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On May 20, 1941, Germany began its airborne invasion of Crete. From the article:
"WHAT WAS THE BATTLE OF CRETE?
Ian Carter
Monday 11 June 2018
After their successful conquest of Greece in April 1941, the Germans turned their attention to the island of Crete. Its capture would give them a useful base in the eastern Mediterranean and deny its use to the British. Hitler was more concerned with his forthcoming invasion of the Soviet Union, but he approved of General Kurt Student's plan for a daring airborne attack using his elite Luftwaffe parachute and glider-borne forces.
There were about 40,000 British, Dominion and Greek troops on Crete, many of whom had been evacuated from Greece. 'Creforce', as it was known, was commanded by the New Zealander Major-General Bernard Freyberg VC. The mountainous island was difficult to defend and Freyberg had no aircraft – only a handful of tanks and few radios. Despite this, intelligence gave him ample warning of the German attack and he had powerful support from the Royal Navy. These two crucial advantages offered the possibility of winning a morale-boosting victory.
The German plan hinged on quickly capturing the airfields of Maleme, Rethymno and Heraklion so that reinforcements could be flown in by air. But Freyberg misinterpreted his intelligence and placed too much emphasis on a seaborne invasion, which in reality was only a minor part of the German scheme. He deployed most of his troops to meet this threat and crucially left the largest and most important airfield at Maleme exposed on its western side.
Operation 'Merkur' (Mercury) began on the morning of 20 May, when German glider and parachute troops were dropped around Maleme and Chania in the west. Some landed among Allied defensive positions and suffered heavy casualties in hand-to-hand fighting. Others were shot in their harnesses before they even reached the ground. Later that day a second wave of parachutists descended around Rethymno and Heraklion. They too suffered heavy losses and many German transport aircraft were shot down.
By the end of the day, the Germans had gained none of their objectives. It appeared the operation had been a costly failure. But Allied communications had broken down and Freyberg and his commanders – still expecting an assault from the sea – made a crucial mistake. Instead of committing their reserves to an immediate counterattack against Maleme, they sanctioned a withdrawal, effectively giving up control of the airfield. This was the tipping point. On the second day the Germans threw everything at Maleme, with troop carriers landing and disembarking in the face of British artillery fire.
The battle continued for several more days, but as further German units arrived the British position became hopeless. On 27 May Freyberg ordered an evacuation. The Royal Navy, which had already lost ships to air attacks while engaging German troop convoys from Greece, now suffered further losses as it evacuated troops.
Crete was a humiliating defeat for the British. Almost 4,000 men were killed and over 11,000 more captured. Enemy air power had been decisive. But the Germans had been badly mauled too, with over 3,000 dead. Hitler declared that 'the day of the parachutist is over'. For the Germans it was –they would never again attempt another major airborne operation."
"WHAT WAS THE BATTLE OF CRETE?
Ian Carter
Monday 11 June 2018
After their successful conquest of Greece in April 1941, the Germans turned their attention to the island of Crete. Its capture would give them a useful base in the eastern Mediterranean and deny its use to the British. Hitler was more concerned with his forthcoming invasion of the Soviet Union, but he approved of General Kurt Student's plan for a daring airborne attack using his elite Luftwaffe parachute and glider-borne forces.
There were about 40,000 British, Dominion and Greek troops on Crete, many of whom had been evacuated from Greece. 'Creforce', as it was known, was commanded by the New Zealander Major-General Bernard Freyberg VC. The mountainous island was difficult to defend and Freyberg had no aircraft – only a handful of tanks and few radios. Despite this, intelligence gave him ample warning of the German attack and he had powerful support from the Royal Navy. These two crucial advantages offered the possibility of winning a morale-boosting victory.
The German plan hinged on quickly capturing the airfields of Maleme, Rethymno and Heraklion so that reinforcements could be flown in by air. But Freyberg misinterpreted his intelligence and placed too much emphasis on a seaborne invasion, which in reality was only a minor part of the German scheme. He deployed most of his troops to meet this threat and crucially left the largest and most important airfield at Maleme exposed on its western side.
