Battle of Crete order of battle

Battle of Crete order of battle

This is the complete order of battle for the Battle of Crete and related operations in 1941.

Contents

Allied

Land forces

Commonwealth & Allied Forces, Crete - "Creforce"

Headquarters Creforce - (Eastern Zone, east of Chania)
Major-General Bernard Freyberg, VC
Maj.G.W.Peck
10 Light Tank Mk VI tanks.
Lieutenant George Simpson
2 Matilda tanks, crewed in part by 2 officers and 5 gunners of the 2/3rd Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery.
Lt.Col.A.Duncan, M.C. (Force Reserve)

2nd New Zealand Division

Headquarters New Zealand Division - Brigadier Edward Puttick - (Western Zone, west of Chania)
  • 27th New Zealand Machine Gun Battalion (Lieutenant-Colonel F. J. Gwilliam)
  • 5th New Zealand Field Artillery Regiment
  • 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Lindsay Inglis) between Chania & Galatas
    • 18th New Zealand Infantry Battalion
    • 19th New Zealand Infantry Battalion
    • 20th New Zealand Infantry Battalion
    • 1st Light Troop, Royal Artillery
  • 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Brigadier James Hargest) (Maleme & Platanias)
    • 21st New Zealand Infantry Battalion
    • 22nd New Zealand Infantry Battalion
    • 23rd New Zealand Infantry Battalion
    • 28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion
    • 7th NZ Field Company
    • 19th Army Field Corps Company
    • 1st Greek Regiment (1,030 Officers and men), (Col. Ip. Papadopoulos)
    • Evelpidon Officers Academy (10 Officers, 300 Cadets), (Lt.Col. Loukas Kitsos)
  • 10th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Lieutenant Colonel Howard Kippenberger) (Galatas)
    • New Zealand Divisional Cavalry
    • New Zealand Composite Battalion
    • 6th Greek Regiment (1,380 Officers and men), (Lt.Col. M. Grigoriou)
    • 8th Greek Regiment (840 Officers and men), (Col. Pan. Karkoulas)

14th Infantry Brigade

Headquarters 14th Infantry Brigade - Brigadier Brian Herbert Chappel - (Heraklion)
    • 2nd Battalion, the Leicestershire Regiment (Lieut.Col.C.H.V.Cox, DSO, MC) |637 Officers and Men
    • 2nd Battalion, the York and Lancaster Regiment (Lieut.Col.A.Gilroy, 742 Officers and Men)
    • 2nd Battalion, the Black Watch (Major A.A.Pitcairn temporary command[1][2]>867 Officers and Men
    • 2/4 Australian Infantry Battalion (Lt.Col.Ivan Noel Dougherty)[3] 550 Officers and Men
    • 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Lieut.Col. R.C.B.Anderson, DSO, MC Tymbaki Sector)
    • 7th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery (Major R.J.B.Snook, DSO (wounded - 20 May 1941). No artillery equipment - armed as infantry. 450 Officers and Men
    • 3rd Greek Regiment (656 Officers and men)
    • 7th Greek Regiment (877 Officers and men)
    • Greek Garrison Battalion (ex-Greek 5th "Crete" Division, left behind as a garrison when their division was summoned to defend the mainland; 830 Officers and men)

19th Australian Infantry Brigade

  Headquarters 19th Australian Infantry Brigade - Brigadier George Vasey - Georgiopoulis
(Lieutenant Colonel I.R. Campbell commanding at Rethymnon)
Unit Commander Remarks
2/3 Field Artillery Regiment, Australian Army Major I.J.Bessell-Browne No.6 Battery consisting of 90 Men and armed with 4x100mm captured Italian guns and 4x75mm guns
2/1 Australian Infantry Battalion Lt.Col.Ian.R.Campbell 620 Officers and Men
(Rethymnon)
2/11 Australian Infantry Battalion Maj.Ray Sandover 650 Officers and Men
(Rethymnon)
2/7 Australian Infantry Battalion Lt.Col.Theo Walker
2/8 Australian Infantry Battalion Lt.Col.John.W.Mitchell ?
4th Greek Regiment ? 1,300 Officers and Men
(Rethymnon)
5th Greek Regiment ? 1,200 Officers and Men
(Rethymnon)
Gerndarmerie Privates School Col. Stamatis Pothoulakis 916 Officers and Men
(Rethymnon)

Mobile Base Defence Organization

Headquarters Mobile Base Defence Organization-Major General C.E. Weston-Souda Bay
  • 15th Coastal Defence Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • "S"Royal Marine Composite Battalion, Major R.Garrett (Royal Marines)
  • 1st Ranger Battalion - (9th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps)
  • Northumberland Hussars - without vehicles and armed as infantry
  • 102nd Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Horse Artillery - no equipment, used as infantry
  • 106th Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, Lt.Col.A.F.Hely
  • 16th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion - 350 officers and men
    Formed from under strength 2nd/2nd and 2nd/3rd Australian Infantry Battalions
  • 17th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion - 270 officers and men
    Formed from under strength 2nd/5th and 2nd/6th Australian Infantry Battalions
  • 1st "Royal Perivolian" Composite Battalion - a collection of misc. British units, or remnants thereof.
  • 2nd Greek Regiment - 930 Officers and Men
  • 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt. Royal Marines

