Battle of Heraklion

A stick of German paratroopers exiting from a Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft over the town of Heraklion during the German airborne assault on the north coast of Crete. The large smoke plume (centre) indicates the site of a German Ju 52, shot down by allied ground fire.

Date	20 May 1941
Location	Heraklion, Crete
Result	German victory

Belligerents

Australia

Greece

United Kingdom

Germany

Commanders and leaders

Brian Chappel

Bruno Bräuer

Battle of the Mediterranean

¹ — Involved an Allied convoy

² — Involved an Axis convoy

Balkan Campaign
Greco-Italian War Invasion of Yugoslavia German invasion of Greece Crete

A stick of German paratroopers exiting from a Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft near the town of Heraklion during the German airborne assault on the north coast of Crete. A second Ju 52 is burning and trailing smoke, after being hit by allied ground fire.

The Battle of Heraklion was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete.^[1] It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the codename Unternehmen Merkur ("Operation Mercury"). British, Australian and Greek forces defended the Heraklion port and airfield.

Heraklion was defended by the British 14th Infantry Brigade, augmented by the Australian 2/4th Battalion with attached 2/3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment and the Greek 3rd, 7th and Garrison Battalions.

References

↑ http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/records/awmohww2/army/vol2/awmohww2-army-vol2-ch13.pdf Chapter 13 - Heraklion

Greece during World War II

1940–41 Balkan Campaign	Occupation and Resistance		Greek government-in-exile
Greco-Italian War Battles Pindus Elaia–Kalamas Korytsa/Korcë Saranda Morava–Ivan Himara Klisura Pass Trebeshina Italian Spring Offensive Hill 731 Commanders Greece Ioannis Metaxas Alexander Papagos Charalambos Katsimitros Konstantinos Davakis Ioannis Pitsikas Dimitrios Papadopoulos Georgios Kosmas Italy Benito Mussolini Sebastiano Visconti Prasca Ubaldo Soddu Ugo Cavallero Carlo Geloso German invasion Battles Metaxas Line Vevi Kleisoura Pass Thermopylae Crete Commanders Greece Alexander Papagos Georgios Tsolakoglou British Empire & Commonwealth Henry Maitland Wilson Thomas Blamey Bernard Freyberg Germany Wilhelm List Kurt Student	Occupying powers Authorities/People Germany Günther Altenburg Hermann Neubacher Walter Schimana Alexander Löhr Hellmuth Felmy Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller Alexander Andrae Bruno Bräuer Max Merten Italy Angelico Carta Pellegrino Ghigi Carlo Geloso Piero Parini Bulgaria Andon Kalchev Atrocities Kondomari Kandanos Alikianos Doxato Kommeno Kalavryta Lyngiades Distomo Domenikon Drakeia Cephalonia Mesovouno Pyrgoi Viannos Vorizia Anogeia Kedros Kleisoura Haidari concentration camp Larissa concentration camp 200 of Kaisariani Chortiatis The Holocaust in Greece Great Famine Collaborators People Georgios Tsolakoglou K. Logothetopoulos Ioannis Rallis Georgios Poulos Friedrich Schubert George S. Mercouris Ioannis Plytzanopoulos Sotirios Gotzamanis Organizations Collaborationist government Security Battalions ESPO EEE Greek National Socialist Party Secessionists Vlach "Roman Legion" Ohrana Cham collaboration (Këshilla) Atrocities Paramythia	National Liberation Front (EAM) People Aris Velouchiotis Stefanos Sarafis Andreas Tzimas Georgios Siantos Alexandros Svolos Ilias Tsirimokos Markos Vafiades Organizations KKE SKE ELD ELAS ELAN EPON PEEA & National Council E.A. OPLA SNOF Operations Drama Uprising Ryka Mikro Chorio Gorgopotamos Bridge Fardykambos Sarantaporo Porta Pinerolo disarmament Steiri Agorelitsa Atrocities Feneos 5/42 dissolution Meligalas Non-EAM Resistance People Napoleon Zervas Georgios Kartalis Dimitrios Psarros Komninos Pyromaglou Kostas Perrikos Vasileios Sachinis Georgios Petrakis Organizations EDES EKKA PEAN EOK YVE/PAO RAN E.S. MAVI Other Operations ESPO bombing Gorgopotamos Bridge Agia Kyriaki Milia Skala Paramythias Xirovouni Trahili Menina Dodona Atrocities Expulsion of Cham Albanians British Mission in Greece (SOE) People Eddie Myers Chris Woodhouse Patrick Leigh Fermor Bill Stanley Moss Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz Operations Operation "Albumen" Gorgopotamos Bridge Operation "Animals" Asopos Bridge Kidnap of Heinrich Kreipe Damasta sabotage	Events El Alamein Dodecanese Campaign April 1944 mutiny Battle of Rimini People King George II Emmanouil Tsouderos Sofoklis Venizelos Panagiotis Kanellopoulos Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos Pafsanias Katsotas Notable units 3rd Mountain Brigade Sacred Band Vasilissa Olga Adrias Katsonis Papanikolis 13th Squadron 335th Squadron 336th Squadron Toward the Civil War Events National Bands Agreement Plaka agreement Lebanon Conference Caserta agreement Percentages agreement Dekemvriana Treaty of Varkiza People Georgios Papandreou Ronald Scobie Archbishop Damaskinos Georgios Grivas Angelos Evert Nikos Zachariadis

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