As part of the German invasion of Crete (Operation Merkur), two waves of airborne troops would land around Hania and Maleme on the morning of 20th May, followed by drops at Heraklion and Rethymnon in the afternoon. Landing in the first wave, the Luftlande-Sturmregiment was tasked with capturing the airfield at Maleme – a target of high importance as it was closest to the Greek mainland, making it potentially easier to reinforce.
Here we see the initial landing around Maleme and ‘Hill 107’. As the Fallschirmjäger descended from their Ju-52 transport planes, they struggled to regroup and gather their heavy weapons while under enemy fire as soon as they landed. The 3rd Battalion, Luftlande-Sturmregiment, took especially heavy casualties as troops were scattered south and east of the airfield while landing on top of Allied positions.
By nightfall, the defending New Zealand troops had beaten off the initial attacks. But with pressure building and lack of communications, the NZ 22nd Battalion withdrew from Hill 107, allowing the Germans to capture the airfield the next morning.
By Ibrahim Zamir
Empire of History 