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This is the complete order of battle for the Battle of Crete and related operations in 1941.
[edit] Allied Forces: 60px|New Zealand flag 60px|Australian flag 60px|United Kingdom flag 45px|Hellenic flag
[edit] Land forces
[edit] Commonwealth & Allied Forces, Crete - "Creforce"
[edit] 2nd New Zealand Division
| Headquarters New Zealand Division - Brigadier Edward Puttick - (Western Zone, west of Chania) |
| Unit |
Commander |
Subunits |
Remarks |
| 27th New Zealand Machine Gun Battalion |
Lieutenant-Colonel F. J. Gwilliam |
|
|
| 5th NZ Field Artillery Regiment |
? |
|
|
| 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade |
Brigadier Lindsay Inglis |
18th New Zealand Infantry Battalion-19th New Zealand Infantry Battalion-20th New Zealand Infantry Battalion-1st Light Troop, Royal Artillery |
(between Chania & Galatos) |
| 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade |
Brigadier James Hargest |
21st New Zealand Infantry Battalion-22nd New Zealand Infantry Battalion-23rd New Zealand Infantry Battalion-28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion-7th NZ Field Company-19th Army Field Corps Company-1st Greek Regiment |
(Maleme & Platanias) |
| 10th New Zealand Infantry Brigade |
Lieutenant Colonel Howard Kippenberger |
New Zealand Divisional Cavalry-New Zealand Composite Battalion-6th Greek Regiment-8th Greek Regiment |
(Galatos) |
[edit] 14th Infantry Brigade
| Headquarters 14th Infantry Brigade - Brigadier Brian Herbert Chappel - (Heraklion) |
| Unit |
Commander |
Remarks |
| 2nd Battalion, the Leceistershire Regiment |
Lieut.Col.Cox |
|
| 2nd Battalion, the York and Lancaster Regiment |
Lieut.Col. A.Gilroy |
|
| 2nd Battalion, the Black Watch |
Major A.A.Pitcairn |
Temporary CO, replacing Lt.Col A.K.Hamilton, (Ill health) |
| 2/4 Australian Infantry Battalion |
? |
All Australian infantry battalions are prefixed "2/" to denote that the battalion is a Second AIF unit and not a Militia Battalion. |
| 1st Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders |
Lieut.Col.R.C.B.Anderson |
(Tymbaki) |
| 7th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery |
? |
|
| 3rd Greek Regiment |
? |
|
| 7th Greek Regiment |
? |
|
| Greek Garrison Battalion |
? |
(ex-Greek 5th "Crete" Division, left behind as a garrison
when their division was summoned to defend the mainaland) |
[edit] 19th Australian Infantry Brigade
Headquarters 19th Australian Infantry Brigade - Brigadier George Vasey - Georgiopoulis
(Lieutenant Colonel I.R. Campbell commanding at Rethymnon) |
| Unit |
Commander |
Remarks |
| 2/3 Field Artillery Regiment, Australian Army |
? |
|
| 2/1 Australian Infantry Battalion |
Lt.Col.Ian.R.Campbell |
(Rethymnon) |
| 2/11 Australian Infantry Battalion |
Maj.Ray Sandover |
(Rethymnon) |
| 2/7 Australian Infantry Battalion |
Lt.Col.Theo Walker |
|
| 2/8 Australian Infantry Battalion |
? |
|
| 4th Greek Regmient |
? |
(Rethymnon) |
| 5th Greek Regiment |
? |
(Rethymnon) |
| Cretan Gendarmerie |
? |
(Rethymnon) |
[edit] Mobile Base Defence Organization
| Headquarters Mobile Base Defence Organization-Major General C.E. Weston-Souda Bay |
| Unit |
Commander |
Remarks |
| 15th Coastal Defense Regiment, Royal Artillery |
? |
|
| Royal Marine Composite Battalion |
? |
|
| 1st Ranger Battalion |
? |
(9th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps) |
| Northumberland Hussars |
? |
|
| 106th Royal Horse Artillery |
? |
|
| 16th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion |
? |
|
| 17th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion |
? |
|
| 1st "Royal Perivolian" Composite Battalion |
? |
|