Operation 'Merkur' (Mercury) began on the morning of 20 May, when German glider and parachute troops were dropped around Maleme and Chania in the west. Some landed among Allied defensive positions and suffered heavy casualties in hand-to-hand fighting. Others were shot in their harnesses before they even reached the ground. Later that day a second wave of parachutists descended around Rethymno and Heraklion. They too suffered heavy losses and many German transport aircraft were shot down.
By the end of the day, the Germans had gained none of their objectives. It appeared the operation had been a costly failure. But Allied communications had broken down and Freyberg and his commanders – still expecting an assault from the sea – made a crucial mistake. Instead of committing their reserves to an immediate counterattack against Maleme, they sanctioned a withdrawal, effectively giving up control of the airfield. This was the tipping point. On the second day the Germans threw everything at Maleme, with troop carriers landing and disembarking in the face of British artillery fire.
The battle continued for several more days, but as further German units arrived the British position became hopeless. On 27 May Freyberg ordered an evacuation. The Royal Navy, which had already lost ships to air attacks while engaging German troop convoys from Greece, now suffered further losses as it evacuated troops.
Crete was a humiliating defeat for the British. Almost 4,000 men were killed and over 11,000 more captured. Enemy air power had been decisive. But the Germans had been badly mauled too, with over 3,000 dead. Hitler declared that 'the day of the parachutist is over'. For the Germans it was –they would never again attempt another major airborne operation."
What Was The Battle Of Crete?
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Military History
Warfare
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Very interesting history share brother David, have a great afternoon brother.
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German Airborne Invasion of Crete | 1941 | World War 2 Documentary
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Good evening, my friend SGT (Join to see). The assault on Crete was a proof of principle for the employment of Fallschirmjäger alone. The Luftwaffe included airplanes, Fallschirmjäger and even 22 Luftwaffe Field Divisions (German: Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen or LwFD).
The German military was fiercely competitive. The Wehrmacht was the principle source for ground forces. Waffen SS and Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen competed with the Wehrmacht for resources.
In 1934 Hermann Wilhelm Göring was designated Reichmarshall by Chancellor Adolph Hitler. Nobody else attained that rank in Germany.
Göring had the ear of Hitler. Even though the battle of Britain was a failure, Göring was authorized to have a Luftwaffe-only assault on Crete [JU-52]. Close air support [JU-87 Stuka], air insertion via parachute. Naval resupply and troop transport was at risk to capabilities of the British Mediterranean fleet to interdict.
Based on the tepid results, Adolph Hitler "forbade further major airborne operations."
German Airborne Invasion of Crete | 1941 | World War 2 Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cZGqApwycw
Images
1. A Ju 52 aircraft flying low over Crete, Greece, 20 May 1941.
2. A group of British soldiers in a trench with fixed bayonets, Crete, Greece, late May 1941
3. 1941-05-20 German paratroops jumping from Ju 52 transports over Crete, Greece, 20 May 1941
4. A crashed German glider with two of its occupants lying dead alongside, Crete, Greece, 6 Jun 1941
Background from
"With the Greek mainland secured, Berlin eyed Crete, a base for Greek and British forces in the region, particularly important for its air bases. The German plans called for the use of paratroopers to secure the Maleme airfield in western Crete, and then transport aircraft would bring in heavy equipment and reinforcements. With the Enigma code broken, however, the Allies knew what was to be expected, and were able to prepare the defenses accordingly. Additionally, German intelligence failed to realize the size of the Allied garrison on the island, mistaking it to be a garrison of 5,000 men when it was closer to 40,000.
