three-quarters of 60,000 men were evacuated. Allied losses were substantial. The Greek destroyer Hydra was sunk in the Gulf of Megara on 22 April. In total the Hellenic Navy lost four torpedo boats—Greek torpedo boat Kios among them—three mine-layers and with Allied naval forces a further 43 merchant ships totalling 63,975 tons to the 23 April. Hitschhold's group flew daily attacks against shipping near and around Crete. Hitschhold's men probably sank the Greek destroyer Hydra at Piraeus naval base, which lost 23 vessels in two days. Greek destroyer Psara was sunk at anchor off Megara. Other Ju 87s from I./StG 2 sank other Greek merchant vessels in the Gulf Corinth. Among the losses was the sinking of the SS Slamat, in the Slamat disaster. British destroyers and were also sunk. The final phase of the Balkans Campaign, was the Battle of Crete. III./StG 3 moved to Megara and attacked shipping in the Aegean from 1 to 19 May and then Malaoi. Brücker's group was joined by Hitschhold's in preparation for the invasion. Hitschhold's I./StG 2 was moved to Argos. The invasion began on 20 May 1941. StG 2—both gruppen— with KG 2 and KG 26, bombarded anti-aircraft artillery positions before 493 Junkers Ju 52 transports began dropping German paratroops over the Cretian airfields. On 22 May Hitschhold's group sank the cruiser Gloucester with five 1,000 lb bombs. 45 officers and 648 men were killed. The ship sank in 35 minutes. The unit contributed to the sinking of Fiji in the same action. The damaged Fiji was later sunk by Bf 109 fighter-bombers. Captain Louis Mountbatten led four destroyers under over of darkness past Antikythera island to bombard Maleme airfield. In the morning they were spotted at 07:55 hours m by more than 20 Ju 87s led by Gruppenkommandeur Hitschhold. The dive-bombers attacked immediately. They sank the British destroyers Greyhound on 22 May and the Kelly and Kashmir on 23 May. After taking a hit amidships, Kashmir sank in less than two minutes. Hitschold lost four of his Ju 87s. 131 crewmen died aboard Kelly and 80 on Kashmir. The destroyer Kipling rescued 129 men from Kelly and 153 from Kashmir but her oil tanks were damaged by incessant dive-bombing attacks on her way to Alexandria. III./StG 2 participated in the action on 29 May, which sank the destroyer Hereward, and damaging of the light cruiser Ajax and destroyer Decoy. The