The first in the series of reposts of Chris White’s ‘diary’ of the events of the capture and kidnap of General Kreipe in Crete 80 years ago today. I first posted these in 2021 to keep readers occupied during the dreadful Covid lockdowns.

This repeat series is posted to honour the memory of all those involved from the brave Cretan Andartes, Patrick Leigh Fermor, other members of SOE and SBS, and the many Cretan civilians who aided the kidnap team, as well as all those who suffered under Nazi German occupation.

A special tribute to Major William Stanley Moss, known to all as ‘Billy’ who, as a Captain at the time, was the second-in command of the operation and often lived under Leigh Fermor’s shadow. Billy was an out and out soldier. He fought between October 1942 and July 1943 with Montgomery’s Eighth Army chasing Rommel across North Africa after Alamein. In the aftermath of Operation Corkscrew, his battalion was then sent to garrison Pantelleria. He returned to Cairo, where he volunteered to join Force 133 of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) on 24 September 1943 where he met Paddy and Countess Zofia (Sophie) Tarnowska who was to become his wife. He continued to fight in Crete, then Greece, and in 1945 was parachuted into Thailand still serving with SOE. Billy was the author of Ill Met by Moonlight which is his detailed account of the kidnap, and War of Shadows as well as many other titles.

Moss was recommended for and received the Immediate Award of the Military Cross following the Kreipe abduction.

23 May 1944 Recommendation for MC.

This officer showed exceptional gallantry in taking part, with Major Leigh Fermor, in the organization and execution of the kidnapping of Major-General Kreipe at Arkhanes, Crete on 26 April 1944. It was due to Captain Moss’s swiftness in attacking the General’s car that the operation was made possible.

In the early stages of the kidnapping, Capt. Moss impersonated the chauffeur of the General’s car and for an hour and a half drove “the General” through Heraklion and passed 22 controlled road blocks before the car was finally abandoned. Subsequently Capt. Moss assisted in moving the General during a period of 17 days through enemy held territory.

For outstanding courage and audacity Capt. Moss is recommended for the Immediate Award of the MC.

Special thanks once more to Chris White for his exceptional work for this series and of course his co-authorship of Abducting a General.

If you want to read more about the events of April and May 1944 please click on the Tags that accompany each post at its end. You will find that there are literally hundreds of other items of news, analysis and memories.

Over to Chris …

26th April 1944.

Third time lucky…..the Kreipe kidnap team leave the Zographistos farmhouse outside Skalani and walk to the kidnap spot and wait for the General to drive past. At 9 pm they stop the car and the kidnap begins. The General is handcuffed and hidden on the back seat of the car. They drive past the Villa Ariadne and through Heraklion, entering by the Agios Giorgos gate and leaving by the Chaniaporta. They drive on into the mountains, stopping at Yeni Gave, where Billy Moss, Manoli Paterakis, Stratis Saviolakis and the General leave the car, heading up a track for a hideout in a ravine north of Anogia. PLF and Georgos Tyrakis drive for a further 2 kms and dump the car at Campo Doxaro, at the start of a track leading to the Cheliana ravine and the sea. They take with them the pennants from the car and head to the village of Anogia.