The offensive of the German airborne troops was planned to be carried out in three areas: in the east at Iraclin, in the center at Rethymnon, Souda, Yunia, and most importantly in the west at Marim.

Before that, Nazi heavy bombers first used 1,000-pound bombs to intensively bomb the ground and air defense facilities for an hour. Then, the main force descended from the sky by gliders or parachutes. Then came the reinforcements carried by transport aircraft. After them

In the entire combat plan, the key move is to seize Malim Airport. This is not only for the landing of the plane, but also for the plane to take off again.

Only with the help of multiple round-trip flights were they able to transport the large number of troops that were the basis of their entire plan. From the perspective of many aspects of the battle, the Battle of Crete was unparalleled in ancient and modern times. It was an unprecedented battle.

battle. In the history of war, this was the first attack using large-scale airborne troops. The Luftwaffe Corps showed the fanaticism of the Hitler Youth movement. Their "Teutonic spirit" to avenge the defeat in 1918 is reflected in

These desperate, ferocious, rigorously trained and loyal Nazi parachute troops were determined to dedicate their lives on the altar of "Nazi glory" and world hegemony.

In order to carry out this battle, the Germans devoted all the forces they could mobilize. The battle began on the morning of May 20.

In the history of German attacks, there has never been such a desperate and ruthless attack. Their primary goal was to capture Malim Airport. Within an hour, enemy planes carried out the most violent attacks on the strongholds around the airport.

The bombing and machine gun fire were unprecedentedly violent. Almost instantly, most of the Allied anti-aircraft guns were rendered ineffective. Before the bombing stopped, gliders began to land southwest of Malim Airport.

At 8 o'clock in the morning, German planes dropped a large number of paratroopers from an altitude of 300 to 100 feet to the area between Malim and Chania. The German planes flew back and forth in a steady stream and dropped a regiment of four battalions in the morning.

Another regiment was dropped in the afternoon. German gliders or troop transports landed or crashed on the beaches, in the jungle or on blazing airfields.

On the first day, more than 5,000 German paratroopers landed in or near Malim and Chania. They suffered heavy losses under the artillery fire of the New Zealand Army and in desperate hand-to-hand combat.

In the Allied defense zone, almost all German paratroopers who landed were dead, mostly shot. Before nightfall that day, the defenders still maintained the airfield.

In the morning, German planes carried out massive air raids on Rethymnon and Iraclin, and then dropped paratroopers in the afternoon, dropping two battalions and four battalions respectively on the two places. Fierce battles began immediately, but by evening,

The Allies still held on to the two airfields. Smaller airborne troops still landed at Rethymnon and Iraclin. The fighting was fierce and the Germans suffered heavy casualties.

However, for the German army, the results of the first day were quite impressive. Groups of heavily armed German troops were now able to roam freely in various areas.

The power of the German offensive far exceeded the predictions of the British command. The following is the report of the garrison commander General Freiberg to General Wavell at 10 pm on May 20:

"It has been a hard day's fighting today. Our army is under great pressure. I believe that we are still holding the airfields and two ports of Rethymnon, Iraclin and Marim. There is little hope of holding these places.

It would be wrong to say that the situation was very optimistic. The fighting was fierce and we killed a large number of German troops. Transportation was extremely difficult and the air raids on Chania were very severe. Everyone here realized that this was a battle of life and death. We

Will fight to the end."

The next day, May 21, the German army continued its offensive, and military transport planes appeared over the island again. Although Malim Airfield was still under intensive fire from British artillery and mortars, enemy troop transport aircraft continued to fly over the island.

Landing on the uneven ground on the field and its east side. The German High Command seemed to ignore the losses. In this area, at least 100 planes crashed on the ground. Despite this, the planes kept coming.

By the third day, the Germans had effectively used Malim Airport. Troop-carrying planes continued to fly in, with more than 20 sorties per hour. What was even more decisive was that by this time the German planes were able to fly back to continue carrying reinforcements.

.

According to estimates by the British Army Command, more than 600 troop-carrying aircraft landed at the airport in these days and the following days, and some were crashed during landing.

After May 20, the German High Command ordered to stop attacking Rethymnon and Eraklin, and concentrate its main forces on attacking the Souda Bay area.

A powerful fleet under the command of British Rear Admiral Rawlings, including the battleships "Worspelt" and "Valiant", was covered by 8 destroyers and deployed to the west of Crete for surveillance

Mussolini's fleet was expected to join the battle!

