OVERVIEW OF THE BATTLE
The Battle For Crete was a battle fought on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean beginning on the 20th May 1941. The Battle lasted around eleven days, ending on 1st of June 1941. The war began from a German Aerial Assault, a strategy that had never been used before by the German forces on this scale. Early signs of the Battle were positive for the Allies (New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Greece), as the first day saw the death of hundreds of German airborne troops. This gave the Allies a confidence boost, believing they had a strong chance of winning the Battle, but due to miscommunication between the Allied commanders, they failed to take hold of the advantage they had created.
The Battle of Crete saw the introduction of newly discovered technologies and tactics, such as the German offensive strategy of an airborne assault. The Allies put a large portion of their efforts into deciphering the German 'Enigma' code, a tactic infrequently used by the Allies prior to the Battle. Unlike other Battles, the Battle for Crete saw mass resistance from Cretan civilians who were a significant force in defending Crete due to the inability of the defensive forces.
The Battle was New Zealand's first major involvement in World War II, and saw between 7,000-8,000 troops involved from New Zealand alone. At the end of April after the evacuation from Greece, approximately 42,000 Allied forces occupied the island. Major-General Bernard Freyberg from the New Zealand Division was tasked of commanding the Allied defence, with prior experience in commanding the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF). He was faced with a difficult task with defending the island of Crete. His forces were poorly armed and severely under prepared to fight a powerful German force.
The Allied forces had put up a strong fight in defending Crete, despite their lack of equipment and preparation. Due to failures by higher ranking forces in the Allied 'Creforce' the island was lost, although the Allies had a distinct advantage early in the Battle. Somehow, morale remained high amongst the Allies, in spite of thousands of lives lost and even more taken captive by the German forces before the remaining forces could be evacuated to Egypt to face the next wave of attacks from the Germans.
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The Battle of Crete saw the introduction of newly discovered technologies and tactics, such as the German offensive strategy of an airborne assault. The Allies put a large portion of their efforts into deciphering the German 'Enigma' code, a tactic infrequently used by the Allies prior to the Battle. Unlike other Battles, the Battle for Crete saw mass resistance from Cretan civilians who were a significant force in defending Crete due to the inability of the defensive forces.
The Battle was New Zealand's first major involvement in World War II, and saw between 7,000-8,000 troops involved from New Zealand alone. At the end of April after the evacuation from Greece, approximately 42,000 Allied forces occupied the island. Major-General Bernard Freyberg from the New Zealand Division was tasked of commanding the Allied defence, with prior experience in commanding the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF). He was faced with a difficult task with defending the island of Crete. His forces were poorly armed and severely under prepared to fight a powerful German force.
The Allied forces had put up a strong fight in defending Crete, despite their lack of equipment and preparation. Due to failures by higher ranking forces in the Allied 'Creforce' the island was lost, although the Allies had a distinct advantage early in the Battle. Somehow, morale remained high amongst the Allies, in spite of thousands of lives lost and even more taken captive by the German forces before the remaining forces could be evacuated to Egypt to face the next wave of attacks from the Germans.
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