The Years Back - 4, The New Decade (Episode Four)

The ship’s company continued to go to action stations and I can remember a signalman dashing past my torpedo tubes calling ‘Make way for the Digger flag’ because this was the first occasion that New Zealand ensign had ever been flown on a warship in a battle.

– Fred Connew, HMNZS Achilles

Several of us were hiding out in an olive grove and a Dornier came around, dropped all his personnel bombs without very much harm and spotted us behind this olive tree. He then proceeded to fly around us and of course, as he proceeded, we proceeded around the tree and he expended all his ammunition and of course in the end the pilot of the bomber had no alternative but to wave to us and the pilot flapped his wings and they flew away. And we thought this is one time when we’ve got the German air force whacked!

– Claude Wickstead, New Zealand Army