| 2nd Greek Regiment |
? |
|
[edit] Naval forces
[edit] Forces A1 & B
| Force A1- Admiral Rawlings |
| Ship |
Commander |
Armament |
Tonnage |
Remarks |
| HMS Warspite |
Captain D.B.Fisher |
8 × 15 in (381 mm) guns, 12 × 6 in (152 mm) guns, 2 × 3 in (76 mm) guns
4 × 47 mm guns, 4 × 21 in (533 mm) submerged torpedo tubes |
27,500 standard, 33,400 full load |
|
| HMS Valiant |
Captain C.E.Morgan |
8 × 15 inch (381 mm) guns, 14 × 6 inch (152 mm) guns, 2 × 3 inch (76 mm) guns
4 × 47 mm guns, 4 × 21 inch (533 mm) submerged torpedo tubes |
27,500 standard, 33,400 full load |
|
|
[edit] Force C
[edit] Force D
Force D - Rear-Admiral I.G.Glennie
Destruction of Lupo Convoy (21st-22 May 1941) |
| Ship |
Commander |
Armament |
Tonnage |
Remarks |
| HMS Dido (37) |
|
? |
? |
|
| HMS Orion (85) |
Captain P.B.R.W.William-Powlett |
? |
? |
|
| HMS Ajax (22) |
Captain E.D.B.McCarthy |
? |
? |
Damaged |
| HMS Janus |
Commander.J.A.W.Tothill |
? |
? |
|
| HMS Hasty |
Lt.Cmdr.L.R.K.Tyrwhitt |
? |
? |
|
| HMS Hereward (H93) |
Lt.W.J.Munn |
? |
? |
Sunk by enemy aircraft 29 May 1941 |
| HMS Kimberley |
Lt.Cmdr.J.S.M.Richardson |
? |
? |
|
[edit] Air forces
- Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, Middle East - Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur Longmore
[edit] Axis forces: 60px|Nazi flag
[edit] Land, Airborne & Air forces
[edit] Fliegerkorps XI
[edit] Fliegerkorps VIII
[edit] Luftflotte IV
[edit] Luftlande Sturmregiment
| Headquarters Luftlande Sturmregiment - Generalmajor Eugen Meindl |
| Unit |
Commander |
Remarks |
| 1st Battalion |
Major Walter Koch |
glider Battalion |
|
| 2nd Battalion |
Major Edgar Stentzler |
|
| 3rd Battalion |
Major Otto Scherber |
|
| 4th Battalion |
Hauptmann Walter Gericke |
|
Two glider companies were detached and seconded to 7th Flieger Division, below
[edit] 7th Flieger Division
| Headquarters, 7th Flieger Division - Generalleutnant Willhelm Süssman |
| Unit |
Commander |
Subunits |
Remarks |
| 7th Engineer Battalion |
Major Liebach |
|
|
| 7th Artillery Battalion |
Major Bode |
|
|
| 7th Machine Gun Battalion |
Hauptmann Schulz |
|
|
| 7th Anti-tank Battalion |
Hauptmann Schmitz |
|
|
| 1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment |
Oberst Bruno Bräuer |
1st Battalion (Major Walther)- 2nd Battalion (Hauptmann Burckhardt)-3rd Battalion (Major Shulz) |
Heraklion |
|
| 2nd Fallschirmjäger Regiment |
Oberst Alfred Sturm |
1st Battalion (Major Kroh)-2nd Battalion (Hauptmann Pietzonka)-3rd Battalion (Hauptmann Wiedemann) |
Retimno |
| 3rd Fallschirmjäger Regiment |
Oberst Richard Heidrich |
1st Battalion (Hauptmann von der Heydte)-2nd Battalion (Major Derpa)-3rd Battalion (Major Heilman) |
Hania |
The 2nd Battalion of the 2nd FJ Rgt was used with the 1st FJ Rgt
[edit] 5th Gebirgs Division
| Headquarters, 5th Gebirgs Division - Generalmajor Julius Ringel |
| Unit |
Commander |
Subunits |
Remarks |
| 95th Artillery Battalion |
Oberstleutnant Wittmann |
|
|
| 95th Anti-tank Battalion |
Major Bindermann |
|
|
| 95th Reconnaissance Battalion |
Major Castell |
|
|
| 95th Engineer Battalion |
Major Schaette |
|
|
| 95th Signal Battalion |
Major Nolte |
|
|
| 85th Gebirgsjäger Regiment |
Oberst August Krabau |
1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion |
|
| 100th Gebirgsjäger Regiment |
Oberst Willibald Utz |
1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion |
|
| 141st Gebirgsjäger Regiment |
Obest Maximilian Jais |
1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion |
|
The 141st Geb. Rgt is a renforcement from the 6th Gebirgs Division.
[edit] Naval forces
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources
