While the Battle for Crete is justifiably portrayed as a combined army and naval effort, observers may be surprised to learn there was a Royal Air Force presence, albeit it a small one.
The RAF's major problem was that most of its strength was concentrated in Europe, and the little it had in the Middle East was spread too thin.
But among those few RAF squadrons scattered throughout the Western Desert there were a dedicated few New Zealanders, predominantly young men who had joined the RAF before the war. They were committed to helping their New Zealand Army brothers.
The German air force held an advantage in numbers and, after Greece was conquered, was within relatively easy striking range of Crete. The RAF was not.
Its squadrons were based in Egypt and had to negotiate a 320km expanse of sea to reach the island. Nevertheless, the RAF did what it could to support the troops on the ground during the German attack and to cover shipping during the evacuation.
Among the handful of New Zealand fighter pilots who flew in the defence of Crete was Pilot Officer Derrick Westenra, from Canterbury.
Westenra was a survivor from Greece and was based at the airfield at Heraklion, in the northwest sector of Crete. Flying a Gladiator biplane, he was involved in engagements against enemy aircraft directly over the island and succeeded in shooting down at least one enemy fighter and damaging others.
Another fighter pilot, Flying Officer Owen Tracey, of Otago, flew long-range Hurricanes on fighter sweeps from Egypt in support of both troops and sailors. On one occasion, after shooting down a troop carrier about to land at Maleme, he was attacked by a German fighter he was unable to shake from his tail. His Hurricane was badly shot about and, in desperation, he dived towards some cliffs, pulling out at the last moment. The enemy pilot, over-intent on shooting him down, did not. Tracey managed to coax his damaged fighter back across the sea, crash-landing at Sidi Barrani, on the Egyptian coastline.
A few days later, this same pilot shot down a reconnaissance aircraft near a convoy he was protecting.
Just before Crete fell, Sergeant Bob Laing, of Mid-Canterbury, was one of six Hurricane pilots detailed to land at Heraklion, refuel and then strafe Maleme. Hardly had Laing landed when the Luftwaffe attacked and set his machine on fire. He was evacuated a day later by his flight commander, who, at great risk, picked him up and flew him back to Egypt. Both pilots were squeezed for three hours into the cockpit of a Hurricane designed to accommodate one.
Another who had a similar experience was Flight Lieutenant Doug Bagnall, of Auckland. He had flown a lumbering Bristol Bombay transport aircraft into Heraklion.
While stores and equipment were being unloaded, his aircraft was strafed and set on fire, yet he managed to rescue some of its valuable cargo.
Among the desert-based bomber squadrons were several New Zealanders who were active over Crete.
Sgt Richard Bale, of the Manawatu, participated in a disastrous raid directed at Maleme towards the end of May.
Of the six Blenheim bombers involved, two collided after take-off. While the remaining four successfully bombed the target, a further two later became lost and failed to return. Bale was one of those lost and his crew had to use their parachutes and return to their unit on foot.
The observer in the crew of the other Blenheim that was lost was Sgt Doug Callander, of Dunedin.
Their bodies, and the wreckage of their aircraft, were later found by searching aircraft.
F Offr Murray MacKenzie, of Canterbury, whose navigator was Sgt Maurice Fearn, of Southland, was just as unlucky.
Returning from a similar raid, he became lost and crash-landed in the desert. After six days, an aircraft located Fearn in bad shape but, despite another three days of searching, MacKenzie could not be found.
Another Blenheim pilot, Squadron Leader Herb Blackmore, of Taranaki, completed two successful raids on Maleme.
Navigating Blenheim and Wellington bombers that took part in similar raids were P Offr Lawrence Bourke, of Manawatu, Sgt G.F. Jones, of Southland, and Sgt H.A. Pike.
With Sunderland flying boats moored in Suda Bay during the campaign were F Lt Alex Frame, of North Otago, F Lt Henry Lamond, of Northland, and F Offr John Lylian, from Wellington. All had been active rescuing stragglers along the southern tip of Greece after that country fell.
Lamond was ordered to deliver an urgent message to Kolamata on the Greek coastline, a tricky operation that required taking off and landing at night in filthy weather. His flying boat crashed at its destination, with the loss of 10 crew, including his co-pilot, John Lylian. Although Lamond survived the crash, he was taken prisoner.
Frame was instrumental in evacuating personnel just before the fall of the island. On one occasion, he had been given incorrect information about a party to be picked up at Sphakia.
By flying slowly along the coastline and flashing pre-arranged signals at places likely to conceal parties of evacuees, he and his crew were able to locate a Hurricane pilot, who had been shot down some days previously, and some Greek personnel, who were all taken aboard and flown to Alexandria. Later, Frame provided cover for ships during the evacuation of Crete.
Possibly the last offensive sortie by New Zealand airmen, immediately after Crete had fallen, was a night bombing raid by a Wellington bomber piloted by P Offr Phil Fougere, of Southland.
In his crew were also F Offr Neil Blundell, of Wellington, and Sgt Fred Woodrow, of Auckland.
As well as doing what damage they could, they also hoped to disrupt the sleep of German paratroopers who had just captured Maleme.
Fougere, despite suffering illness, took his position as captain in the 10-hour operation.
He was not going to report sick when he could aid New Zealand soldiers in their escape from Crete.
That unselfish act was typical of the spirit of not only New Zealand aircrew, but of all aircrew who flew in support of ground and naval forces in Crete.
