Airborne Invasion Of Crete, 1941

Airborne Invasion Of Crete, 1941

Author: Anon

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

Published: 2014-08-15

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1782893180

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The fascinating story of the first major airborne operation in history, the swift, bloody tale of the Fallschirmjäger of the German Wehrmacht as they battled and won the battles to capture the island of Crete. The drama of Crete marks an epic in warfare. The concept of the operation was highly imaginative, daringly new. Combat elements drawn from Central Europe moved with precision into funnel shaped Greece. Here they re-formed, took shape as a balanced force, were given wings. The operation had the movement, rhythm, harmony of a master’s organ composition. On 20 May and succeeding days this force soared through space; its elements broke over Crete in thundering crescendos - all stops out. For the first time .in history airborne troops, supplied and supported, by air, landed in the face of an enemy, defeated him. For the first time an air force defeated a first-rate Navy, inflicted such staggering losses that the fleet was ordered back to Alexandria three days after the battle started.


Crete

Crete

Author: Antony Beevor

Publisher: John Murray

Published: 2011-10-13

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 1848546351

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Acclaimed historian and best-selling author Antony Beevor vividly brings to life the epic struggles that took place in Second World War Crete - reissued with a new introduction. 'The best book we have got on Crete' Observer The Germans expected their airborne attack on Crete in 1941 - a unique event in the history of warfare - to be a textbook victory based on tactical surprise. They had no idea that the British, using Ultra intercepts, knew their plans and had laid a carefully-planned trap. It should have been the first German defeat of the war, but a fatal misunderstanding turned the battle round. Nor did the conflict end there. Ferocious Cretan freedom fighters mounted a heroic resistance, aided by a dramatic cast of British officers from Special Operations Executive.


Battle Of Crete: Hitler’s Airborne Gamble

Battle Of Crete: Hitler’s Airborne Gamble

Author: Major Maria A. Biank

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

Published: 2014-08-15

Total Pages: 115

ISBN-13: 1782893210

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As Adolf Hitler conquered most of the European continent in 1939-1941, the small island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea became vital to future operations in the Mediterranean region for both the Axis and Allied powers. If the Allies controlled Crete, their air and sea superiority would not allow the Germans a strategic military foothold in the region. For the Germans, Crete would secure the Aegean Sea for Axis shipping, loosen Great Britain’s grasp in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and provide air bases to launch offensives against British forces in Egypt. Therefore, the central research question is: Did the results of the German campaign in Crete justify its execution? The operational results of the German campaign in Crete and the strategic advantages gained from its success did not justify the execution of the battle. Although Germany’s conquest of Crete achieved all of the strategic advantages, Hitler did not accomplish the strategic objectives set forth at the beginning of the campaign. Crete was not used as a staging base from which to engage the British in offensive operations against the Suez Canal or North Africa. German losses to the highly trained air corps were staggering and Hitler never again employed parachutists on a large-scale airborne operation. Future war efforts were deprived of this elite, highly mobile striking force. Hitler did not capitalize on the hard fought victory in Crete by using the island as a stepping-stone, ultimately controlling the eastern Mediterranean region because he was hypnotized by the invasion of Russia.


The Struggle for Crete, 20 May - 1 June 1941

The Struggle for Crete, 20 May - 1 June 1941

Author: I. McD. G. Stewart

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 556

ISBN-13:

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Providing an account of the struggle for Crete during World War II, this book contains some of the author's own experiences as a Medical Officer at the time of the battle. The author describes the leadership, the geography, the communications problems and the delayed counter-attack.


Crete 1941

Crete 1941

Author: Peter Antill

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-11-20

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1782007105

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Operation Mercury, the German airborne assault on the island of Crete in May 1941, was the first strategic use of airborne forces in history. The assault began on 20 May, with landings near the island's key airports, and reinforcements the next day allowed the German forces to capture one end of the runway at Maleme. By 24 May, the Germans were being reinforced by air on a huge scale and on 1 June Crete surrendered. This book describes how desperately close the battle had been and explains how German losses so shocked the Führer that he never again authorised a major airborne operation.


Crete

Crete

Author: Tim Saunders

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9781844155583

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Details the Crete campaign of World War II, covering the opposing leaders, plans, execution and evacuation. This guide book also includes six different airborne invasion tours in which visitors can view the sites of battle via car, bus service, or by foot.


The Fall of Crete 1941: Was Freyberg Culpable?

The Fall of Crete 1941: Was Freyberg Culpable?

Author: Major James Bliss

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

Published: 2015-11-06

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1786250276

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On 20 May 1941, Generaloberst Kurt Student’s Luftwaffe XI Fliegerkorps conducted the first operational airborne invasion in history to seize Crete. Major-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg VC, 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, commanded the British forces defending the island. Freyberg, forewarned of the details of the invasion, possessed numerical superiority over the enemy, but was defeated within twelve days. Freyberg, later blamed for the defeat due to his perceived faulty defensive dispositions, was dealt a losing hand from the start. His troops consisted of those that could be rescued from the failed Greek Campaign and lacked sufficient weapons, communications, and transport to conduct the defense. Despite the best efforts of the Royal Navy, overwhelming Luftwaffe air superiority in the absence of the Royal Air Force isolated Crete and the relentless drive of the attacking German forces captured it. Poor tactical leadership by Freyberg’s subordinate commanders and their failure to prosecute his operational plan led to defeat by the barest margin. While a tactical loss, Freyberg’s destruction of the 7th Flieger Division resulted in Hitler never considering an operational airborne assault again. Freyberg, although accepting responsibility for the defeat, should not be held entirely culpable for the loss of Crete.


Ten Days to Destiny

Ten Days to Destiny

Author: G. C. Kiriakopoulos

Publisher: Holy Cross Orthodox Press

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780917653490

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For ten dramatic and bitterly fought days in May, 1941, British Commonwealth and Greek soldiers fought with the valiant assistance of Cretan civilians -- men and women, young and old -- to hold their island against a Nazi onslaught. This is the documented story of the one of the most important yet least acknowledged battles of World War II.