A German Ju 52 Transport Aircraft shot down over Souda Bay on 20 May 1941
In our second week this summer, we sail to Western Crete to visit Souda Bay and Chania. These two places saw heavy fighting in the Second World War 84 years ago. On the 20th of May 1941, a sunny Thursday morning, people headed - like every day - for work on their fields, to factories or their offices. 3 weeks earlier, the German Wehrmacht had occupied mainland Greece in a short 6-weeks’ campaign. Now, 10'000 Greeks and 40’000 soldiers from the British Empire were ready to defend the island, half of them from Australia and New Zealand. At sunrise, the island was peaceful. Nothing indicated that the battle for Crete would start an hour later, marking a turning point in the Second World War.
Invasion of Crete started on 20th of May - 10 Days later the Island was in German Hands
Then, at 8 am, loud explosions shook Chania and Rethymnon. The frightening sound of German bombers rippled through the air. The invasion had started. Within 30 minutes, the Luftwaffe parachuted 5’000 elite soldiers who had played a pivotal role in the invasion of Belgium and the Netherlands on Chania and the nearby airfield of Maleme. They were reinforced by another 10’000 men over the next few days.
German Paratroopers looking down on the burning Airfield of Maleme near Chania
For three days the battle around Chania and Maleme ragged back and forth. Confused communication on the British side allowed the German paras to take control of the airfield and bring in reinforcements. After ten days, the fight was over. The Paras and the Luftwaffe had won, albeit with horrific casualties, They lost 25% of their effectives and more than 284 aircraft. The German 7th Airborne Division was so badly mauled, it had to be reconstituted. The casualties for the British Army were very high too. The Royal Navy had put up a stiff fight and lost 19 ships, 22 were damaged.
Admiral Raeders Plan to push the Royal Navy out of the Med and take the Iraqi Oilfields
Few people at the time noticed that this was a turning point in the war. Hitler and his military leaders never developed a fully-fledged Mediterranean strategy. They were pulled into the theatre by Mussolini’s failures rather than by their own will. Hitler was focused on attacking the Soviet Union. He paid little attention to anything else. But personalities like Admiral Raeder, the German naval commander, and some high officers in the Luftwaffe, did. They noticed that Germany, Italy and Spain together with Vichy France controlled most of the Mediterranean. Only the 8th British Army with its 7 divisions in Egypt and the Royal Navy stood between the German-Italian Axis and Iraqi oil.
Operation Felix - German Plan to Attack Gibraltar -
With or Without Consent of General Franco (1941)
They worked on plans to take Gibraltar, Malta, Crete and Cyprus to force the Royal Navy out of the Mediterranean. The Brits would not any longer be able to protect Egypt and the Suez Canal. This strategy would also shield the Romanian oil fields in Ploesti from British bomber attacks. These fields provided most of the fuel that Hitler’s 22 tank divisions and his modern air force consumed. At the same time, Germany would smuggle weapons and fighters into Vichy French Syria to support the pro-German officers in Iraq, the same who later founded the infamous Bath party. A German friendly Iraq could supply the Nazis with oil from Kirkuk through the pipeline running from Mosul to Tripoli. The price though was to delay Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union by one year. A concession the Führer was unwilling to make.
British Fears of a German Attack from Egypt and Turkey in 1941 - Neutral Turkey would not allow German Troops passing through its Territory though
Overtures were made to Franco, the Spanish Dictator, for a joint attack on Gibraltar in 1941. But he demurred. A plan to occupy Malta with a combined sea and air borne operation was prepared with Mussolini. Crete was attacked in May 1941. German intelligence assumed that only 5’000 British troops were on the island when the invasion was launched.
German Paratroopers embarking on their Ju 52 - their staggering Losses in Crete "sank" the German Mediterranean Strategy
The fight for Crete lasted 10 days. When Crete capitulated, the British Imperial Staff feared that Malta and Cyprus would be next. Malta was well defended but Cyprus less so. From the airfields in Crete, the Luftwaffe could now bomb Alexandria, mine the Suez Canal and deny the Royal Navy its last safe harbour in the Mediterranean. There actually were a few German air raids on Alexandria and Haifa in June 1941. But by and large, British fears were over-blown. The Imperial General Staff overestimated German resources.
The German Air Raids on Alexandria in 1941 did little Damage
Due to their terrible losses, the German Paras were out of action for a full year. The Luftwaffe had lost many of its critical Ju 52 transporters. There were not enough forces to carry out the plans for Malta, Gibraltar or Cyprus. Germany had only one airborne division. After July 1941, the air planes were needed for the invasion of the Soviet Union. Hitler thus postponed the Gibraltar and Malta operation until further notice. The war with Russia had priority.
The Royal Airforce and Royal Navy - operating from Malta - were
able to sink 70% of the supply for Rommel's Africa Corps
The same logic also applied to Rommel’s Africa Corps which achieved amazing victories in 1941 - 1942 despite being under-strengthened. Eventually, in El-Alamein, 115 km west of Alexandria, Rommel's attacked petered out. There was not enough fuel and ammunition to continue and no reinforcements. The Axis troops received only 30% of what they needed - the rest was lost at sea on the way from Italy to Tripoli. Germany paid a high price for not taking Malta.
A British Armoured Car outside Baghdad on 30 May 1941
7 weeks before the invasion of Crete, German friendly Iraqi officer seized power in a coup d’etat. By 17th of April, they asked Germany for military assistance. The British cabinet reacted quickly and dispatched the 5th Indian Division to Iraq. These troops arrived in Basra by end of April. Fighting between the new Iraqi government and the British started in May 1941. On 6th of May, Germany sent the first military package assisted by the French colonial administration in Damascus. 29 German aircraft with German pilots began to operate from Mosul. By mid-May, 15’000 rifles, 200 machine guns and four 7.5 cm artillery pieces were delivered. But it was too little too late. On 31st of May, one day after Crete had capitulated, the Iraqi government surrendered.
The British Counterattack in May to Remove the Nazi friendly Iraqi Regime
To permanently deny Germany access to Iraqi oil, the British Government decided to occupy French Syria. In a short campaign in June - July 1941, Syria was taken. The Wehrmacht had no resources to counter the British move. The dream of Iraqi oil for Germany was over.
The Raid of US B-24 Bombers from Tripoli on Ploesti on 1 August 1943
Crete was one of the few Greek islands which was not handed over to Italian Administration. It was declared “Fortress Crete” to defend the German south flank. It had lost its offensive purpose. Since summer 1942, vast American supplies arrived in Egypt to reinforce the 8th British Army. The Luftwaffe had no bombers left on Crete to destroy the storage of ammunition and material. Even worse, in summer 1943, American B-24 bombers were able to attack the oilfields of Ploesti. They left from Tripoli and destroyed most of Germany’s strategic fuel production.
Crete was indeed one of the turning points in the Second World War. The heavy losses made it impossible for Germany to pursue its reach for Iraqi oil. The war would have lasted much longer had the Nazi had access to almost unlimited oil.
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