U Series. New Zealand Machine Gunners by Major McGaffin, Part 1

Rights Information
Year
1941
Reference
12178
Media type
Audio
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Rights Information
Year
1941
Reference
12178
Media type
Audio
Series
U series
Categories
Interviews (Sound recordings)
Sound recordings
Duration
00:03:09
Credits
RNZ Collection
McGaffin, Major, Speaker/Kaikōrero

Major McGaffin of Palmerston North, Company Commander, relates his experiences in Greece with the New Zealand Machine Gunners at Katerini and Elassona.

The Machine Gun Battalion moved from Athens to the Northwest frontier near the Yugoslavian border, and then proceeded through the Olympus Pass and were attached to a New Zealand infantry brigade.

On 9 April Salonika could be seen burning - the result of German bombing, and that night the fires were considerable. The group had to withdraw and became part of the rear guard. On 11 April it snowed and on 12 April they were assigned a protective job near Divisional Headquarters. On 16 April they had to cover a further retirement away to the South of [Alassan].

While attached to a New Zealand brigade, on 18 April our artillery fired on enemy tanks trying to get through the pass North of [Alassan]. Later in the day enemy tanks got through. After forming a rear guard until 11pm that night, the Gunners also retired and drove all night and all the next day.