German General Kurt Student's XI Fliegerkorps paratroopers were deployed under the code name Operation Merkur (Mercury) on 20 May 1941. He made use of 750 glider troops, 10,000 paratroopers, and 7,000 troops landing from invasion beaches. The first debacle took place in the very beginning, when it was decided that the paratroopers' weapons were to be paradropped in separate crates. As it was easy for crates to be dropped a long distance from the landing zone, many German paratroopers landed with nothing more than a pistol and a knife.
Crete defenses were under the command of Lieutenant General Bernard Freyberg of New Zealand, whose troops took advantage of German miscalculations. His riflemen inflicted many of the German paratroopers, while the mortar teams displayed their preparation by accurately sending mortar shells to glider landing sites, destroying several gliders before the German troops were even able to get out after landing. When the Germans began the second wave of attacks which included more paratroopers and the amphibious assault, the civilian population joined in on the defense. There was one report of an older Cretan man who surprised a German paratrooper from the back with his walking cane, and eventually beat him to death. While this story might be hearsay, there was little doubt that the civilian population of Crete greatly bolstered the defense.
At Malame airfield, the German paratroopers continued to fight, albeit unsuccessfully, to secure the airfield. As they were beginning to be demoralized and about to admit defeat, the New Zealand troops based there suffered communications breakdowns and began to withdraw in confusion. The German 5th Mountain Division already in the air nearby quickly took the opportunity to land, starting a steady stream of reinforcements that eventually turned the tide of the battle. The Allied forces retreated from Crete between 28 May and 1 Jun.
At the end of the Battle of Crete, both sides incurred heavy losses. The British and Commonwealth casualties mounted to 18,000; 2,000 of which were of the Royal Navy, which lost three cruisers and six destroyers to the German Luftwaffe during the assault. The Germans officially suffered 6,453 casualties, though British intelligence estimated the number should be upwards of 16,800.
Adolf Hitler considered the eventual victory at Crete completely out of luck, and forbade further major airborne operations; though it achieved some element of surprise on the enemy, he reasoned, airborne operations were too costly on human lives. This decision of Hitler's spelled some relief for Malta as Hitler's original plans for Malta was by means of airborne infantry. After Crete, German paratroopers were slowly reorganized into regular infantry units.
The large scale British withdraw from the Balkans placed heavy demands on the Mediterranean Fleet, and the risks the fleet had taken placed a toll on its ships: two battleships damaged, one aircraft carrier sunk, three cruisers sunk and five damaged, and six destroyers sunk and seven damaged. However, the sacrifices by the British Royal Navy resulted in the rescue of 18,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen from the region."
timeline
"20 May 1941 German invasion of Crete, Greece began with an airborne assault at 0800 hours, capturing Maleme airfield on the northern coast. At 1615 hours and 1730 hours, the second airborne assault was conducted at Rethimnon and Heraklion, respectively; 1,856 German airborne troopers were killed during the second attack wave. At Suda Bay, Crete, German bombers sank British minesweeper HMS Widnes. After sundown, British destroyers HMS Jervis, HMS Nizam, and HMS Ilex bombarded the German-controlled airfield on the Greek island of Karpathos.
21 May 1941 In the early hours of the day, 3 British cruisers and 4 destroyers intercepted and sank 11 small Axis vessels, killing 297 Germans. In the morning, 650 men of the German 5. Gebirsgäger Division landed on Crete, Greece in time to support the paratroopers already in position against a British counter attack at Maleme airfield. Many of the transport aircraft that delivered the troops would be damaged or destroyed on the airfield before they could take off. New Zealand General Freyberg held back his reserves despite German presence at Maleme, believing that the main German invasion was still to come at the beaches. At the nearby island of Milos, 19 fishing boats and 2 small passenger ships disembarked 2,331 German infantry. Out at sea, German aircraft damaged HMS Dido, HMS Orion, and HMS Ajax while Italian bombers sank HMS Juno (128 killed, 97 survived).
