Battle of Crete order of battle
This is the complete order of battle for the Battle of Crete and related operations in 1941.
Allied
Land forces
Commonwealth & Allied Forces, Crete - "Creforce"
- Headquarters Creforce - (Eastern Zone, east of Chania)
- Major-General Bernard Freyberg, VC, Colonel Stewart[1]
- C Squadron, 3rd The King's Own Hussars (seven light tanks)[1]
- Major G.W.Peck
- 10 Light Tank Mk VIs
- B Squadron, 7th Royal Tank Regiment
- Lieutenant George Simpson
- Two Matilda tanks, crewed in part by two officers and five gunners of the 2/3rd Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (RAA).
- 1st Battalion, The Welch Regiment
- Lieutenant Colonel A. Duncan, MC (Force Reserve)
2nd New Zealand Division
- Headquarters New Zealand Division - Brigadier, Acting Major General[1] Edward Puttick - (Western Zone, west of Chania)
- 27th New Zealand Machine Gun Battalion (Lt. Col. FJ Gwilliam)
- 5th New Zealand Field Artillery Regiment
- 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Brig. Lindsay Inglis) between Chania and Galatas
- 18th New Zealand Infantry Battalion
- 19th New Zealand Infantry Battalion
- 20th New Zealand Infantry Battalion
- 1st Light Troop, RA
- 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Brig. James Hargest) (Maleme and Platanias)
- 21st New Zealand Infantry Battalion
- 22nd New Zealand Infantry Battalion
- 23rd New Zealand Infantry Battalion
- 28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion
- 7th Field Company New Zealand Engineers
- 19th Army Field Corps Company
- 1st Greek Regiment (1,030 Officers and men), (Col. IP Papadimitropoulos)
- Evelpidon Officers' Academy (17 Officers, 300 Cadets), (Lt. Col. Loukas Kitsos)
- 10th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Lt. Col. Howard Kippenberger) (Galatas)
- New Zealand Divisional Cavalry
- New Zealand Composite Battalion
- 6th Greek Regiment (1,389 Officers and men), (Lt. Col. M Grigoriou)
- 8th Greek Regiment (840 Officers and men), (Lt. Col. Pan Karkoulas)
14th Infantry Brigade
- Headquarters 14th Infantry Brigade - Brig. Brian Herbert Chappel - (Heraklion)
- 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment (Lt. Col. CHV Cox, DSO, MC) (637 Officers and men)
- 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment (Lt. Col. A Gilroy) (742 Officers and men)
- 2nd Battalion, Black Watch (Major AA Pitcairn in temporary command[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]) (867 Officers and men)
- 2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion (Lt. Col. Ivan Noel Dougherty)[lower-alpha 3] (550 Officers and men)
- 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Lieut. Col. RCB Anderson, DSO, MC Tymbaki Sector)
- 7th Medium Regiment, RA (Maj. R.J.B. Snook, DSO (wounded - 20 May 1941). No artillery equipment - armed as infantry. (450 Officers and men)
- 3rd Greek Regiment (656 Officers and men), (Lt. Col Ant Betinakis)
- 7th Greek Regiment (877 Officers and men), (Col. E Cheretis)
- Greek Garrison Battalion (ex-Greek 5th "Crete" Division, left behind as a garrison when their division was summoned to defend the mainland; 830 Officers and men)
19th Australian Infantry Brigade
| Headquarters 19th Australian Infantry Brigade - Brig. George Vasey - Georgiopoulis (Lt. Col. IR Campbell commanding at Rethymnon) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit | Commander | Remarks | |||||||||||
| 2/3rd Field Artillery Regiment, RAA | Maj. IJ Bessell-Browne | No.6 Battery, consisting of 90 men armed with four captured Italian 100mm guns and 4 x 75mm guns | |||||||||||
| 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion | Lt. Col. Ian R Campbell | 620 Officers and Men (Rethymnon) | |||||||||||
| 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion | Maj. Ray Sandover | 650 Officers and Men (Rethymnon) | |||||||||||
| 2/7th Australian Infantry Battalion | Lt. Col. Theo Walker | ||||||||||||
| 2/8th Australian Infantry Battalion | Lt. Col. John W Mitchell | ? | |||||||||||
| 4th Greek Regiment | Col. M Trifon | 1,300 Officers and Men (Rethymnon) | |||||||||||
| 5th Greek Regiment | Lt. Col. I Servos | 1,200 Officers and Men (Rethymnon) | |||||||||||
| Gendarmerie Privates School | Col. Iak Chaniotis | 916 Officers and Men (Rethymnon) | |||||||||||
Mobile Base Defence Organization
- Headquarters Mobile Base Defence Organization - Maj.-Gen. CE Weston-Souda Bay
- 15th Coast Regiment, RA[2]
- "S" Royal Marine Composite Battalion, Maj. R Garrett (Royal Marines)
- 1st Battalion, The Rangers, The King's Royal Rifle Corps - (later designated 9th Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps (The Rangers))[3]
- 102nd (Northumberland Hussars) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery - no equipment, used as infantry[4][5]
- 106th (Lancashire Hussars) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery[6] - Lt. Col. AF Hely
- 16th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion - 350 officers and men
Formed from the under strength 2/2nd and 2/3rd Australian Infantry Battalions - 17th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion - 270 officers and men
Formed from the understrength 2/5th and 2/6th Australian Infantry Battalions - 1st "Royal Perivolian" Composite Battalion - a collection of misc. British units, or remnants thereof.
