The Fall of Crete

The Italians took us by force to Afiartis at the height of the war and we were making shelters and other works because the airport was only half finished. In the evening, we did not stay in the airport. We went outside because the English bombed the airport and every evening when we met we tried to get any news of the war. They took me two or three times and I worked in the airport. The last time was when the Germans struck Crete. I happened then to be at Afiartis and I will never forget it. The Germans used the airport of Karpathos for that operation and I remember the activities during those days. Six or seven, maybe up to fifteen, German aircraft took off. Stukas, I think. One after the other. And just after they disappeared beyond Kassos the earth trembled from the bombing. Imagine what was happening. Crete was being bombed and we could hear it from Afiartis. But the Germans had their major losses and from the German aircraft that started only half came back. We counted them when they went and when they came back and we understood and were glad that Crete resisted. Kostas Ilias Lioresis was there with us and because he spoke French, he was the supervisor and he told us the news from the battle of Crete as he learned the news from the Germans with whom he spoke French. I remember that one airplane came back damaged and landed with only one propeller. The Germans gave us Greek cigarettes (Greece had fallen one month before) and the Germans had Papastratos ^note in cans. But to the Italians they gave nothing. They did not even want to see them because we had defeated them in Albania. We slept outside of the airport in stables at Menetes. One evening some ships passed, English and Greek, and shelled the airport, it was like the end of the world, much destruction. The Germans had many losses and we, who were there as forced labour, took the opportunity in this chaos and ran away. It was me and Andreas Hartofylakas. We left there and went to Apella and came back to Olympos at night. I went straight to Tristomo. We didn’t know any news. The only thing we understood from the words and activities of the Italians there was that the battle of Crete was continuing. One day torpedo boats came to Tristomo, four or five, but had no torpedoes. And I remember that a tall blonde Italian sailor came out to tie the rope in front of Yioutlos’ house and said to the other Italians who were there “The spaghetti is finito”. He meant that Crete had fallen. I understood and the world darkened around me as if the mountains around had fallen on me. I thought to myself "Since Crete has fallen we are lost."