22 May 1941 Before dawn, British warships searched for an Axis convoy off the Greek island of Milos; after sunrise, German aircraft spotted the ships, damaging HMS Naiad (6 killed), HMS Calcutta (14 killed), and HMS Kingston (1 killed) at 1000 hours. At 1200 hours, HMS Greyhound was sunk (76 killed) and HMS Warspite was damaged (43 killed). Shortly after, HMS Gloucester (722 killed) and HMS Fiji (257 killed) were also sunk. Meanwhile, at Crete, Greece, Australian and New Zealand troops counterattacked at Maleme at 0330 hours, but German 5. Gebirsgäger Division troops repulsed the attack. During the day, additional Ju 52 aircraft brought two more battalions of troops to Maleme. Australian and New Zealand troops were pulled back from Maleme to Suda Bay to protect the main supply point while regrouping for another counterattack.
23 May 1941 HMS Kelly commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten, great grandson of Queen Victoria, was sunk 35 miles south Crete, Greece at 0800 hours, shortly a bombardment mission; 181 were killed, 297 survived. On the island itself, bitter fighting continued. During the day, German reinforcements arrived at Maleme airfield, but the attempts to land troops by sea were rebuffed. The Germans now controlled the west end of the island. On the same day, German bombing of Suda Bay sank 5 British motor torpedo boats.
24 May 1941 Allied troops began to fall back southward in Crete, Greece. German bombers attacked Chaniá on the northern coast, causing great damage. After dark, British minelayer HMS Abdiel transported 200 British commandos from Alexandria, Egypt to Suda Bay, Crete; another effort to transport 800 commandos to Port Lutro, Crete was canceled due to bad weather.
25 May 1941 After being reinforced through Maleme airfield on Crete, Greece, German Stuka dive bombers attacked Allied lines at 1600 hours, softening defenses for a ground assault toward Galatas on the northern coast. Elsewhere on the island, German aircraft bombed Heraklion.
26 May 1941 During the day, German aircraft misidentified the German column moving from Galatas, Crete, Greece toward Canea on the Suda Bay. After sundown, poor communications and conflicting orders caused 1,000 Allied troops at Canea to become surrounded. Also during the night, British minelayer HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Hero and HMS Nizam arrived at Suda Bay from Alexandria, Egypt and disembarked 750 British commandos under Colonel Robert Laycock; they evacuated personnel from the naval base as they departed.
27 May 1941 German troops captured Canea, Crete, Greece, thus securing the use of the anchorage at Suda Bay.
28 May 1941 The evacuation of British and Commonwealth troops from Crete, Greece began before dawn; the evacuation centered around Sphakia on the southern coast of Crete, while Colonel Laycock commanded a rearguard force to guard the evacuation. British cruisers HMS Ajax, HMS Orion, and HMS Dido and destroyers HMS Decoy, HMS Jackal, HMS Imperial, HMS Hotspur, HMS Kimberly, and HMS Hereward departed Alexandria, Egypt for Heraklion, Crete to help with the evacuation; German aircraft damaged HMS Ajax (killing 6, wounding 18, and forcing her to turn back) and HMS Imperial (wounding 1); the force, less Ajax, arrived at Heraklion at 2330 hours.
29 May 1941 A British force of cruiser and destroyers embarked 3,486 men at Heraklion, Crete and departed for Egypt at 0245 hours. At 0400 hours, HMS Imperial's steering failed; she transferred her crew and passengers, and then was scuttled by HMS Hotspur. After dawn, HMS Hereward was bombed by Italian aircraft, 76 were killed and 89 survivors were captured. Cruisers HMS Orion and HMS Dido were also attacked, killing 105 crew and 260 passengers on the former and 27 crew and 100 passengers on the latter. The force would finally arrive at Alexandria, Egypt at 2000 hours.
