Maleme Airfield

At 08:00 on May 20, 1941, German Fallschirmjägers jumped over Crete in the first major airborne invasion of the War, landing near Maleme airfield with the goal of securing the runways to facilitate a larger glider-borne invasion. But three New …

1941-05-20

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At 08:00 on May 20, 1941, German Fallschirmjägers jumped over Crete in the first major airborne invasion of the War, landing near Maleme airfield with the goal of securing the runways to facilitate a larger glider-borne invasion. But three New Zealand Battalions defended the airfield and its direct surrounding area, mauling the invaders within hours of their landing. Many of the gliders that followed were hit by mortar fire within seconds of landing and wiped out almost to a man. As is common with airdrops however, a number of German forces landed off-site, setting up defensive positions to the west of Maleme airfield. After regrouping, they quickly captured the bridge over the dried-up Sfakoriako River and pressed forward toward the airfield. Positioned on Hill 107 and overlooking the airfield, the New Zealander battalions enfiladed them to devastating effect. Despite the terrible losses, GeneralMajor Meindl, the German commander, ordered what remained of his troops forward toward the slopes of Hill 107. The invasion of Crete had began poorly for the Germans, but maybe things would change...

Maleme, 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

New Zealand

Game Type: Standard

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Available