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At 16:00, German troops attack at Galatas (Greece) with support from Junkers Ju 87 Stukas. Galatas is a major British defensive position on the road to the main Royal Navy base at Suda Bay and one of the most fought-over positions in Crete.
The Allies retreat except for one group under Major John Russell. New Zealand Colonel Howard Kippenberger (1897/1957) quickly organizes a scratch rescue force to rescue the trapped men. The New Zealand troops mount a fierce charge with bayonets fixed and supported by light tanks, yelling a Maori war chant (haka).
(Street scene in Galatas)
The counterattack at Galatas succeeds in freeing Russell and his men, but the Germans regroup, use mortar fire to destroy a British tank, and take back the town later in the day.
(A British Mk VI tank destroyed during the counter-attack on Galatas, 25 May 1941. This was one of two tanks of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment that supported NZ troops during the assault)
The Allies retreat except for one group under Major John Russell. New Zealand Colonel Howard Kippenberger (1897/1957) quickly organizes a scratch rescue force to rescue the trapped men. The New Zealand troops mount a fierce charge with bayonets fixed and supported by light tanks, yelling a Maori war chant (haka).
(Street scene in Galatas)
The counterattack at Galatas succeeds in freeing Russell and his men, but the Germans regroup, use mortar fire to destroy a British tank, and take back the town later in the day.
(A British Mk VI tank destroyed during the counter-attack on Galatas, 25 May 1941. This was one of two tanks of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment that supported NZ troops during the assault)