30 May 1941 Before dawn, a force of British cruiser and destroyers embarked 6,029 troops and departed Sphakia, Crete, Greece for Egypt. En route, they were attacked by Axis aircraft; a bomb hit on cruiser HMS Perth killed 13, but RAF fighter escorts prevented Axis aircraft from dealing the kind of damage they did on the previous day against a different evacuation convoy. Destroyer HMS Kelvin, sailing north from Egypt, was damaged by a bomb en route, killing 1. On land, German aircraft strafed evacuation beaches at and near Sphakia.
31 May 1941 British destroyers HMS Napier and HMS Nizam embarked 1,510 troops at Sphakia, Crete, Greece and departed before dawn for Egypt; they were attacked by Axis aircraft en route, causing minor damage. At 0600 hours, British cruiser HMS Phoebe, minelayer HMS Abdiel, and destroyers HMS Jackal, HMS Kimberley, and HMS Hotspur departed Alexandria, Egypt for Sphakia to evacuate more troops. On the same day, 54 senior level Allied officers, including General Freyberg, were evacuated from Crete by aircraft.
31 May 1941 In Crete, Greece, German Luftwaffe General Kurt Student issued an order authorizing reprisals against the civilian population, including women and boys, proven of involvement in fighting, committing sabotage, or mutilating or killing wounded soldiers. The reprisals were to consist of shooting, fines, burning villages or extermination of the male population. Several senior officers stormed out of the conference in protest of the order but there were a few officers who were quite prepared to lead execution squads.
1 Jun 1941 Before dawn, British cruiser HMS Phoebe, minelayer HMS Abdiel, and destroyers HMS Jackal, HMS Kimberley, and HMS Hotspur embarked 3,710 Allied troops at Sphakia, Crete, Greece and departed; the force would arrive safely at Alexandria, Egypt later on the same day. Anti-aircraft cruisers HMS Calcutta and HMS Coventry were dispatched from Alexandria to cover this force; HMS Calcutta was attacked by Axis aircraft, sinking at 0945 hours with 118 lost and 255 wounded. Although the Allied efforts had evacuated 16,511 men from Crete, 5,000 still remained; they would be surrendered by Australian Lieutenant Colonel Theo Walker by the end of the day, thus ending the German campaign on Crete.
5 Jun 1941 Germany announced that 15,000 British and Commonwealth prisoners of war were captured at Crete, Greece.
14 Jun 1941 In a letter to General Hastings Ismay, Winston Churchill critised Bernard Freyberg's tactical handling of the defence of Crete, Greece, in particular the fact that no counter-attack had been mounted in the western sector (e.g. around Maleme airfield) for 36 hours after the initial German assault."
FYI LTC Wayne Brandon LTC (Join to see) MSgt Robert C Aldi CPT Scott Sharon CMSgt (Join to see) SMSgt Tom Burns SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG Jeffrey Leake Sgt (Join to see) SGT Randal Groover SGT Rick Colburn SPC Mike Lake PO3 William Hetrick PO3 Lynn Spalding SPC Mark Huddleston Rhonda Hanson SPC Jordan Sutich SGT James Murphy SPC Margaret Higgins
The German military was fiercely competitive. The Wehrmacht was the principle source for ground forces. Waffen SS and Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen competed with the Wehrmacht for resources.
In 1934 Hermann Wilhelm Göring was designated Reichmarshall by Chancellor Adolph Hitler. Nobody else attained that rank in Germany.
Göring had the ear of Hitler. Even though the battle of Britain was a failure, Göring was authorized to have a Luftwaffe-only assault on Crete [JU-52]. Close air support [JU-87 Stuka], air insertion via parachute. Naval resupply and troop transport was at risk to capabilities of the British Mediterranean fleet to interdict.
Based on the tepid results, Adolph Hitler "forbade further major airborne operations."
