Battle of Crete order of battle

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[1]
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[1] Edward Puttick - (Western Zone, west of Chania)

British 14th Infantry Brigade
  • Headquarters, 14 Bde (Brig. Brian Herbert Chappel) – at Heraklion
    • 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment (Lt. Col. CHV Cox, DSO, MC) (637 personnel)
    • 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment (Lt. Col. A Gilroy) (742 personnel)
    • 2nd Battalion, Black Watch (Major AA Pitcairn, temporary commander[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]) (867 personnel)
    • 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Lt. Col. RCB Anderson, DSO, MC) – Tymbaki sector
    • 7th Medium Regiment, RA (Maj. R.J.B. Snook, DSO (wounded - 20 May 1941). No artillery weaponsa; equipped and served at Crete as infantry. (450 personnel)

Attached to 14 Bde:

    • Australian 2/4th Battalion (Lt. Col. Ivan Dougherty)[lower-alpha 3] (550 personnel)
    • Greek 3rd Regiment (Lt. Col Ant Betinakis) (656 personnel)
    • Greek 7th Regiment (Col. E Cheretis) (877 personnel)
    • Greek Garrison Battalion (commander unknown; ex-Greek 5th "Crete" Division, left behind as a garrison when their division was summoned to defend the mainland) 830 personnel)

19th Australian Infantry Brigade

No. 5 Battery, 2/3rd Field Regiment 

Unit Commander Remarks
HQ 19 Brigade Brig. George Vasey At Georgioupolis.
2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion Lt. Col. Ian R. Campbell  620 personnel; Rethymno; Campbell commanded all Allied forces in the Rethymno area
2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion Lt. Col. Ray Sandover 650 personnel; Rethymno
2/7th Australian Infantry Battalion Lt. Col. Theo Walker 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 Battalion Lt. Col. John W. Mitchell About 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. 6 Battery, 2/3rd Field Regiment  Maj. I. J. Bessell-Browne 90 personnel, equipped with captured Italian weapons: four 100mm guns and four 75mm guns. 
4th Greek Regiment Col. M. Trifon 1,300 personnel; Rethymno
5th Greek Regiment Lt. Col. I Servos 1,200 personnel; Rethymno
Gendarmerie Privates School Col. Iak Chaniotis 916 personnel; Rethymno

Mobile Base Defence Organization
Headquarters Mobile Base Defence Organization - Maj.-Gen. CE Weston-Souda Bay
  • 15th Coast Regiment, RA[4]
  • "S" Royal Marine Composite Battalion, Maj. R Garrett (Royal Marines)
  • 1st Battalion, The Rangers, The King's Royal Rifle Corps - (later designated 9th Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps (The Rangers))[5]
  • 102nd (Northumberland Hussars) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery - no equipment, used as infantry[6][7]
  • 106th (Lancashire Hussars) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery[8] - Lt. Col. AF Hely
  • 16th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion - 350 officers and men
    Formed from the under strength 2/2nd and 2/3rd Australian Infantry Battalions
  • 17th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion - 270 officers and men
    Formed from the understrength 2/5th and 2/6th Australian Infantry Battalions
  • 2nd Greek Regiment - 930 Officers and Men
  • 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Marines
  • Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet - Admiral Sir Andrew B Cunningham

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)
Ship Commander Armament Tonnage Remarks
HMS Naiad (93) Capt. MHA Kelsey Light cruiser - damaged[9]
HMAS Perth (D29) Capt. Sir PW Bowyer-Smyth 8x6 inch guns,

8x4 inch guns, 4x3 pdr guns, 8x21 inch torpedo tubes

 6,830 tons Light cruiser - damaged[9]
HMS Kandahar (F28) Cmdr. WGA Robson Destroyer
HMS Nubian (F36) Cmdr. RW Ravenhill Destroyer - damaged[9]
HMS Kingston (F64) Lt. Cmdr. P Sommerville Destroyer - damaged[9]
HMS Juno (F46) Cmdr. St John Tyrwhitt Destroyer
Sunk 21 May 1941
HMS Calcutta (D82) Capt. DM Lees Anti-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)
Ship Commander Remarks
HMS Dido (37) Capt. HW McCall Light cruiser- damaged
HMS Orion (85) Capt. PBRW William-Powlett Light cruiser - damaged[9]
HMS Ajax (22) Capt. EDB McCarthy Light cruiser - damaged
HMS Janus (F53) Cmdr. JAW Tothill Destroyer
HMS Hasty (H24) Lt.Cmdr. LRK Tyrwhitt[10] Destroyer
HMS Hereward (H93) Lt. WJ Munn Destroyer - sunk by enemy aircraft 29 May 1941
HMS Kimberley Lt. Cmdr. JSM Richardson Destroyer

