User:Gog the Mild/Battle of Prison Valley

Battle of Prison Valley
Part of the Battle of Crete
German paratroopers landing on Crete
Date 20–27 May 1941 Location Prison Valley, Crete Result German victory
Belligerents
New Zealand Greece	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Edward Puttick Howard Kippenberger	Wilhelm Süssmann † Richard Heidrich

Background

Main article: Battle of Greece

Greece became a belligerent in World War II when it was invaded by Italy on 28 October 1940. A British and Commonwealth expeditionary force was sent to support the Greeks which eventually totalled more than 60,000 men. British forces also garrisoned Crete, enabling the Greek Fifth Cretan Division to reinforce the mainland campaign. This arrangement suited the British as Crete could provide their navy with harbours on its north coast. The Italians were repulsed by the Greeks without the aid of the expeditionary force. In April 1941, six months after the failed Italian invasion, a German attack overran mainland Greece and the expeditionary force was withdrawn. By the end of the month, 57,000 Allied troops were evacuated by the Royal Navy. Some were sent to Crete to bolster its garrison, although most had lost their heavy equipment.

The German army high command (Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH)) was preoccupied with the forthcoming invasion of the Soviet Union, and was largely opposed to an attack on Crete. Hitler was concerned about attacks on the Romanian oil fields from Crete and Luftwaffe commanders were enthusiastic about the idea of seizing Crete by an airborne attack. In Führer Directive 28 Hitler ordered that Crete was to be invaded to use it "as an airbase against Britain in the Eastern Mediterranean". The directive also stated that the operation was to take place in May and must not be allowed to interfere with the planned campaign against the Soviet Union.

Opposing forces

Further information: Crete order of battle

Allies

On 30 April 1941 Major-general Bernard Freyberg, who had been evacuated from mainland Greece with the 2nd New Zealand Division, was appointed commander-in-chief on Crete. He noted the acute lack of heavy weapons, equipment, supplies and communication facilities. Equipment was scarce in the Mediterranean, particularly in the backwater of Crete. The British forces on Crete had seven commanders in seven months. By 29 April 47,000 Commonwealth troops of the defeated Allied expeditionary force were evacuated from mainland Greece. In the space of a week 27,000 of these arrived on Crete from Greece, many lacking any equipment other than their personal weapons, sometimes not even those. Of these, 9,000 were further evacuated and 18,000 remained on Crete when the battle commenced. With the pre-existing garrison of 14,000 this gave the Allies a total of 32,000 Commonwealth troops to face the German attack, supplemented by 10,000 Greeks. The last Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft based on Crete were withdrawn on 19 May, the day before the German attack.

Germans

Map of the German assault on Crete; Prison Valley is to the west (left)

The German assault on Crete was code-named "Operation Mercury" (Unternehmen Merkur) and was controlled by the 12th Army commanded by Field Marshal Wilhelm List. The German 8th Air Corps (VIII Fliegerkorps) provided close air support; it was equipped with 570 combat aircraft. The infantry available for the assault were the German 7th Air Division, with the 1st Air Landing Assault Regiment (Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment) attached, and the 5th Mountain Division. They totalled 22,000 men grouped under the 11th Air Corps (XI Fliegerkorps) which was commanded by Lieutenant-general Kurt Student who was in operational control of the attack. Over 500 Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft were assembled to carry them. Student planned a series of four parachute assaults against Allied facilities on the north coast of Crete by the 7th Air Division, which would then be reinforced by the 5th Mountain Division, part transported by air, and part by sea; the latter would also ferry much of the heavy equipment.

The Germans planned to launch four regiment-sized attacks on the day of the attack, two in the morning, and a further two in the afternoon. In the morning the 1st Air Landing Assault Regiment would attack the airfield at Maleme, while a parachute regiment would simultaneously be landed in Prison Valley – so called because Ayia Jail was a prominent feature there – and then capture Chania and Souda. The German airborne attack was divided operationally into three parts and the force tasked with capturing Souda and Chania, together with that assaulting Rethymno, 65 kilometres (40 mi) to the east, were part of Gruppe Mittel (Central Group). Rethymno and Heraklion, another 75 kilometres (47 mi) further east, were each to be attacked by a parachute regiment during the afternoon.

Before the invasion, the Germans conducted a bombing campaign to establish air superiority and forced the RAF to evacuate its aircraft and rebase them in Alexandria. A few days before the attack, German intelligence summaries stated that the total Allied force on Crete consisted of 5,000 men. This was increased to 12,000, and as the transports of the 7th Air Division were taxing for take off on the morning of 20 May its officers were given an updated estimate of 48,000 Allied defenders.

