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130 ai r p o w e r in 20 t H Ce n t u ry do C t r i n e s a n d em p l o y m e n t - nat i o n a l ex p e r i e n C e s The RHAF suffered some losses in the air during the first day of the offensive (a Fairey Battle, a Bristol Brenheim and an Avro 626 and six of their crews). On March 18 the Naval Air Command was informed about the presence of an Italian submarine outside Piraeus. No. 13 Squadron was assigned to destroy the submarine, and, judging from the large oil slick created after intense bombing, it was assumed that the U-boat had been successfully hit 12 . Hellenic-German War The German attack against Greece was imminent since the end of March. Therefore, the possibility of putting up effective defence was slim and German troops managed to penetrate deep into Macedonia on April 6 and 7. Many Hellenic Army forts fiercely resisted against overwhelming odds along the Eastern Macedonian frontier, until forced to surrender due to their isolation from the bulk of the Hellenic Army. Soon after, Wehrmacht captured Thessaloniki. The expected order for the redeployment of troops along the Olympus-Servia- Aliakmon line was issued only on April 12, when the situation on the front was irreversible. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Alexandros Korizis committed suicide on April 18 in view of the desperate situation along the front and the inability to find a satisfactory solution. Serious deficiencies of the RHAF, frequent mechanical failures of the strained aeroplanes, the worsening condition of airfields and landing grounds, together with the indisputable qualitative and quantitative superiority of the Luftwaffe turned the odds heavily against it. The Luftwaffe had at its disposal 1.030 aircraft for the invasion, 898 of which were fighters while the rest had different roles 13 . The RHAF during the three-week war against the Germans undertook 179 missions of all the types. On April 6 1941, P.Z.L. of No 22 Squadron and Block 151 of No 24 shot down 2 German aeroplanes, Dornier Do17 and Henschel Hs 126s. On April 15, RHAF fighter squadrons confronted a formation of Junkers Ju87s and Messerschmitt Bf 109s. During the incident, one P.Z.L. and one Gladiator were shot down but their crew remained safe. One more pilot was killed during the Luftwaffe’s raid at Trikala airfield having managed to hit two enemy bombers 14 . The same day a pilot of No.23 Squadron was killed after having shot down an Hs 126. The Bombers Command executed 18 missions totally. Finally, the Dornier Do 22s of No. 12 (Naval Co-op) Squadron continued delivering sealed envelopes including important orders and carrying out search and rescue missions to the last 12 No13 (Naval Co-op) Squadron, Squadron Action in Greece, from 28/10/1940 to 23/04/1941, Archive of the History Museum, HAF. 13 Hellenic Wings, Ibid, p. 113. 14 C. Shores and B. Cull, Air war for Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete, 1940-41, London 1987, p. 223.
o ya l He l l e n i C air fo r C e (rHaf) d u r i n g wo r l d wa r ii. or g a n i z at i o n a n d op e r at i o n s 131 Fi g u r e 6: Bristol Blenheim MK IV aircraft (Archive of the History Museum, HAF). day of the invasion. Anti- aircraft artillery also contributed significantly by shooting down a considerable number of enemy aircraft. Due to the overwhelming might of the German military machine, a retreat was deemed necessary in order to reorganise the RHAF and carry out the war from Crete and the Middle East. Nevertheless, the situation became desperate when the Early Warning System, set up in Larissa according to British standards and advice, ceased to offer information on enemy sorties. As a result, Germans could easily catch RHAF, RAF and JURV 15 aeroplanes on the ground and destroy them. General Headquarters planning aimed at primarily ensuring the safe escape of personnel. The RHAF Flying Training Centre 16 was high up in the list of priorities and the Commanding Officer of the Centre was ordered to take every precaution during the transfer of cadets to Crete. To this end, the Royal Hellenic Navy commissioned the steamship “Alberta”, which, eventually sailed from Nafplion on early afternoon of April 20, 1941. 15 Yugoslavian Air Force. 16 The centre was established when the operation of the School of Aviation was suspended, now the Air Force Academy. Binding Law 2703/1940. Archive of the History Museum, HAF.
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National Experiences - British Commission for Military History

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