At dawn on May 20, 1941, the German airborne assault on Crete began — the largest parachute operation in history to that point. This episode covers the opening day of the battle at Maleme, where a combination of German intelligence failures and disastrous British command decisions would set the course of the entire campaign. Despite heavy losses among the German paratroopers — many cut down in mid-air or the moment they landed — those who came down near the Tavronitis river were able to organize and push against the Maleme airfield and the critical Hill 107. The New Zealand defenders fought well, but Colonel Andrew, the commander charged with defending the airfield, was crippled by radio failures and an information vacuum that left him fearing the worst. A tank counterattack dissolved into farce, and as night fell Andrew made the fateful decision to abandon both Hill 107 and the airfield — a move that many historians consider the turning point of the battle.

History of the Second World War is part of the Airwave Media podcast network.

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