The Battle of Crete Introduction The Battle of Crete was a key battle of WWII and it was a battle that many New Zealand soldiers fought in. This essay will look at different aspects of the battle such as the background to the battle, what happened during the battle, the New Zealand role in the battle and how the battle affected New Zealand at the time of the war and today. Background After the fall of Greece in April 1941 the Germans started taking interest in the island of Crete. Crete was relatively close to mainland Greece. Crete has easy access to the Balkans and North Africa making it a strategic location from which to launch troops. This is why Crete was so sought after and also why both sides were willing to fight to defend Crete. …show more content…
Instead of using a traditional method the Germans dropped paratroopers onto the island to attack and the allied forces were completely off guard. Approximately 2000 German Paratroopers were dropped in groups of 200 every 15 minutes. Hundreds of planes were involved in the airborne attack. Crete was one of the first battles that was won by using only air force. German aerial attacks were primary at Maleme, Retimo and Heraklion airfields. Particular effort was put into the battle at Maleme airfield and the withdrawal of the New Zealand battalions from there was seen as a mistake that caused the allies to lose Crete. The officer in charge of defending Maleme airfield was Colonel Leslie Andrew and he gave the order to withdraw the troops from the Airfield. The reason that he withdrew his troops was because he felt like they were losing the Battle and he wanted to save lives. Over twelve long days the allies and a small amount of Greek troops tried to hold off the much larger German force from taking the island but in the end they were not …show more content…
The number of casualties was high for such a small country. In addition to casualties there were a large number of men who suffered the long term effects of physical injuries and mental illness. Families in New Zealand didn’t know if their Husbands, Brothers and Fathers would make it home safely or die in one of the many Battles of WWII. New Zealand Soldiers in charge of Crete were accused afterwards of being unable to make decisions and even worse were accused of lacking bravery at some points. Some Commanders were not very driven to hold the points that they were given due to lacking in equipment and being tired after the hard fought battle at Greece. This created a lot of controversy around New Zealanders involved following the war. Historians today (including Christopher Pugsley) are still asking what if different decisions had been made on