Battle of Crete order of battle explained

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

    Major G.W.Peck

    10 Light Tank Mk VIs

    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).

    Lieutenant Colonel A. Duncan, MC (force reserve)

    2nd New Zealand Division

    Headquarters New Zealand Division - Brigadier, Acting Major General Edward Puttick - (Western Zone, west of Chania)

    British 14th Infantry Brigade

    Attached to 14 Bde:

    19th Australian Infantry Brigade

    UnitCommanderRemarks
    HQ 19 BrigadeBrig. George VaseyAt Georgioupolis
    2/1st Australian Infantry BattalionLt. Col. Ian R. Campbell 620 personnel; Rethymno; Campbell commanded all Allied forces in the Rethymno area
    2/11th Australian Infantry BattalionLt. Col. Ray Sandover650 personnel; Rethymno
    2/7th Australian Infantry BattalionLt. Col. Theo Walker (par. 21)About 550 personnel. Based at Heraklion; redeployed to Maleme and saw action in the Souda-Chania area ("42nd Street") during the battle.
    2/8th Australian Infantry BattalionLt. Col. John W. MitchellAbout 400 personnel. Based at Chania; reinforced British forces around Perivolia and Mournies, and saw action in the Souda-Chania area ("42nd Street") during the battle.
    No. 5 Battery, 2/3rd Field Regiment
    No. 6 Battery, 2/3rd Field RegimentMaj. I. J. Bessell-Browne90 personnel, equipped with captured Italian weapons: four 100 mm guns and four 75 mm guns. 
    4th Greek RegimentCol. M. Trifon1,300 personnel; Rethymno
    5th Greek RegimentLt. Col. I Servos1,200 personnel; Rethymno
    Gendarmerie Privates SchoolCol. Iak Chaniotis916 personnel; Rethymno

    Mobile Base Defence Organization

    Headquarters Mobile Base Defence Organization - Maj.-Gen. CE Weston-Souda Bay

    Naval forces

    Forces A1

    Force A1 - Rear Admiral H B Rawlings (R.A., 7th Cruiser Squadron)

    Force B

    Force B - Capt. Henry A Rowley

    Force C

      Force C - Rear Admiral Edward Leigh Stuart King (C.O. 15th Cruiser Squadron)
    ShipCommanderArmamentTonnageRemarks
    HMS Naiad (93)Capt. MHA KelseyLight cruiser - damaged
    Capt. Sir PW Bowyer-Smyth8x6 inch guns,8x4 inch guns,4x3 pdr guns,8x21 inch torpedo tubes6,830 tonsLight cruiser - damaged
    HMS Kandahar (F28)Cmdr. WGA RobsonDestroyer
    HMS Nubian (F36)Cmdr. RW RavenhillDestroyer - damaged
    HMS Kingston (F64)Lt. Cmdr. P SommervilleDestroyer - damaged
    HMS Juno (F46)Cmdr. St John TyrwhittDestroyer
    Sunk 21 May 1941
    HMS Calcutta (D82)Capt. DM LeesAnti-aircraft cruiser
    Sunk 1 June 1941 within one hundred miles of Alexandria

    Force D

      Force D - Rear-Admiral Irvine Glennie
    Destruction of Lupo Convoy (21–22 May 1941)
    ShipCommanderRemarks
    Capt. HW McCallLight cruiser- damaged
    HMS Orion (85)Capt. PBRW William-PowlettLight cruiser - damaged
    Capt. EDB McCarthyLight cruiser - damaged
    HMS Janus (F53)Cmdr. JAW TothillDestroyer
    HMS Hasty (H24)Lt.Cmdr. LRK Tyrwhitt[7] Destroyer
    HMS Hereward (H93)Lt. WJ MunnDestroyer - sunk by enemy aircraft 29 May 1941
    HMS KimberleyLt. Cmdr. JSM RichardsonDestroyer

    Force E

    Force E - Captain JP Mack (CO 14th Destroyer Flotilla)

    5th Destroyer Flotilla

    5th Destroyer Flotilla - Captain Mountbatten

    Evacuation Fleet

    Sphakia evacuation force - Rear-Admiral King

    Air forces

    Axis forces

    Land, airborne and air forces

    Fliegerkorps XI

    +Headquarters Fliegerkorps XI - Generalmajor Kurt Student, with Brig. Schlemm (chief of staff), Col. Trettner (Ops) and Maj. Reinhardt (Int)
    UnitCommanderEquipment/remarks
    KGzbV 1Oberst Fritz MorzikJunkers Ju 52
    KGzbV 2Oberst Rüdiger von HeykingJu 52
    KGzbV 3Oberst U. BucholzJu 52
    22nd Luftlande DivisionGeneral Hans Graf von SponeckForce reserve (in Romania)