German Airborne Invasion of Crete | 1941 | World War 2 Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cZGqApwycw
Images
1. A Ju 52 aircraft flying low over Crete, Greece, 20 May 1941.
2. A group of British soldiers in a trench with fixed bayonets, Crete, Greece, late May 1941
3. 1941-05-20 German paratroops jumping from Ju 52 transports over Crete, Greece, 20 May 1941
4. A crashed German glider with two of its occupants lying dead alongside, Crete, Greece, 6 Jun 1941
Background from
"With the Greek mainland secured, Berlin eyed Crete, a base for Greek and British forces in the region, particularly important for its air bases. The German plans called for the use of paratroopers to secure the Maleme airfield in western Crete, and then transport aircraft would bring in heavy equipment and reinforcements. With the Enigma code broken, however, the Allies knew what was to be expected, and were able to prepare the defenses accordingly. Additionally, German intelligence failed to realize the size of the Allied garrison on the island, mistaking it to be a garrison of 5,000 men when it was closer to 40,000.
German General Kurt Student's XI Fliegerkorps paratroopers were deployed under the code name Operation Merkur (Mercury) on 20 May 1941. He made use of 750 glider troops, 10,000 paratroopers, and 7,000 troops landing from invasion beaches. The first debacle took place in the very beginning, when it was decided that the paratroopers' weapons were to be paradropped in separate crates. As it was easy for crates to be dropped a long distance from the landing zone, many German paratroopers landed with nothing more than a pistol and a knife.
Crete defenses were under the command of Lieutenant General Bernard Freyberg of New Zealand, whose troops took advantage of German miscalculations. His riflemen inflicted many of the German paratroopers, while the mortar teams displayed their preparation by accurately sending mortar shells to glider landing sites, destroying several gliders before the German troops were even able to get out after landing. When the Germans began the second wave of attacks which included more paratroopers and the amphibious assault, the civilian population joined in on the defense. There was one report of an older Cretan man who surprised a German paratrooper from the back with his walking cane, and eventually beat him to death. While this story might be hearsay, there was little doubt that the civilian population of Crete greatly bolstered the defense.
At Malame airfield, the German paratroopers continued to fight, albeit unsuccessfully, to secure the airfield. As they were beginning to be demoralized and about to admit defeat, the New Zealand troops based there suffered communications breakdowns and began to withdraw in confusion. The German 5th Mountain Division already in the air nearby quickly took the opportunity to land, starting a steady stream of reinforcements that eventually turned the tide of the battle. The Allied forces retreated from Crete between 28 May and 1 Jun.
At the end of the Battle of Crete, both sides incurred heavy losses. The British and Commonwealth casualties mounted to 18,000; 2,000 of which were of the Royal Navy, which lost three cruisers and six destroyers to the German Luftwaffe during the assault. The Germans officially suffered 6,453 casualties, though British intelligence estimated the number should be upwards of 16,800.
Adolf Hitler considered the eventual victory at Crete completely out of luck, and forbade further major airborne operations; though it achieved some element of surprise on the enemy, he reasoned, airborne operations were too costly on human lives. This decision of Hitler's spelled some relief for Malta as Hitler's original plans for Malta was by means of airborne infantry. After Crete, German paratroopers were slowly reorganized into regular infantry units.
The large scale British withdraw from the Balkans placed heavy demands on the Mediterranean Fleet, and the risks the fleet had taken placed a toll on its ships: two battleships damaged, one aircraft carrier sunk, three cruisers sunk and five damaged, and six destroyers sunk and seven damaged. However, the sacrifices by the British Royal Navy resulted in the rescue of 18,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen from the region."
timeline
"20 May 1941 German invasion of Crete, Greece began with an airborne assault at 0800 hours, capturing Maleme airfield on the northern coast. At 1615 hours and 1730 hours, the second airborne assault was conducted at Rethimnon and Heraklion, respectively; 1,856 German airborne troopers were killed during the second attack wave. At Suda Bay, Crete, German bombers sank British minesweeper HMS Widnes. After sundown, British destroyers HMS Jervis, HMS Nizam, and HMS Ilex bombarded the German-controlled airfield on the Greek island of Karpathos.
