Crete tourist guide

78th anniversary of the Battle of Crete

2019-05-19 19:25:12

As tomorrow is the 78th anniversary of the Battle of Crete, we would like to remind you of the history of these events that began on May 20, 1941. This operation was codenamed Merkury (German Unternehmen Merkur) and its aim was to master Crete by the German airborne troops. From the very beginning civilians who actively supported the Allied forces took active part in the defense activities. Unfortunately, after eleven days of heavy fighting, the whole island was under the control of German troops, and the Cretans experienced terrible repressions.

German jumpers over Crete on May 20, 1941
(photo source wikipedia.org)

This rapid defeat of the Allied troops seemed almost unbelievable, because at first victory in this part of the war chess seemed to be on the British side. The game started with a few more figures on the board and what's more important knowing the exact intentions of the opponent. Despite all these trumps, the battle for Crete was lost by them.

Unintelligible decisions of General Bernard Freyberg

General Bernard Freyberg, commanding the Allied forces, thanks to the information provided by the British intelligence, had the knowledge to predict the exact location of the German forces. Maleme airport was the key that opened the gate to Crete. The German generals were aware that mastering this piece of the island in the first hours of the attack would determine the success or failure of this battle.

General Bernard Freyberg (right)
(photo source wikipedia.org)

Although the British general knew the exact plans and intentions of the opponent, however, the incomprehensible tactical game taken by him seemed to deny it. Knowing that the main impact of the German army landing would be directed at the Maleme airport, the reorganization ordered by General Bernard Freyberg led to the directing of some Allied forces to the defense of the coast. With this strange and little-understood procedure, he lost the greatest asset of surprise that would keep Crete in the hands of the Allies.

However, even these inept tactical moves made by the British staff did not level the chances of both sides. The landing of German paratroopers was still subject to a very large margin of risk. Deprived of greater support, light infantry forces could be an easy target for Allied defense.

A British war documentary about the battle of Crete

The chaos that prevailed during the first hours of Operation Mercury seemed to confirm it. The landing of German troops began with a real massacre, under many falling parachutes, the inert bodies of German soldiers swayed, and they perished without even touching the Cretan soil. Even worse, even those who managed to land successfully, it was difficult to call full-fledged armed forces. A large part of the soldiers had only a light hand weapon, or personal equipment, which in practice meant that their only weapon was a bayonet.

A British war documentary about the battle of Crete

The decision of the German command that the paratroopers' weapons will be dropped in separate bins proved to be a deadly effect. In practice, it turned out that finding them in a hostile area, where almost all civilians were actively resisting, was a very difficult task. The specter of the defeat of the German landing seemed to hang in the air.

This was the beginning of the Battle of Crete, whose 78th anniversary falls on May 20. If you are interested in this story, we strongly recommend you to read the publication of Antonym Beevor " Crete: Conquest and resistance " available by Znak publishing house, where you will find a description of the entire Mercury Operation and the war history of Crete.

Gosia i Piotrek,  2019-05-19 19:25:12

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Komentarze

Piotr Iwańczyk

2019-05-19 17:53:02

komentarz z

Taka ciekawostka związana z bitwą. Podczas tej batalii miała miejsce niemiecka wersja "Szeregowca Ryan'a". Jednego dnia - 21 maja 1941 - zginęło trzech braci z hrabiowskiego rodu von Blücher. Wolfgang, Leberecht i Hans-Joachim Graf von Blücher.

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Iwona Bruśk

2020-07-22 13:17:13

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Na Viasat History znakomity dokument "Bitwa o Kretę" z 2020r.

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