 On 30 May the final order was received , although due to shipping losses it was not possible to evacuate everyone . In order to maintain fairness , each battalion was allotted a certain number of men who would have to remain and defend the embarkation beaches to allow the others to get away . The 28th Battalion was allocated 230 men to embark , while six officers and 144 men would have to stay behind . A large number of men volunteered to remain , and at midnight the remainder headed down to the beach and were taken off on a landing ship two hours later . The battalion suffered 243 casualties during the brief defence of the island , including 74 men killed and 102 men wounded . A further 67 were captured , of which 46 were wounded . For his leadership of the battalion during the fighting on Crete , Dittmer received the Distinguished Service Order . 
