Crete
Operation Mercury begins on the 20th of May 1941 with
Alexander
Löhr, in command of Luftflotte 4,
Kurt
Student, in command of XI Fliegerkorps, and
Wolfram
Freiherr von Richthofen, in command of VIII Fliegerkorps.
There are three groups, Group West commanded by
Eugen
Meindl, Group Centre commanded by
Wilhelm
Süßmann, Group East commanded by
Julius
Ringel.
Wilhelm
Süßmann, Group Centre objectives were Prison Valley, Chania
Souda, Rethymnon under the codename Mars.
Eugen
Meindl, Group West objectives was Maleme, under the codename
Comet.
Julius
Ringel, Group East objectives was Heraklion, under the
codename Orion.
Morning
Advance elements of group West were due to land first in gliders
at 7:15 am The remainder of
Eugen
Meindl assault Regiment were to capture Maleme airport
located near the northwestern extremity of the island. After
making contact with detachments of
Wilhelm
Süßmann Group Centre, dropped at the same time on their
left near the naval base at Suda, the assault Regiment's secondary
task was to aid in the capture of the capital at Chania.
The groups glider borne element comprised of the 1st Battalion
HQ. Under the command of
Walter
Koch, 3rd company, under the command of Wulf von Plessen
with 12 gliders and 4th company. Under the command of
Kurt
Sarrazin, with 15 gliders. Their objectives were the AA
emplacements and the camp south of the airfield. A regimental
HQ battle group in 9 gliders, under the command of
Franz
Braun, Would endeavor to assume control of the Tavronitis
Bridge close to the airfield.
Wilhelm
Süßmann, the 7th divisions commander and his staff in
5 gliders were to arrive with Group Centre, which comprised
chiefly of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3. Under the command
of
Richard
Heidrich. The Fallschirmjäger were to be later reinforced
by
Julius
Ringel, 5th Gebirgs Division the combined objectives being
the capture of Chania the capital, and the towns of Suda and
Galatas. Chania is situated 25 miles east of Maleme. The group
secondary undertaking was to capture Retimo, a distance of
about 25 miles more east along the coast and was intrusted
to Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2 and scheduled for the early
afternoon. Two glider borne companies, 1st company under the
command of
Gustav
Altmann, and the 2nd company under the command of
Alfred
Genz, detached from the assault Regiment, carried in 30
gliders, were given the special task of liquidating anti-aircraft
emplacements south and west of Chania, and Suda in a preliminary
action 15 minutes before the main regimental landing.
Afternoon
In the afternoon phase of the operation Fallschirmjäger-Regiment
2 with a military group of 1,500 men under the command of
Alfred
Sturm, would make the airport at Retimo. In the same airborne
wave Group East comprising chiefly of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment
1 with 2,600 men under the command of
Bruno
Bräuer, including a Battalion seconded from Fallschirmjäger-Regiment
2 was to be followed in by
Julius
Ringel, 5th Gebirgs Division less one Regiment which was
to be landed from the sea. A tank battalion would come after
when it could safely make the sea crossing from Piraeus. The
objectives in this area may with the capture of the town and
airfield at Heraklion, which is located centrally on the northern
coastline of the island. Heraklion was also hopefully to be
taken prior to nightfall on the 1st day.
Support weapons, anti-tank and anti-aircraft, machine guns
from corps and divisional specialist units were assigned to
each group in accordance with their anticipated needs. The
Fallschirmjäger engineers were signed a special flak
protection task for Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3 under
Group Centre at Alikianou, a couple of miles south of Maleme.
Seaborne support for the operation was envisioned in the form
of two hurriedly assembled and improvised flotillas of torpedo
boats of the Italian navy. They would endeavor to land two
battalions of
Julius
Ringel, 5th Gebirgs Division, with their vehicles and
anti-aircraft and support weapons as well as detachments of
Fallschirmjäger, including engineer and anti-tank units
omitted from the airborne stage of the operation. Landings
were to happen on the open coast at two points on the north
coast of the island. One battalion in 25 boats was bound for
Maleme in support of Group West on the evening of the 1st
day, and the other Battalion on the 2nd day in a larger flotilla
of 38 vessels, was destined for Heraklion in support of Group
East.
