Operation Mercury: Battle for Crete, Hill 107 and Maleme Airfield 1941

Here is a little video I shot when I visited Crete recently. I travelled to Maleme airfield and Hill 107 which was a critical battleground when the Germans invaded on 20th May 1941. We out numbered the German Fallshirmjagers who took heavy casualties at all 3 landing zones across the Northern coast of Crete at Chania ( Maleme airfield) Rethymno and Heraklion. At Rethymno and Heraklion the German were pinned down. At Maleme Airfield the allies were hampered with poor communications and over complex command structure. General Freyberg mis-interpreted the Ultra messages as he believed the airborne attack was on a prelude to a seaborne invasion, which ultimately never happened. The Germans holding Maleme airfield had taken a large number of casualties and were short of food, water and were low on moral. If the allIes had counter attacked in the first day or two the airfield could have been re-taken as there were only 57 operational German Soldiers. General Freyburg misread the Ultra messages who still thought Crete would be attained from the sea and held key battalions back in readiness for this. However the hesitation allowed the Germans to land supplies and reinforcements. New Zealander Charles Upham won the first of his 2 Victoria Crosses in the eventual allied counter attack on the airfield although it was too late to make a difference.

Видео Operation Mercury: Battle for Crete, Hill 107 and Maleme Airfield 1941 канала The Lone Rat WW2 history channel.