get above yourself. I do understand what you’re saying, you know.’ He now drummed his fingers on the table. ‘I suppose we do have quite a lot of men around the airfield, but what worries me is if Jerry launches an attack from the south using those men that have dropped around the airfield. Those wallahs that landed to the west make their attack, drawing what we’ve got over there, and then the eastern lot attack us from the south. Jerry always has lots of radios, you know.’
‘That’s surely unlikely, sir,’ said Peploe.
‘But we still need to hold the line here,’ said Vigar. ‘How are you proposing we manage that?’
‘By leaving one or two platoons from each company. We have machine-guns here, sir, and rifles, and flares. Two platoons can hold this line even if the enemy does attack from the south.’
Colonel Vigar eyed each of them, then glanced across at Major Ryan, his second-in-command. ‘What d’you think, Tom?’
‘I’m with Peploe and Tanner, sir,’ he replied. ‘But if you’re unsure, why don’t I put a call through to Brigade?’
Vigar nodded. ‘Yes, all right.’
Major Ryan picked up the phone and rang through to Brigade HQ to the west of the airfield. ‘Yes, the enemy is attacking the west of the town … Yes … We are proposing to send reinforcements … All right.’ He paused a moment and glanced back at the others. ‘Yes, sir,’ he said at last. ‘Oh, I see. I’ll tell Colonel Vigar that, sir. Yes, very good, sir.’ Major Ryan put down the phone. ‘They think it very unlikely that Jerry will manage an attack tonight from the south. We’re to send reinforcements.’
Colonel Vigar clapped his hands together, as was his way. ‘Good, good,’ he said. ‘All right, then. Two platoons from each company it is. Peploe, get your men ready right away.’ He turned to Major Ryan. ‘Tom, you’re in charge. Get word up to the other companies, but I suggest Peploe and his mob get going as soon as they can. We’ll send runners on ahead now – find out where we can best deploy.’
Peploe and Tanner saluted, then hurried from the Jesus Bastion back out to company lines, where orders were quickly issued. Peploe had decided that 3 and 4 Platoons should remain behind holding the lines, with Lieutenant Ivo McDonald in charge. He would lead 1 and 2 Platoons. Tanner stuffed a flare gun into his belt, grabbed extra rounds for his Enfield revolver and helped himself to more grenades, which he packed into his haversack. He then told Sykes and Sergeant White to make sure their men had also got enough grenades. ‘Make sure they have as much ammo as they can carry,’ he told them. ‘I reckon ammo’s one thing Jerry’s going to be short of, so we need to make sure we’ve got more than him.’
In just over ten minutes they were ready and moving out, down along the Knossos road and through the town walls in double-quick time. It was there, as they passed Battalion Headquarters, that they met Captain Vaughan, fresh from seeing Colonel Vigar.
‘Thank God for someone with a bit of foresight,’ he said, as he joined Peploe and Tanner at the front of their column. ‘We need you desperately, I’m afraid.’
‘Have they broken into the town, then?’ asked Peploe.
Vaughan nodded. ‘I only hope it’s not too late already.’
8
A little before 9 p.m., 20 May. As the Rangers hurried across the Platia Ekaterinis, the cathedral looming darkly beside them, the sound of fighting became suddenly closer, so much so that Tanner could hear the shouts and cries of men above the reports of small arms. At the end of Agio Mina, they faced Kalokerinou, the long straight
