German tanks "deep into Australian positions"

 The Australian 2/8th Battalion was coming under German machine gun fire "from the heights". The Germans were now coming into the Australian positions. There were German tanks and some 500 infantry. There was a desire to organize a retreat, but the German tanks had broken up the Australian units into small pieces.Then the Australians had descended into the valley floor, they found themselves under fire from German machine guns. By this time, the men were in bad shape, due to being tired. That meant that weapons were left behind, because of "weariness". As the night became dark, the effort to withdraw was effected. 

On the left side, the 2/8th Battalion intelligence officer stayed in position to try and gather men together. They could see German tanks and men moving "across the Australian line of withdrawal". When the Australian officers had climbed to the top of the ridge, they could look down and saw the "main body of the battalion" moving to the south "in open order". In the dark, the men moved through heavy mud. By about 9pm, the companies in the lead had reached the "reserve position at Sotir". By then, they had traveled some ten miles. In another two hours, they had reached "the forked roads at Rodona". The vehicles were gathered at Rodona, waiting for the men to arrive. More small groups of men arrived during the night to join the battalion. They eventually had some 250 men, "about half of the officers and two-thirds of  the men were missing". 

The guns of the 2/RHA and "two Australian anti-tank guns" were able to keep the German tanks and infantry from advancing. They fired over open sights at the Germans. They were eventually able to withdraw, but their bravery and success were what kept the 2/8th Battalion in the battle. Vasey had called General Mackay to tell him that things were in bad shape. Vasey warned ther unit on the left that the front was collapsing. He ordered him to move to Rodona where the vehicles were waiting Dougherty was already thinking along these lines. By now, the only communications were by runner, because of the lack of phone wire. This is based on the account in "Grece, Crete, and Syria" by Gavin Long.