- 2nd Greek Regiment - 930 Officers and Men
- 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Marines
Naval forces
- Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet - Admiral Sir Andrew B Cunningham
Forces A1
- Force A1 - Rear Admiral H B Rawlings (R.A., 7th Cruiser Squadron)
- Queen Elizabeth-class battleships
- HMS Warspite (03) - Captain DB Fisher - damaged[7]
- HMS Valiant (02) - Capt. CE Morgan - damaged[7]
- G and H-class destroyers
- HMS Greyhound (H05) - Cmdr. WR Marshall-A'Deane, Sunk 22 May 1941
- HMS Griffin (H31) - Lt. KRC Letts
- HMS Havock (H43) - Lt. GRG Watkins
- HMS Hero (H99) - Cmdr. HW Briggs
- J-class destroyer
- HMS Jaguar (F34) - Lt. Cmdr. JFW Hine
Force B
Force B - Adml. Rawlings
- Light cruisers
- HMS Gloucester (62) - Capt. Henry A Rowley, sunk 22 May 1941 with the loss of 722 crew
- HMS Fiji (58) - Capt. PBRW William-Powlett, sunk 22 May 1941
- HMS Orion (85) - Capt. GRB Back - damaged[7]
- HMS Dido (37) - Capt. HWV McCall - damaged[7]
- Destroyers
- HMS Decoy (H75) - Cmdr. EG McGregor
- HMS Hereward (H93) - Lt. WJ Munn, sunk by enemy aircraft 29 May 1941.
- HMS Hotspur (H01) - Lt.Cmdr. CPF Brown
- HMS Imperial (D09) - Lt. Cmdr. CA De W Kitcat, sunk 29 May 1941 off Crete
- HMS Jackal (F22) - Lt. Cmdr. MP Jonas
- HMS Kimberley (F50) - Lt. Cmdr. JSM Richardson
Force C
| Force C - Admiral King (C.O. 15th Cruiser Squadron) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Commander | Armament | Tonnage | Remarks | |||||||||
| HMS Naiad (93) | Capt. MHA Kelsey | Light cruiser - damaged[7] | |||||||||||
| HMAS Perth (D29) | Capt. Sir PW Bowyer-Smyth | 8x6 inch guns,
8x4 inch guns, 4x3 pdr guns, 8x21 inch torpedo tubes |
6,830 tons | Damaged,[7] but sunk 1 March 1942
Sunda Strait | |||||||||
| HMS Kandahar (F28) | Cmdr. WGA Robson | Destroyer | |||||||||||
| HMS Nubian (F36) | Cmdr. RW Ravenhill | Destroyer - damaged[7] | |||||||||||
| HMS Kingston (F64) | Lt. Cmdr. P Sommerville | Destroyer - damaged[7] | |||||||||||
| HMS Juno (F46) | Cmdr. St John Tyrwhitt | Sunk 21 May 1941 | |||||||||||
| HMS Calcutta (D82) | Capt. DM Lees | Anti-Aircraft cruiser Sunk 1 June 1941 within one hundred miles of Alexandria | |||||||||||
Force D
| Force D - Rear-Admiral I.G.Glennie Destruction of Lupo Convoy (21–22 May 1941) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ship | Commander | Remarks |
| HMS Dido (37) | Capt. HW McCall | Light cruiser- damaged |
| HMS Orion (85) | Capt. PBRW William-Powlett | Light cruiser - damaged[7] |
| HMS Ajax (22) | Capt. EDB McCarthy | Light cruiser - damaged |
| HMS Janus (F53) | Cmdr. JAW Tothill | Destroyer |
| HMS Hasty (H24) | Lt.Cmdr. LRK Tyrwhitt[8] | Destroyer |
| HMS Hereward (H93) | Lt. WJ Munn | Destroyer - sunk by enemy aircraft 29 May 1941 |
| HMS Kimberley | Lt. Cmdr. JSM Richardson | Destroyer |
Force E
- Force E - Captain JP Mack (CO 14th Destroyer Flotilla)
- HMS Ilex (D61) - Capt. (D2) H St L Nicholson
- HMS Jervis (F00) - Capt. (D14) P J Mack
- HMAS Nizam (G38) - Lt. Cmdr. Max Joshua Clark
- HMS Carlisle (D67) - Capt. TC Hampton - damaged
5th Destroyer Flotilla
5th Destroyer Flotilla - Captain Mountbatten
- HMS Kelly (F01) - Capt. Lord Louis Mountbatten, Sunk 23 May 1941
- HMS Kashmir (F12) - Cmdr. HA King, Sunk 23 May 1941
