The Battle for Crete was one of the most dramatic battles of the Second World War. Over 12 days in May 1941 a mixed force of New Zealanders, British, Australian and Greek troops desperately tried to fight off a huge German airborne assault. Despite suffering appalling casualties, the parachutists and glider-borne troops who led the invasion managed to secure a foothold on the island and eventually gained the upper hand. The battle ended with the evacuation to Egypt of the bulk of the Allied force.
Greek campaign
Map of Greece/Crete 1941
Greece and Crete, 1941
Crete became a German target following their rapid occupation of the Greek mainland in April 1941. German forces had surged into the Balkans, quickly defeating Yugoslavia and outflanking Greek border defences. The 2nd New Zealand Division – part of a Commonwealth force hastily deployed to help the Greeks – was soon in the thick of the action. Outgunned and outnumbered, it was forced to conduct a fighting withdrawal south through Greece. During the last week of April more than 50,000 Allied troops were evacuated from the mainland, including most of the 2nd New Zealand Division. In this brief campaign nearly 300 New Zealanders were killed and 1800 captured.
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