On the 21st, the British ship suffered a violent air attack. The destroyer "Juno" was hit and sank two minutes later, causing heavy death. The cruisers "Ajax" and "Orion" were also damaged, but continued to fight.

, at 11:30 at night, British Rear Admiral Glennie led the cruisers "Dedo", "Orion" and "Ajax" and four destroyers to intercept the sea 18 miles north of Yunia.

The German troop transport fleet fought fiercely for two and a half hours, sinking no less than 12 caravels and 3 ships loaded with German troops. It is estimated that 4,000 German soldiers drowned that night.

The British Navy played an important role in the battle to defend Crete.

May 22nd and 23rd were days of heavy losses for the British Navy. Two cruisers and three destroyers were sunk, and the battleship "Worspeyt" was out of service for a long time. In addition, the "Valiant" and many

Other ships were severely damaged. Despite this, the coastal defense of Crete was still strong. Before the end of the Battle of Crete, no Germans could land on the island from the sea. However, due to the disparity in numbers, the situation of the defenders became increasingly difficult.

It's getting more and more difficult.

Late at night on the 26th, Wavell, commander-in-chief of the British Middle East Army, received a serious telegram from General Freiberg, commander-in-chief of Crete. Freiberg said:

"I am very sad and have to report to you! I think that under my command, the troops defending Souda Bay have reached the limit of what the manpower can endure. No matter what decisions the commanders-in-chief make based on military points of view, our troops here

The position cannot be defended. A small force like ours that is poorly equipped and lacks mobility cannot withstand the concentrated bombing we have encountered in the past seven days. I think we should tell you from a logistical point of view

It seems that there are insurmountable difficulties in withdrawing all this force. If the decision is made immediately, some of them can be boarded. Once this theater is captured, the enemy will use the same method to capture Rethymnon and Ira

It is only a matter of time before Klin. With the exception of the Welsh regiments and commandos, all our troops are no longer able to take any offensive. If you consider the situation in the Middle East as a whole and think that buying time is useful, then we should continue to persist. I

But we have to consider how to most effectively achieve the purpose of buying time. Souda Bay may be under enemy artillery fire within 24 hours. There have been new serious casualties, and most of our artillery positions have been lost."

After Churchill saw Freiberg's telegram forwarded from the Middle East Headquarters, he immediately responded with encouragement on May 27: "The glorious defense battle you conducted is admired by people everywhere. We know that the enemy is in a difficult position.

We are doing everything possible to provide you with all kinds of assistance."

However, that night the Prime Minister learned that all hope of success was gone. The British and other Allied forces once again had to face the painful task of retreating the defenders and the heavy losses they would inevitably suffer.

Under the tight blockade of Hitler and Mussolini's air force and navy, it was indeed a big problem to transport 22,000 combatants from Crete. Not only was it difficult for the transport fleet to land, but it also had to sail through Mussolini

350 nautical hours of sea area controlled by Rini's air force.

The landing site, Sfakia, is a small fishing village on the southern coast. It is located under a 500-foot-high cliff with only a narrow path passable. The troops must hide near the edge of the cliff and wait until they are called to come out and board the ship. In Alis

Four destroyers under the command of a naval captain arrived on the night of May 28, carrying 700 people and bringing food to the large number of officers and soldiers who had now assembled. They were covered by fighter jets during the return voyage, so only one destroyer was slightly damaged.

At least 15,000 men remained hidden on the uneven ground near Sfakia. Freiberg's rearguard had been fighting.

But a tragedy is waiting for another fleet that is dispatched at the same time. This fleet includes the cruisers "Orion", "Ajax" and "Dedo" and 6 destroyers. On the Rollins Navy

Under his command, he went to rescue the defenders of Iraclin. From 5 a.m. until dusk, enemy planes taking off from Scapanto Island continued to violently attack the fleet. The cruiser "Ajax" and the destroyer "Imperial"

The USS was almost hit and the former had to sail back. The destroyer arrived in Iraclin before midnight and carried the troops to the cruisers waiting offshore.

By 3:20 in the morning, the mission was completed. 4,000 people had already boarded the ship, and the return voyage began.

Half an hour later, the engine of the damaged destroyer "Empire" suddenly malfunctioned and almost collided with the cruiser!

The entire fleet must sail into the southern waters as much as possible at dawn. However, Admiral Rawlings ordered the destroyer "Hutsburgh" to sail back. Pick up all the troops and crew on the destroyer "Empire" and put them there.

The "Empire" was sunk. At 6:25 in the morning, the "Hillwood" was hit by another bomb and could not accompany the convoy.