21 May 1941 In the early hours of the day, 3 British cruisers and 4 destroyers intercepted and sank 11 small Axis vessels, killing 297 Germans. In the morning, 650 men of the German 5. Gebirsgäger Division landed on Crete, Greece in time to support the paratroopers already in position against a British counter attack at Maleme airfield. Many of the transport aircraft that delivered the troops would be damaged or destroyed on the airfield before they could take off. New Zealand General Freyberg held back his reserves despite German presence at Maleme, believing that the main German invasion was still to come at the beaches. At the nearby island of Milos, 19 fishing boats and 2 small passenger ships disembarked 2,331 German infantry. Out at sea, German aircraft damaged HMS Dido, HMS Orion, and HMS Ajax while Italian bombers sank HMS Juno (128 killed, 97 survived).
22 May 1941 Before dawn, British warships searched for an Axis convoy off the Greek island of Milos; after sunrise, German aircraft spotted the ships, damaging HMS Naiad (6 killed), HMS Calcutta (14 killed), and HMS Kingston (1 killed) at 1000 hours. At 1200 hours, HMS Greyhound was sunk (76 killed) and HMS Warspite was damaged (43 killed). Shortly after, HMS Gloucester (722 killed) and HMS Fiji (257 killed) were also sunk. Meanwhile, at Crete, Greece, Australian and New Zealand troops counterattacked at Maleme at 0330 hours, but German 5. Gebirsgäger Division troops repulsed the attack. During the day, additional Ju 52 aircraft brought two more battalions of troops to Maleme. Australian and New Zealand troops were pulled back from Maleme to Suda Bay to protect the main supply point while regrouping for another counterattack.
23 May 1941 HMS Kelly commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten, great grandson of Queen Victoria, was sunk 35 miles south Crete, Greece at 0800 hours, shortly a bombardment mission; 181 were killed, 297 survived. On the island itself, bitter fighting continued. During the day, German reinforcements arrived at Maleme airfield, but the attempts to land troops by sea were rebuffed. The Germans now controlled the west end of the island. On the same day, German bombing of Suda Bay sank 5 British motor torpedo boats.
24 May 1941 Allied troops began to fall back southward in Crete, Greece. German bombers attacked Chaniá on the northern coast, causing great damage. After dark, British minelayer HMS Abdiel transported 200 British commandos from Alexandria, Egypt to Suda Bay, Crete; another effort to transport 800 commandos to Port Lutro, Crete was canceled due to bad weather.
25 May 1941 After being reinforced through Maleme airfield on Crete, Greece, German Stuka dive bombers attacked Allied lines at 1600 hours, softening defenses for a ground assault toward Galatas on the northern coast. Elsewhere on the island, German aircraft bombed Heraklion.
26 May 1941 During the day, German aircraft misidentified the German column moving from Galatas, Crete, Greece toward Canea on the Suda Bay. After sundown, poor communications and conflicting orders caused 1,000 Allied troops at Canea to become surrounded. Also during the night, British minelayer HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Hero and HMS Nizam arrived at Suda Bay from Alexandria, Egypt and disembarked 750 British commandos under Colonel Robert Laycock; they evacuated personnel from the naval base as they departed.
27 May 1941 German troops captured Canea, Crete, Greece, thus securing the use of the anchorage at Suda Bay.
28 May 1941 The evacuation of British and Commonwealth troops from Crete, Greece began before dawn; the evacuation centered around Sphakia on the southern coast of Crete, while Colonel Laycock commanded a rearguard force to guard the evacuation. British cruisers HMS Ajax, HMS Orion, and HMS Dido and destroyers HMS Decoy, HMS Jackal, HMS Imperial, HMS Hotspur, HMS Kimberly, and HMS Hereward departed Alexandria, Egypt for Heraklion, Crete to help with the evacuation; German aircraft damaged HMS Ajax (killing 6, wounding 18, and forcing her to turn back) and HMS Imperial (wounding 1); the force, less Ajax, arrived at Heraklion at 2330 hours.
