A German airborne assault on Rethymno was repulsed by Allied forces but ultimately ended in surrender after Crete's wider evacuation cut off communications.
Key Facts
- Duration
- 20–29 May 1941
- German unit
- 2nd Parachute Regiment, 7th Air Division
- Allied commander
- Lt-Col Ian Campbell (Australian)
- German commander
- Colonel Alfred Sturm
- Australians escaped to Egypt
- 52 personnel
- Distance from Maleme airfield
- 50 miles
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As part of Operation Mercury, Germany launched four airborne assaults on Crete on 20 May 1941. Delays and confusion at Greek mainland airfields caused the attack on Rethymno to be launched without direct air support, spread over an extended period, and timed after morning attacks on Maleme and Chania.
Australian and Greek forces under Lieutenant-colonel Ian Campbell defended Rethymno and its nearby airstrip against the German 2nd Parachute Regiment. German paratroopers dropping near Allied positions suffered heavy casualties from ground fire and upon landing, and the Allied defenders successfully repulsed the initial assault over several days.
After German forces secured Maleme airfield 50 miles to the west, General Wavell ordered Crete's evacuation on 27 May. Campbell, unable to receive the order, faced a superior German force with tanks and artillery and surrendered on 29 May. Fifty-two Australians escaped through the hills to Egypt with Cretan assistance.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Lieutenant-colonel Ian Campbell.
Side B
1 belligerent
Colonel Alfred Sturm, Lieutenant-general Kurt Student.