Don't forget I believe 33 Sqn's groundcrew as well Ken
The remaining airmen of 30 & 33 Sqn were indeed heavily involved in the defence although not all were equipped with rifles & a large number were killed or captured as the German gliders landed during breakfast! Those that were able to take part in the defence fought bravely and Churchill’s later comments about ‘civilians in uniform’ were grossly unfair to them. I have spent some time in Crete at the annual commemorations including talking to Jack Baker, who was an LAC on 30 (& their last surviving veteran), he spent the whole day in a trench sniping at the Germans as they tried to cross the Tavronatis Bridge. His friend stayed behind to cover their withdrawal & was killed, Jack’s description of events whilst standing by his grave at Souda Bay CWGC were very moving.
The decision to withdraw from Hill 107 on the basis of poor intelligence by the NZ company commander gifted the airfield to the Germans who had been on the point of surrendering and allowed them to fly in reinforcements, the loss of Crete was then a given.
It seems to me a sensible provision for the RAF to protect its own airfields rather than rely on the army and gives comfort to the aircrew knowing that the ground forces doing the force protection take their role seriously. There were a few incidents in Iraq & Afghanistan at TLZs were the job wasn’t done properly by the army, in some cases leading to the loss of ac.