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)[11]
Unit Commander Equipment/Remarks
KGzbV 1 Oberst Fritz Morzik Junkers Ju 52
KGzbV 2 Oberst Rüdiger von Heyking Ju 52
KGzbV 3 Oberst U. Bucholz Ju 52
22nd Luftlande Division General Hans Graf von Sponeck Force Reserve (in Romania)

Fliegerkorps VIII
Headquarters VIII. Fliegerkorps - General der Flieger Freiherr Wolfram von Richthofen
Unit Commander Equipment/Remarks
Kampfgeschwader 2 General-Major Herbert Rieckhoff Do 17Z
Jadgeschwader 77 Major Bernhard Woldenga Bf 109E
Lehrgeschwader 1 Oberst F-K Knust 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 Schonborn-Wiesentheid Ju 87R
Zerstörergeschwader 26 Oberst Johann Schalk Bf 110C & Bf 110D

Luftflotte IV
Headquarters Luftflotte IV - General der Flieger Alexander Löhr
Unit Commander Remarks
5th Panzer Division Gustav Fehn
6th Gebirgs Division Ferdinand Schörner

Luftlande Sturmregiment
Headquarters Luftlande Sturmregiment - Generalmajor Eugen Meindl, then Col. Ramcke, Maj. Braun[11]
Unit Commander Remarks
1st Battalion Major Walter Koch glider battalion
2nd Battalion Major Edgar Stentzler
3rd Battalion Major Otto Scherber
4th Battalion Hauptmann (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
Unit Commander Subunits Remarks
7th Engineer Battalion Major Liebach
7th Artillery Battalion Major Bode
7th Machine Gun Battalion Hauptmann Schulz
7th Anti-tank Battalion Hauptmann Schmitz
1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment Oberst Bruno Bräuer 1st Battalion (Major Erich Walther), 2nd Battalion (Hauptmann Burckhardt), 3rd Battalion (Major Karl-Lothar Schulz) Heraklion
2nd Fallschirmjäger Regiment Oberst Alfred Sturm, Maj, Schulz, Captain Paul[11] 1st Battalion (Major Kroh), 2nd Battalion (Hauptmann Erich Pietzonka), 3rd Battalion (Hauptmann Wiedemann) Retimno
3rd Fallschirmjäger Regiment Oberst Richard Heidrich, Lt. Heckel[12] 1st 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[12]
Unit Commander Sub units
95th Artillery Battalion Oberstleutnant Wittmann
95th Anti-tank Battalion Major Bindermann
95th Reconnaissance Battalion Major Count Castell zu Castell
95th Engineer Battalion Major Schaette
95th Signal Battalion Major Nolte
85th Gebirgsjäger Regiment Oberst August Krakau 1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion
100th Gebirgsjäger Regiment Oberst Willibald Utz 1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion
141st Gebirgsjäger Regiment[lower-alpha 5] Oberst Maximilian Jais 1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion
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See also

Notes
  1. Killed in Action - 20/21 November 1941 at Tobruk.
  2. Pitcairn was replacing Lt. Col. AK Hamilton, who was ill.
  3. All Australian units are prefixed "2/" to denote that they are part of the 2nd AIF, not Militia.
  4. Author Roald Dahl was flying with this squadron at the time.
  5. The 141st Gebirgsjäger Regiment was a reinforcement from the 6th Gebirgs Division.

References
  1. Beevor 1991, p. 345
  2. New Zealand History Map of Maleme area, 20 May 1941 http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/map-maleme-area retrieved 20 Aug 2016
  3. Second World War Official Histories Volume II – Greece, Crete and Syria (1st edition, 1953) Chapter 11 – The Loss of Maleme Airfield available at https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1070149/
  4. Barton, Derek. "15 Coast Regiment RA". The Royal Artillery 1939-45. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  5. "The Rangers 1860-1950 at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  6. "Artillery Regiments That Served With The 7th Armoured Division by Ian a Paterson". Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2012-07-20.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  7. "The Northumberland Hussars at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 2007-07-15. Retrieved 2007-12-19.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  8. "Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 2007-07-15. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  9. Beevor 1991, p. 346
  10. "Lionel Rupert Knyvet Tyrwhitt DSO, DSC, RN". Allied Warship Commanders. uboat.net. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  11. Beevor 1991, p. 347
  12. Beevor 1991, p. 348

Sources
  • Antill, Peter D. (2005). Crete 1941. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-844-8.
  • Beevor, Antony (1991). Crete: The Battle and the Resistance (pbk. ed.). Great Britain: John Murray. ISBN 0-7195-6831-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Buckley, Christopher (1984) [1952]. Greece and Crete 1941 (Greek pbk edition (in English) ed.). London: P. Efstathiadis & Sons S.A. ISBN 960-226-041-6.
  • "Naval action against the German Flotillas". Battle of Crete. Archived from the original on 18 August 2005. Retrieved August 24, 2005.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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