29 May 1941 A British force of cruiser and destroyers embarked 3,486 men at Heraklion, Crete and departed for Egypt at 0245 hours. At 0400 hours, HMS Imperial's steering failed; she transferred her crew and passengers, and then was scuttled by HMS Hotspur. After dawn, HMS Hereward was bombed by Italian aircraft, 76 were killed and 89 survivors were captured. Cruisers HMS Orion and HMS Dido were also attacked, killing 105 crew and 260 passengers on the former and 27 crew and 100 passengers on the latter. The force would finally arrive at Alexandria, Egypt at 2000 hours.
30 May 1941 Before dawn, a force of British cruiser and destroyers embarked 6,029 troops and departed Sphakia, Crete, Greece for Egypt. En route, they were attacked by Axis aircraft; a bomb hit on cruiser HMS Perth killed 13, but RAF fighter escorts prevented Axis aircraft from dealing the kind of damage they did on the previous day against a different evacuation convoy. Destroyer HMS Kelvin, sailing north from Egypt, was damaged by a bomb en route, killing 1. On land, German aircraft strafed evacuation beaches at and near Sphakia.
31 May 1941 British destroyers HMS Napier and HMS Nizam embarked 1,510 troops at Sphakia, Crete, Greece and departed before dawn for Egypt; they were attacked by Axis aircraft en route, causing minor damage. At 0600 hours, British cruiser HMS Phoebe, minelayer HMS Abdiel, and destroyers HMS Jackal, HMS Kimberley, and HMS Hotspur departed Alexandria, Egypt for Sphakia to evacuate more troops. On the same day, 54 senior level Allied officers, including General Freyberg, were evacuated from Crete by aircraft.
31 May 1941 In Crete, Greece, German Luftwaffe General Kurt Student issued an order authorizing reprisals against the civilian population, including women and boys, proven of involvement in fighting, committing sabotage, or mutilating or killing wounded soldiers. The reprisals were to consist of shooting, fines, burning villages or extermination of the male population. Several senior officers stormed out of the conference in protest of the order but there were a few officers who were quite prepared to lead execution squads.
1 Jun 1941 Before dawn, British cruiser HMS Phoebe, minelayer HMS Abdiel, and destroyers HMS Jackal, HMS Kimberley, and HMS Hotspur embarked 3,710 Allied troops at Sphakia, Crete, Greece and departed; the force would arrive safely at Alexandria, Egypt later on the same day. Anti-aircraft cruisers HMS Calcutta and HMS Coventry were dispatched from Alexandria to cover this force; HMS Calcutta was attacked by Axis aircraft, sinking at 0945 hours with 118 lost and 255 wounded. Although the Allied efforts had evacuated 16,511 men from Crete, 5,000 still remained; they would be surrendered by Australian Lieutenant Colonel Theo Walker by the end of the day, thus ending the German campaign on Crete.
5 Jun 1941 Germany announced that 15,000 British and Commonwealth prisoners of war were captured at Crete, Greece.
14 Jun 1941 In a letter to General Hastings Ismay, Winston Churchill critised Bernard Freyberg's tactical handling of the defence of Crete, Greece, in particular the fact that no counter-attack had been mounted in the western sector (e.g. around Maleme airfield) for 36 hours after the initial German assault."
FYI LTC Wayne Brandon LTC (Join to see) MSgt Robert C Aldi CPT Scott Sharon CMSgt (Join to see) SMSgt Tom Burns SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG Jeffrey Leake Sgt (Join to see) SGT Randal Groover SGT Rick Colburn SPC Mike Lake PO3 William Hetrick PO3 Lynn Spalding SPC Mark Huddleston Rhonda Hanson SPC Jordan Sutich SGT James Murphy SPC Margaret Higgins
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