Crete: Island of Heroes

A photo montage of the German Airborne Invasion of Crete in 1941

Crete became the graveyard of the vaunted German fallschirmjagers or paratroopers. These photos are from the documentary "The 11th Day"

http://crete1941.com/home.htm

Germans had never encountered the extent of civilian resistance that they encountered on Crete. Retribution was swift. The German High Command wanted to break the spirit of the populace and do it quickly. In this they failed and failed miserably. In retaliation for the losses they incurred, the Nazis spread punishment, terror and death on the innocent civilians of the island. More than two thousand Cretans were executed during the first month alone and twenty five thousand more later. Even in the face of certain death while standing in line to be executed, Cretans did not beg for their lives. This shocked the German troops. Kurt Student, the German Paratrooper Commander who planned the invasion, said of the Cretans, I have never seen such a defiance of death. General Alexander Andre, the German Commander of the Occupation Forces was amazed and said: "The courage of the Cretan facing the firing squad is legendary. Cretans turn into mythical figures. They are so proud of their moment of death that one can hardly fail to admire their courage. When executions were to take place I would leave my desk and walk out onto the balcony to watch their moment of death. Nowhere else have I witnessed such love of freedom and defiance for death as I did on Crete."


http://greekodyssey.typepad.com/my_greek_odyssey/2006/11/the_battle_of_c_2.ht...

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• SOE
• Crete
• Kreta
• Falshirmjager
• paratroops
• Freyberg
• ANZAC
• Cretan Resistance
• General Student
• General Freyberg
• World War II
• counter-insurgency
• Patrick Leigh Fermor
• Greece
• Greeks
• Cretans
• airborne

[Sq12Sq22u22]

@Anullu22 Monte Casino was in Italy? Right? What WERE the Germans doing there? It doesn't matter how courageous any soldier from any nation is in battle, the point is WHY are they there. The Germans, in spite of posts to the contrary on this blog were the INVADER in both world wars - it was NOT the other way around! How about the skills of the Russian defenders at Leningrad? You really do seem to miss the point and are just irrationally nationalist - it is NOT..my country RIGHT or wrong at all!

[cuts666]

GREECE-LAND OF HEROES

[Anullu22]

@Sq12Sq22u22

Well the skills of the Paras are proven. Example: What Gen. Alexander said after Monte Cassino about the german Paras. Because of your great knowledge i guess you know what he said. So this is a solid argument from my side, while you could not bring even one single argument to prove your point of view. And it's not even clear what position you have, i just see you insulting the german people.

Again: You are the last one who is to be allowed to determine who is a hero and who not.

[Sq12Sq22u22]

@BewareTheLiveWire Most did not hate Hitler you dim wit. Defence of what really occurred cannot be done with cowardice. It is like having a principal, a principal is something that you have WHEN it is also unpopular, otherwise it is NOT a principal. Fight for their country? I thought they only had to fight for their country after their invasions of other countries turned a bit sour? Ignorant? Hey you really are silly. Pretty sure they also took a personal oath to Hitler - ???????????????????????

[Sq12Sq22u22]

@Anullu22 It is actually amazing that your indulge in rhetoric as an argument. I suppose when one is short on credible stats they just let their mouth waffle a bit more, though! As for battle skills? ? ? There should have been NO battle skills, without them there would have been peace, BUT THE GERMANS chose NOT to have peace . It's funny but they were allowed to rebuild - yet they pursued revenge - it cost them and the world dearly. There is no respect warranted ! You run your mouth too much!

[gasuton2009]

Your video is not war.Is peace.

[BewareTheLiveWire]

@Sq12Sq22u22 You're ignorant. You see the Nazi's on the face of the German Army. Yeah, some German soldiers were with the Nazi's Ideals, but most hated Hitler and fought for their country.

[algi1948]

@Combat242 God didn't obviously. The best of German youth then fell for nothing...

[Anullu22]

@Sq12Sq22u22

Despite your "alleged" knowledge of this battle your comment

is too polemic and pathetic - In short: just Bullshit.

Remarkable: several contrahents of germany in WWII respected the german paras for their skills in battle.

And i think you are the last one who is to be allowed to determine who is a hero and who not.

[Sq12Sq22u22]

@Anullu22 P.S. The Germans were bastards - they committed genocide on a wide level, they enslaved the captured peoples and murdered the general population that protested including the Women and kids - there was NO exlusions - and now, today, looking back, there cannot be an allowance for people like you to engender their fighting men as heroes, they were not!