In the event, the 1st day didn't go according to plan. The
local garrison comprised of 28,000 military personnel was
far larger and much more effective than the Germans had expected.
Additionally Greek battalions, and Cretan irregulars were
dispersed among the respective sectors. The total strength
was about 42,500 men, none of the first days of objectives
was accomplished, and by evening only Group West looked able
to eventually accomplishing its objective. The battle had
unfolded before the first German Fallschirmjäger landed
on the ground. As the gliders floated loose and massed waves
of Fallschirmjäger, appeared in the sky, they were greeted
by deadly ground fire.
Many of Group West had landed westwards out of view of the
defenders at Maleme, but although their primary objectives,
Hill 107 and the airfield had not been taken, the Group's
dispositions were still reasonably well positioned to execute
their original plan of attack. But the battalions of this
group, especially the 3rd Battalion of the assault Regiment.
Under the command of
Otto
Scherber, dropped East of Maleme, were all but completely
destroyed before they touched the ground. Further along the
coastline at Retimo, and Heraklion. The glider borne and Fallschirmjäger
company's of Group Centre and Group East met with such intensive
fire from the British and Australian troops during the day
that their military effectiveness was slight, and their loss
so great as to almost put them out of the fight
Richard
Heidrich's force dropped in the centre into what was known
by the British as Prison Valley south of Galatas, prove the
exception to the rule in this area.
On the evening of the first day
Kurt
Student, was confronted with a critical situation at its
HQ in Athens. All but a small force of his Fallschirmjäger
had been in action during the day, and the first flotilla
of the seaborne forces intended for Maleme had been held up,
and was later to be dispersed or sunk on the second day by
the Royal Navy. The second flotilla was to fare little better
and put back into Milos.
Kurt
Student, means of getting the upper hand in the battle
for Crete was now obviously limited
Julius
Ringel, 5th Gebirgs Division reserved for the eastern
sector of the island, was almost intact, but fewer than 600
of its Fallschirmjäger remained available. Retimo, and
Herakleion was still firmly held by the defence. After careful
deliberation, later substantiated by reports collected directly
from Maleme by a lone reconnaissance officer,
Kurt
Student, chose to redeploy
Julius
Ringel, 5th Gebirgs Division to give greater weight to
the attack on the New Zealanders
so many problems had hindered there original plan. From the
start transports where on improvised runways in Greece which
had thrown up heavy dust clouds. In the disarray, the pilots
had found it extremely hard to coordinate there approach to
their drop zones. Even more pandemonium prevailed as the planes
were turned round for the successive lifts. Many of the Fallschirmjäger
didn't reach their right destinations. Exceptionally heavy
losses were suffered by Group Centre, their objectives in
the Canea Suda area being held by a composite force of 14,800
men. The capture of the town of Canea, and the airfield Retimo,
help of the 19th Australian brigade, by nightfall on the first
evening was was clearly out the question.
The two glider borne companies from the assault Regiment,
Under the command of
Gustav
Altmann and
Alfred
Genz, in some 30 gliders, accomplished a limited degree
of success, whilst many gliders were destroyed by intensive
ground fire and others smashed up on landing. A small detachment
under the command of
Alfred
Genz, was successful in capturing the AA guns at Canea,
but others failed in their task of reaching the radio station,
and of those attempting a linkup with
Richard
Heidrich. Fewer than 30 made contact with his force in
Prison Valley from the instant of jumping from their planes
men of Group Centre suffered severely. Nearly all of the men
who came down near Gallatas were killed at once. Many were
too widely dispersed to form concentrated battle groups. Some
companies were dispersed over a distance of nearly 3 miles,
and by nightfall the survivors of the drop was still dispersed
and ineffective.
Go To: 21st
May
Articles:
The Second Great War.
Edited by Sir John Hamilton
The War Illustrated.
Edited by Sir John Hamilton
2194 Days Of War.
ISBN-10: 086136614X
For a complete list of
sources