- HMS Kelvin (F37) - Cmdr. JH Alison - damaged[7]
- HMS Jackal (F22) - Lt.Cmdr. MP Jonas
- HMS Kipling (F91) - Cmdr. A St Clair-Ford
Evacuation Fleet
Sphakia evacuation force - Rear-Admiral King
- HMS Phoebe - Capt. G Grantham, light cruiser
- HMAS Perth - Capt. Sir P.W. Bowyer-Smith, light cruiser - damaged[7]
- HMS Coventry - Capt. WP Carne, light cruiser
- HMS Calcutta - Capt. DM Lees, Anti-aircraft cruiser, sunk 1 June 1941 with 255 survivors
- HMS Glengyle - Capt. CH Petrie, Landing Ship, Infantry (Large)
- HMAS Napier (G97) - Capt. Stephen Harry Tolson Arliss RN, N-class Flotilla Leader.
- HMAS Nizam (G38) - Lt. Cmdr. Max Joshua Clark
- HMS Kelvin (F37) - Cmdr. JH Alison
- HMS Kandahar (F28) - Cmdr. WGA Robson
Air forces
- Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, Middle East - Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur Longmore
- No. 30 Squadron RAF (Squadron Leader RA Milward/Sqn. Ldr. Shannon) - Bristol Blenheim
- No. 33 Squadron RAF (Sqn. Ldr. MT StJ Prattle/Sqn.Ldr. Edward Howell, OBE, DFC) - Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane
- No. 80 Squadron RAF (Sqn. Ldr. EG Jones) - Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane
- No. 112 Squadron RAF (Sqn. Ldr. LG Schwab) - Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane[lower-alpha 4]
- No. 203 Squadron RAF - Bristol Blenheim
Axis forces
Land, Airborne and Air forces
Fliegerkorps XI
| Unit | Commander | Equipment/Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| KGzbV 1 | Oberst Fritz Morzik | Junkers Ju 52 |
| KGzbV 2 | Oberst Rüdiger von Heyking | Ju 52 |
| KGzbV 3 | Oberst U.Bucholz | Ju 52 |
| 22nd Luftlande Division | General Hans Graf von Sponeck | Force Reserve (in Romania) |
Fliegerkorps VIII
| Unit | Commander | Equipment/Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Kampfgeschwader 2 | General-Major Herbert Rieckhoff | Do 17Z |
| Jadgeschwader 77 | Major Bernhard Woldenga | Me 109E |
| Lehrgeschwader 1 | Oberst F-K Knust | Ju 88A & He 111H |
| Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 | Oberst-Leutnant W.Hagen | Ju 87R |
| Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 | Oberst-Lt O.Dinort | Ju 87R |
| Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 | Major Graf von Schonborn-Wiesentheid | Ju 87R |
| Zerstörergeschwader 26 | Oberst Johann Schalk | Bf 110C & Bf 110D |
Luftflotte IV
| Unit | Commander | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 5th Panzer Division | Gustav Fehn | |
| 6th Gebirgs Division | Ferdinand Schörner |
Luftlande Sturmregiment
| Headquarters Luftlande Sturmregiment - Generalmajor Eugen Meindl, then Col. Ramcke, Maj. Braun[9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unit | Commander | Remarks |
| 1st Battalion | Major Walter Koch | glider Battalion |
| 2nd Battalion | Major Edgar Stentzler | |
| 3rd Battalion | Major Otto Scherber | |
| 4th Battalion | Hauptmann (Captain) Walter Gericke | |
Two glider companies were detached and seconded to 7th Flieger Division, below
7th Flieger Division
| 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 Erich Walther), 2nd Battalion (Hauptmann Burckhardt), 3rd Battalion (Major Karl-Lothar Schulz) | Heraklion |