Within the next 4 hours, something more unfortunate happened. The cruiser "Dedo", the "Orion" and the destroyer "The Enemy" were all hit. The situation on the "Orion" ship even sounded strange.

It’s creepy. In addition to the crew, there are also 1,100 military officers on board.

A bomb passed through the bridge and landed on the crowded lower deck, killing approximately 260 people and injuring 280 others.

The captain, Captain Buck, was killed, and the ship was severely damaged and caught fire. As of the 29th, nearly 5,000 troops had been transported out, but there were still a large number of people hiding at all intersections leading to Sfakia, still waiting for rescue.

.

On May 30, Churchill issued an order to make a last-ditch effort to rescue the remaining troops on the island at all costs. In the early morning of that day, Captain Allis and four destroyers sailed to Sfakia again. On the way there were

The two destroyers had to turn back, but he led the "Napier" and "Nizam" to continue moving forward, successfully getting more than 1,500 soldiers on board. During the return voyage, both destroyers were almost blown up by bombs.

They sank, damaged bodies, and arrived in Alexandria safely carrying more than 1,500 soldiers. A few days ago, the King of Greece also left the island together with the British envoy after going through many hardships.

That night, according to the order of the commander-in-chief in Cairo, General Freiberg finally left Crete by plane. By June 1, a total of 17,500 people had been safely transported to Egypt.

The Battle of Crete, in addition to having the significance of fighting for a strategic stronghold, is also an example of achieving decisive results in an arduous and unremitting struggle.

In this defensive battle, Britain and its allies suffered more than 15,000 casualties. The casualties of the German and Italian fascist troops should have been more than this number.

Since the beginning of the war, according to statistics, there are more than 4,000 German graves in the Malim and Souda Bay areas, and more than 1,000 graves in Rethymnon and Iraclin. In addition, there are a large number of German soldiers

Drowned in the sea.

About 170 troop transport aircraft were destroyed and damaged.

Hitler paid a heavy price for this victory.

The Allies were retreating steadily, and now they had to put their last hope on the Americans.

The situation in Britain at that time was indeed serious. In the Battle of Britain, the defeated Luftwaffe carried out violent bombings on Coventry, causing more than 1,000 casualties, which horrifyingly demonstrated its power.

This saturation bombing was expanded from one British town to two towns, and Berlin's propaganda machine boasted of a planned "Coventryization" of the entire island.

At the same time, Germany continued its blitzkrieg attacks on London in a very ferocious manner. Coupled with the tense war situation in Greece and North Africa, this indeed added immeasurable pressure to Churchill.

Before the United States sent troops to Europe, after two months of debate, Congress overwhelmingly approved the Lend-Lease Act, and President Pitt signed it into law. An ecstatic Churchill cheered for the Lend-Lease Act, saying, "This is the law of Lend-Lease in any country."

The best act in history".

Then, the United States decided to escort the Allied fleet!

Pitt's decision to escort was based on Hitler's "Sea Lion Plan". After France surrendered on June 22, 1940, Hitler's only enemy in Western Europe was Britain. Britain had suffered serious losses in the Western European War, and the Army

The National Guard is being reorganized, and the National Guard is still undergoing training. There is a severe shortage of weapons and ammunition, with only 500 guns and 200 tanks left. During the war in Western Europe, the British had to protect the 700 fighter jets and 500 bombers that they retained for thousands of miles.

The long coastline is simply a waste of time.

After Hitler failed to induce surrender, he was determined to destroy the country by force. He mobilized thousands of planes to bomb British ports and cities in turns, but they were all crushed by the heroic Britain.

Despite the isolationist Lindbergh's claims that the German air force was invincible, Hitler was unable to seize air superiority over the English Channel, so he abandoned the invasion of Britain and instead tried to cut off its lifeline in the Atlantic!

In the first half of 1941, German submarines sank 756 merchant ships heading for British ports and damaged 1,450 more.

If this situation continued, the tonnage lost would not exceed twice the replenishment capacity of the British and American shipyards. Stimson and Knox urged Pitt to order the U.S. Navy to begin escorting the convoy to ensure the safe delivery of American supplies.

The military minister said that sending ships out to sink submarines was like pouring water into a leaky bathtub. He argued that corresponding tough action must be taken.

At this time, while the Italian army was invading Greece, Mussolini rashly launched an attack on Africa. He recklessly launched an attack on Africa.

He planned to take advantage of the British crisis and conquer Egypt in one fell swoop in order to dominate Africa.
To be continued...