Tussle at Maleme

Captain Van Etten’s parachutists had been in many chaotic skirmishes with Allied forces in and around Maleme Airfield since the airborne landing on Crete the previous morning. His forces wearing thin, he decided to temporarily reassemble in the high ground …

1941-05-21

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Captain Van Etten’s parachutists had been in many chaotic skirmishes with Allied forces in and around Maleme Airfield since the airborne landing on Crete the previous morning. His forces wearing thin, he decided to temporarily reassemble in the high ground to the south. As it happened, elements of the 5th New Zealand Brigade had decided to cross those very same hills in an attempt to withdraw southeast of the airfield for a future counterattack. Van Etten’s depleted company attacked and surrounded a platoon of withdrawing New Zealanders belonging to the 22nd Battalion unaware that more were fast approaching.

Maleme Airfield, Crete

The Battle of Maleme was one of three main battles that occurred in the Battle of Crete against the Fallschirmjäger, in the Nazi German Mediterranean campaign in 1941. The overall plan was to conquer Crete as part of Operation Merkur, with German Paratroopers landing in three main areas, Heraklion, Maleme and Retimo. The operation relied on German airborne troops, both paratroopers and in gliders. Due to a mistake, and despite being in a superior position, New Zealand troops abandoned a strategic hill, leaving it to the Germans, and then lost the airport. The airport was then used by the Germans to transport in more troops which saw the whole island lost to the Germans.

Wikipedia: Battle of Maleme

German

Anzac