| Original caption: “German paratroops, part of the German airborne invasion of Crete, parachuting onto the village of Suda. Sunken British shipping can be seen in Suda Bay and a burning Junkers Ju-52 is flying across Suda Bay toward the Akrotiri Peninsula.” The Battle of Maleme was 1 of 3 main battles that occurred in the Battle of Crete against the Fallschirmjäger, in the Nazi German Mediterranean campaign in 1941. The overall plan was to conquer Crete as part of Operation Merkur, with German Paratroopers landing in 3 main areas, Heraklion, Maleme and Rethymno. The operation relied on German airborne Fallschirmjäger (“paratroopers”) both in parachutes and in military gliders. Due to a mistake, and despite being in a superior position, New Zealand troops abandoned a strategic hill (see below), leaving it to the Germans, and then lost the airfield. The airfield was then used by the Germans to transport in more troops which saw the whole island lost to the Germans. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2140.jpg |
| Image Size | 312.98 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1973 x 1359 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 20, 1941 |
| Location | |
| City | Suda |
| State or Province | Crete |
| Country | Greece |
| Archive | Australian War Memorial |
| Record Number | P00433.009 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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