Paratroopers

The design of the German parachutes and the mechanism for opening them imposed operational constraints on the paratroopers. The static lines, which automatically opened the parachutes as the men jumped from the aircraft, were easily fouled, and so each man wore a coverall over all of their webbing and equipment. This precluded their jumping with any weapon larger than a pistol or a grenade. Rifles, automatic weapons, mortars, ammunition, food and water were dropped in separate containers. Until and unless the paratroopers reached these they had only their pistols and hand grenades with which to defend themselves.

A 'member of the 1st Air Landing Assault Regiment exits a DFS 230 glider in Crete

The danger of fouling the static lines also required that German paratroopers leapt headfirst from their aircraft, and so they were trained to land on all fours – rather than the usually recommended feet together, knees-bent posture – which resulted in a high incidence of wrist injuries. Once out of the plane German paratroopers were unable to control their fall or to influence where they landed. Given the importance of landing close to one of the weapons containers, doctrine required jumps to take place from no higher than 120 metres (400 ft) and in winds no stronger than 23 kilometres per hour (14 mph). The transport aircraft had to fly straight, low and slowly, making them an easy target for any ground fire. Paratroopers were carried by the reliable tri-motored Ju 52. Each aircraft could lift 13 paratroopers, with their weapons containers carried on the planes' external bomb racks.

The German airborne forces also utilised assault gliders, the DFS 230, which could carry a load of 2,800 pounds (1,300 kg) or nine soldiers and their weapons. They could glide up to fifty miles after release and land very close to a target. Fifty-three in total were used in the attack on Crete, most of them by the elite 1st Air Landing Assault Regiment.

Opposing plans

Allied defences

The 2nd New Zealand Division, now commanded by Brigadier Edward Puttick following Freyberg's appointment as commander of Allied forces on Crete, was tasked with defending the Maleme sector. The 5th Infantry Brigade was responsible for the area around Maleme and its airfield, and to the east. An ad hoc 10th Brigade defended the large village of Galatas and Prison Valley, the road between Alikianou and Chania ran through the latter. It was recognised that Prison Valley was vulnerable to a German airborne landing aiming to capture Chania. The 2nd New Zealand Division's 4th Infantry Brigade was held in reserve and was located to the south and west of Chania.

The 10th Brigade, which was formed on 14 May, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Howard Kippenberger, was composed of a composite battalion, known as Oakes Force after its original commander, made up of artillery personnel who had no guns and support services troops; Russell Force, which was formed from the Divisional Cavalry supplemented by personnel from the supply companies, all in an infantry role and commanded by Major John Russell; the 20th Battalion; and three Greek units: the 4th, 6th and 8th Regiments. There were a total of approximately 1,900 New Zealanders and 4,800 Greeks. As the Greek regiments had little training, each had a New Zealand officer seconded from the division's infantry battalions to help remedy this as much as possible. Kippenberger later described the Greek troops under his command as being "malaria-ridden...with four weeks service". They were also poorly equipped, short of ammunition and often incompetently led. Artillery support for the brigade was in the form of three howitzers.

German assault

The force tasked with landing around Prison Valley and then attacking Chania and Souda consisted of the 3rd Parachute Regiment, commanded by Colonel Richard Heidrich, reinforced by an engineer battalion and an unknown number of anti-aircraft guns. In addition two companies were detached from the 1st Air Landing Assault Regiment;. The divisional commander, Lieutenant General Wilhelm Süssmann, and the divisional headquarters was also to land in the valley.

The plan was for the men of the 1st Air Landing Assault Regiment land in gliders at 08:15, in advance of the 3rd Parachute Regiment in order to capture the Allied anti-aircraft guns in the area; ninety men would land south of Chania and 150 further north east on the Akrotiri Peninsula. The 3rd Parachute Regiment's 1st and 2nd Parachute Battalions (I/3 and II/3 Battalions) to drop near Ayia Jail, either side of the Chania-Alikianos road; the divisional head-quarters troops would land by glider in the same area. The 3rd Parachute Battalion (III/3 Battalion) would drop east and north east of Galatas, while the engineer battalion would drop north east of Alikianos. The III/3 Battalion would then attack Chania at the same time as the I/3 Battalion moved against Souda. The II/3 was to be held back as a reserve and the engineer battalion was to protect the regiment's rear.

Battle

Initial assault

German paratroopers landing on Crete

In the early hours before dawn, planes towing gliders and carrying paratroopers departed their airfields in Greece for Crete. On the way, Suessman, the divisional commander, was killed; his glider lost its wings due to turbulence and crashed into the sea near Aegina island. This left command of the 7th Air Division in the hands of Heidrich. At around 08:00 the Luftwaffe carried out bombing and strafing attacks on key targets. Among these was a military hospital, located on the coast northeast of Galatas, even though it was clearly marked with red crosses.

Nine gliders, carrying 90 men detached from the 1st Air Landing Assault Regiment, were due to land at Mournies at 08:15. Three gliders were shot down, but the others landed on target and attacked the 234th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery and captured its guns after fierce fighting. The surviving Germans were then pinned down by Allied fire. The fifteen gliders of the second force were late in arriving after a navigational error. Under intense anti-aircraft fire several gliders landed well away from their targets and others broke up on landing. The only objective captured turned out to be a dummy emplacement.