    Fliegerkorps VIII

    +Headquarters VIII. Fliegerkorps - General der Flieger Freiherr Wolfram von Richthofen
    UnitCommanderEquipment/remarks
    Kampfgeschwader 2General-Major Herbert RieckhoffDo 17Z
    Jadgeschwader 77Major Bernhard WoldengaBf 109E
    Lehrgeschwader 1[Oberst'' F-K Knust |[[Junkers Ju 88|Ju 88A]] & He 111H|-|Sturzkampfgeschwader 1|Oberst-Leutnant W. Hagen|Ju 87R|-|Sturzkampfgeschwader 2|Oberst-Lt O. Dinort|Ju 87R|-|Sturzkampfgeschwader 77|Major Clemens von Schönborn-Wiesentheid|Ju 87R|-|Zerstörergeschwader 26|Oberst Johann Schalk|Bf 110C & Bf 110D|}

    Luftflotte IV

    +Headquarters Luftflotte IV - General der Flieger Alexander Löhr
    UnitCommanderRemarks
    5th Panzer DivisionGustav Fehn
    6th Gebirgs DivisionFerdinand Schörner

    Luftlande Sturmregiment

    Headquarters Luftlande Sturmregiment - Generalmajor Eugen Meindl, then Col. Ramcke, Maj. Braun
    UnitCommanderRemarks
    1st BattalionMajor Walter KochGlider battalion
    2nd BattalionMajor Edgar Stentzler
    3rd BattalionMajor Otto Scherber
    4th BattalionHauptmann (Captain) Walter Gericke
    Two glider companies were detached and seconded to 7th Flieger Division, below

    7th Flieger Division

    +Headquarters, 7th Flieger Division - Generalleutnant Wilhelm Süssmann
    UnitCommanderSubunitsRemarks
    7th Engineer BattalionMajor Liebach
    7th Artillery BattalionMajor Bode
    7th Machine Gun BattalionHauptmann Schulz
    7th Anti-tank BattalionHauptmann Schmitz
    1st Fallschirmjäger RegimentOberst Bruno Bräuer1st Battalion (Major Erich Walther), 2nd Battalion (Hauptmann Burckhardt), 3rd Battalion (Major Karl-Lothar Schulz)Heraklion
    2nd Fallschirmjäger RegimentOberst Alfred Sturm, Maj, Schulz, Captain Paul1st Battalion (Major Kroh), 2nd Battalion (Hauptmann Erich Pietzonka), 3rd Battalion (Hauptmann Wiedemann)Retimno
    3rd Fallschirmjäger RegimentOberst Richard Heidrich, Lt. Heckel1st 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

    +Headquarters, 5th Gebirgs Division - Generalmajor Julius Ringel, Maj. Haidlen, Capt. Ferchl
    UnitCommanderSub units
    95th Artillery BattalionOberstleutnant Wittmann
    95th Anti-tank BattalionMajor Bindermann
    95th Reconnaissance BattalionMajor Count Castell zu Castell
    95th Engineer BattalionMajor Schaette
    95th Signal BattalionMajor Nolte
    85th Gebirgsjäger RegimentOberst August Krakau1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion
    100th Gebirgsjäger RegimentOberst Willibald Utz1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion
    141st Gebirgsjäger RegimentOberst Maximilian Jais1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion

    See also

    Sources

    • Book: Antill, Peter D. . 2005 . Crete 1941 . Osprey Publishing . 1-84176-844-8.
    • Book: Davin, D. M.. Crete. The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945. Historical Publications Branch. 1953. Wellington.
    • Book: Beevor, Antony . Antony Beevor . Crete: The Battle and the Resistance . Great Britain . 1991 . John Murray . pbk. . 0-7195-6831-5.
    • Book: Buckley, Christopher . Greece and Crete 1941 . London . 1952 . Greek pbk edition (in English) . P. Efstathiadis & Sons S.A. . 1984 . 960-226-041-6.
    • Web site: Naval action against the German Flotillas . Battle of Crete . August 24, 2005 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050818181104/http://crete-1941.org.uk/ . 18 August 2005 . dead .

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. New Zealand History Map of Maleme area, 20 May 1941 http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/map-maleme-area retrieved 20 Aug 2016
    2. Web site: 15 Coast Regiment RA . The Royal Artillery 1939-45 . Derek . Barton . 14 January 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232218/http://www.ra39-45.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/coast/page13.html . 3 March 2016 .
    3. Web site: The Rangers 1860-1950 at regiments.org by T.F.Mills . 2015-07-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071217062726/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-london/vinf/L12rangr.htm . 2007-12-17 .
    4. Web site: Artillery Regiments That Served With The 7th Armoured Division by Ian a Paterson . 2012-07-20 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20070814061819/http://www.ian.a.paterson.btinternet.co.uk/orgartillery.htm#RHA102 . 2007-08-14 .
    5. Web site: The Northumberland Hussars at regiments.org by T.F.Mills . 2007-12-19 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20070715140005/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-england/vcav/northumb.htm . 2007-07-15 .
    6. Web site: Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F.Mills . 2012-07-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070715140005/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-england/vcav/lancH.htm . 2007-07-15 .
    7. Web site: Lionel Rupert Knyvet Tyrwhitt DSO, DSC, RN . uboat.net . Allied Warship Commanders . 14 January 2016.

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