pavelnkhv: 76 years today, the skies of Crete became filled with the crosses of the Luftwaffe and pa
pavelnkhv: 76 years today, the skies of Crete became filled with the crosses of the Luftwaffe and parachute canopies as the Fallschirmjäger of the 7th Flieger Division dropped from their Ju-52 transport planes, often right on top of the Allied defenses. As a result many were shot dead even before hitting the ground. To make things worse, they jumped armed only with pistols or machine-pistols. Their rifles, sub-mgs and heavier equipment being dropped separately in containers. Getting rid of the parachute and finding the containers while under fire from the well prepared defenses proved a deadly task and the number of casualties raised accordingly. In this photo, two fallschirmjäger, lucky enough to have survived the drop and find their weapons, look towards the coast and their next objective. The spot has been wrongly identified as being near Suda Bay. Using the mountain tops in the horizon I believe I managed to identify the correct location as the hills near Maleme airfield, looking North-west (comparison in comments). Part of the runway can be seen on the left, half hidden by the soldier. If true, these men probably belonged to the 1st (Koch) or 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Fallschirmjäger Regiment. They had dropped on Hill 107, defended by the 22nd New Zealander Battalion. It is on the slopes of Hill 107, overlooking the airfield that stands today the German War Cemetery. Original: B. L. Davis Collection -- source link