The 3rd Parachute Regiment started dropping at about 08:30. As the second group from the 1st Air Landing Assault Regiment had failed to neutralise the Allied anti-aircraft guns on the Akrotiri Peninsula, these were able to fire on the aircraft carrying the II/3 Battalion, breaking up their formation and causing their parachutists to be scattered. Many were hit by small-arms fire as they descended and at least one group landed in the reservoir and drowned. Only 350 survivors assembled near the prison. The 7th Company of the II/3 Battalion attempted to capture Pink Hill, a prominent feature overlooking Galatas from the south west. The attempt was a failure and the company commander was killed. The divisional headquarters staff and the 9th Company of the III/3 Battalion landed close to and south east of Galatas, in the middle of the Greek 6th Regiment. After close-quarters fighting the Germans captured and consolidated on Cemetery Hill in the centre of the Greek positions.

The 10th Company of the III/3 Battalion landed on their target, a tented camp assumed to house troops. It was a hospital and in the confusion the commander of 6th Field Ambulance was shot while surrendering. After waiting for reinforcements, the 10th Company set off towards Prison Valley in an attempt to join up with the rest of their regiment. they took 500 hospital patients with them as prisoners. They were ambushed en route by part of the New Zealand 19th Battalion and all killed or captured. The other paratroopers of the III/3 Battalion were scattered widely; some north of Galatas, some near the villa where the Greek King and Prime Minister were staying, many near Perivolia – well to the east of their planned drop zone. Many of these stranglers were quickly mopped up, some by Cretan civilians, with the survivors making their way west to join the I/1 Battalion in Prison Valley. The engineer battalion landed successfully near Alikianou, where it encountered the 8th Greek Regiment which, despite its lack of training and equipment, forced the Germans into a retreat to the area around the prison.

Later in the morning Kippenberger sought permission from Puttick to have the divisional reserve used for an attack on Prison Valley. He was supported by Brigadier Lindsay Inglis, commanding the 4th Brigade, but Puttick deferred any decision on releasing the reserves. He was concerned about the situation at Maleme and also conscious of the possibility of a seaborne landing. At 14:00, the Germans attacked Galatas, advancing to halfway up the hillside approaching the town before the defenders opened fire with machine guns and rifles. About half the attacking force became casualties. The Cretan villagers also became involved in the fighting.

Puttick, on receiving intelligence that the Germans were preparing an airstrip in Prison Valley, ordered a counterattack, which commenced at dusk. This involved two companies from 19th Battalion, part of the divisional reserve, plus three light tanks. These encountered and destroyed some German positions but then stopped in the dark. Once Kippenberger became aware of this attack he ordered the withdrawal of the forces involved, believing their number insufficient.

Fighting retreat

Pushed back.

Withdrawal

42nd Street.

Evacuation

On 26 May, Freyberg informed General Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief Middle East, that the Battle of Crete was lost. The next day Wavell ordered the evacuation of the island.

Retreat.

Evacuation.

Casualties

A dead paratrooper lying under his parachute

Daniel Davin, in the New Zealand Official History warns "reports of German casualties in British reports are in almost all cases exaggerated". German records do not show losses at regimental level, so their actual casualties cannot be accurately assessed. They launched four regimental assaults against Crete on the 20th, of which the attack on Prison Valley was one. A total of 10,750 airborne troops were deployed. German paratrooper and glider infantry losses throughout the campaign on Crete have been variously assessed as up to 3,022 killed and approximately 1,500 wounded in the British Official History, up to 2,818 killed and 1,505 wounded in a 2002 study for the US Army, or 3,077 killed, 2,046 wounded and 17 captured in the New Zealand Official History.

Allied casualties incurred during the fighting around Prison Valley are similarly unknown. During the battle of Crete as a whole the Commonwealth forces suffered approximately 1,750 killed, about the same number wounded and evacuated; and 12,254 captured, of whom about 2,000 were wounded. In addition, 260–300 soldiers died during the evacuation and more than 2,000 Allied sailors died during the naval operations around Crete. The number of Greek casualties suffered during the battle is not known, although the Germans reported taking 5,255 Greek prisoners in the course of the campaign.

Aftermath

Crete fell to the Germans, but they suffered more casualties than during the entire campaign in the Balkans until then. Almost 200 Ju 52s were put out of action. Due to their heavy losses on Crete the Germans attempted no further large-scale airborne operations during the war. The German occupation of Crete was brutal: 3,474 Cretan civilians were executed by firing squad and many more were killed in reprisals and atrocities. The commander of the German troops on Crete, Major-general Hans-Georg Benthack, unconditionally surrendered in Heraklion on 9 May 1945 at the end of the war.

Citations and sources

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