| 2nd Fallschirmjäger Regiment | Oberst Alfred Sturm, Maj, Schulz, Captain Paul[9] | 1st Battalion (Major Kroh), 2nd Battalion (Hauptmann Erich Pietzonka, 3rd Battalion (Hauptmann Wiedemann) | Retimno |
| 3rd Fallschirmjäger Regiment | Oberst Richard Heidrich, Lt. Heckel[10] | 1st Battalion (Hauptmann Friedrich von der Heydte), 2nd Battalion (Major Derpa), 3rd Battalion (Major Ludwig Heilmann) | Hania |
The 2nd Battalion of the 2nd FJ Rgt was used with the 1st FJ Rgt
5th Gebirgs Division
| Unit | Commander | Sub units |
|---|---|---|
| 95th Artillery Battalion | Oberstleutnant Wittmann | |
| 95th Anti-tank Battalion | Major Bindermann | |
| 95th Reconnaissance Battalion | Major Count Castell zu Castell | |
| 95th Engineer Battalion | Major Schaette | |
| 95th Signal Battalion | Major Nolte | |
| 85th Gebirgsjäger Regiment | Oberst August Krakau | 1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion |
| 100th Gebirgsjäger Regiment | Oberst Willibald Utz | 1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion |
| 141st Gebirgsjäger Regiment[lower-alpha 5] | Oberst Maximilian Jais | 1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion |
See also
Notes
- ↑ Killed in Action - 20/21 November 1941 at Tobruk.
- ↑ Pitcairn was replacing Lt. Col. AK Hamilton, who was ill.
- ↑ All Australian units are prefixed "2/" to denote that they are part of the 2nd AIF, not Militia.
- ↑ Author Roald Dahl was flying with this squadron at the time.
- ↑ The 141st Gebirgsjäger Regiment was a reinforcement from the 6th Gebirgs Division.
References
- 1 2 3 Beevor 1991, p. 345
- ↑ Barton, Derek. "15 Coast Regiment RA". The Royal Artillery 1939-45. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ↑ The Rangers 1860-1950 at regiments.org by T.F.Mills at the Wayback Machine (archived 17 December 2007)
- ↑ Artillery Regiments That Served With The 7th Armoured Division by Ian a Paterson at the Wayback Machine (archived 14 August 2007)
- ↑ The Northumberland Hussars at regiments.org by T.F.Mills at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 July 2007)
- ↑ Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F.Mills at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 July 2007)
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Beevor 1991, p. 346
- ↑ "Lionel Rupert Knyvet Tyrwhitt DSO, DSC, RN". Allied Warship Commanders. uboat.net. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- 1 2 3 Beevor 1991, p. 347
- 1 2 Beevor 1991, p. 348
Sources
- Antill, Peter D. (2005). Crete 1941. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-844-8.
- Buckley, Christopher (1984) [1952]. Greece and Crete 1941 (Greek pbk edition (in English) ed.). London: P. Efstathiadis & Sons S.A. ISBN 960-226-041-6.
- "Naval action against the German Flotillas". Battle of Crete. Archived from the original on 18 August 2005. Retrieved August 24, 2005.
- Beevor, Antony (1991). Crete: The Battle and the Resistance (Pbk ed.). Great Britain: John Murray (Publishers). ISBN 0-7195-6831-5.
External links
- Crete Order of Battle
- Battle of Crete Naval Order of Battles
- Order of Battle Site - Battle of Crete
- Matilda Tanks at Retimo on the Island of Crete
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