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The Battle of Crete - Page 2

© Philippa Jane Ballantine

It was so intense, even with a lack of weaponry that the paratroopers were initially kept to three areas of the island. Two airborne battalions lost their commanders in the initial drop, and had to go without them.

In the Maleme operation the allies held Hill 107, which looked over the airfield. The Germans had to take it, and they took the surrounding ridges that first day, and advanced up the hill. The German Hania group was to capture the village of Souda and the town of Hania, and route the allied troops there. This was where German and New Zealanders clashed. New Zealanders attacked them from olive groves nearby, and managed to hold their positions with small weaponry.

Meanwhile German command had assumed the attack was going well, and dropped more troops. These fresh soldiers met fierce resistance, and were in the unenviable position of being under heavy fire, in many cases in wrong positions, and having lost their signal equipment. But they were still better supplied than the allies. The ANZACs could only dig in and fight on. By the end of that day, the Germans had not taken any airfield. This meant that there was no place for the German 5th Mountain Division to land as planned the next day.

However in the days to follow there was more success for the Germans, their aircraft managed to defeat the allies’ naval support, and they managed to get ammunition to their troops. Finally they did manage to get planes to land at Maleme, even if it was under occasional artillery fire. And then when finally the airfield was secured- so too was the fate of the Battle of Crete. The Germans able to supply their troops, now had the upper hand, and the Mountain Division was finally flown in along with all types of artillery. Now the allies were in trouble. The Mountain Division climbed up goat trails, and with each man being fully equipped, they were able to break through the flank and rear of the allies’ line.

After five days the Germans took Hania and occupied Souda Bay. But still the allies fought on, laying down sniper fire, and making their opponents pay for every advance. The Cretans fought fiercely in their own terrain.

For seven days ANZACs and Cretans managed to hold their positions, fighting on, even as more Germans landed they fought on, but finally they were overrun. By 1st June it was all over. ANZACs had suffered heavy casualties- 781 sons of New Zealand and Australia would never see home again, and more than 300 had been captured. But the German losses were even more staggering- nearly 4000 parachutists had been killed in the assault. Never again would the Nazis use paratroopers in such a massive drop.

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