Naval forces

  • 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 - Admiral Rawlings

Force C

  Force C - Admiral King (C.O. 15th Cruiser Squadron)
Ship Commander Armament Tonnage Remarks
HMS Naiad (93) Capt. M.H.A.Kelsey light cruiser
HMAS Perth (D29) Capt. Sir P.W.Bowyer-Smyth 8x6 inch guns

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

 6,830 tons Sunk 1 March 1942

Sunda Strait
HMS Kandahar (F28) Cmdr. W.G.A.Robson destroyer
HMS Nubian (F36) Cmdr. R.W.Ravenhill destroyer
HMS Kingston (F64) Lt.Cmdr. P.Sommerville destroyer
HMS Juno (F46) Cmdr. St.John Tyrwhitt Sunk 21 May 1941
HMS Calcutta (D82) Capt. D.M.Lees Anti-Aircraft cruiser
Sunk 1 June 1941 within one hundred miles of Alexandria

Force D

  Force D - Rear-Admiral I.G.Glennie
Destruction of Lupo Convoy (21–22 May 1941)
Ship Commander Notes
Dido, light cruiser Capt. H.W.McCall
Orion, light cruiser Capt. P.B.R.W. William-Powlett
Ajax, light cruiser Capt. E.D.B. McCarthy Damaged
HMS Janus (F53), destroyer Cmdr. J.A.W. Tothill
HMS Hasty (H24), destroyer Lt.Cmdr. L.R.K. Tyrwhitt[4]
HMS Hereward (H93), destroyer Lt. W.J. Munn Sunk by enemy aircraft 29 May 1941
HMS Kimberley, destroyer Lt.Cmdr. J.S.M. Richardson

Force E

Force E - Captain J.P.Mack (CO 14th Destroyer Flotilla)

5th Destroyer Flotilla

5th Destroyer Flotilla - Captain Mountbatten

Evacuation Fleet

Sphakia evacuation force - Rear-Admiral King

Air forces

  • Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, Middle East - Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur Longmore

Axis forces

Land, Airborne & Air forces

Fliegerkorps XI

Headquarters Fliegerkorps XI - Generalmajor Kurt Student
Unit Commander Equipment/Remarks
KGzbV 1 Oberst Fritz Morzik Junkers Ju 52
KGzbV 2 Oberst R. 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 H. Rieckhoff Do 17Z
Jadgeschwader 77 Major B.Woldenga Me 109E
Lehrgeschwader 1 Oberst F-K.Knust Ju 88A & He 111H
Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 Oberst-Lt.W.Hagen Ju 87R
Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 Oberst-Lt. O.Dinort Ju 87R
Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 Major Graf von Schonborn-Wiesentheid Ju 87R
Zerstörergeschwader 26 Oberst J.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
Unit Commander Remarks
1st Battalion Major Walter Koch glider Battalion
2nd Battalion Major Edgar Stentzler
3rd Battalion Major Otto Scherber
4th Battalion Hauptmann Walter Gericke

Two glider companies were detached and seconded to 7th Flieger Division, below

7th Flieger Division

Headquarters, 7th Flieger Division - Generalleutnant Willhelm Süssman
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 Walther), 2nd Battalion (Hauptmann Burckhardt), 3rd Battalion (Major Schulz) Heraklion
2nd Fallschirmjäger Regiment Oberst Alfred Sturm 1st Battalion (Major Kroh), 2nd Battalion (Hauptmann Pietzonka, 3rd Battalion (Hauptmann Wiedemann) Retimno
3rd Fallschirmjäger Regiment Oberst Richard Heidrich 1st Battalion (Hauptmann von der Heydte), 2nd Battalion (Major Derpa), 3rd Battalion (Major 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
Unit Commander Sub units
95th Artillery Battalion Oberstleutnant Wittmann
95th Anti-tank Battalion Major Bindermann
95th Reconnaissance Battalion Major 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[6] Oberst Maximilian Jais 1st Battalion - 2nd Battalion - 3rd Battalion

Naval forces

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Killed in Action - 20/21 November 1941 at Tobruk
  2. ^ Pitcairn was replacing Lt.Col A.K.Hamilton because of Ill health
  3. ^ All Australian infantry battalions are prefixed "2/" to denote that the battalion is a Second AIF unit and not a Militia Battalion.
  4. ^ http://www.uboat.net/allies/commanders/2522.html
  5. ^ Roald Dahl was flying with this squadron at the time.
  6. ^ The 141st Geb. Rgt is a reinforcement from the 6th Gebirgs Division.

Sources

External links


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