The Battle of Crete, the graveyard of the nazi fallschirmjäger (click to read the story on their losses), started in the morning of May 20, 1941.
In this photo, published in the propaganda magazine "SIGNAL", we see the first airborne troops deploying their chutes as they are getting closer to the ground in the very first hours of the nazi invasion.
The Battle of Crete was the first battle where Fallschirmjäger (nazi paratroops) were used en masse, the first mainly airborne invasion in military history, the first time the Allies made significant use of intelligence from the decrypted German messages from the Enigma machine and the first time German troops encountered mass resistance from a civilian population.
Due to the heavy casualties suffered by the paratroopers, the nazi german paranoid dictator Hitler forbade further large airborne operations.
In contrast, the Allies were impressed by the potential of paratroopers and started to form both airborne assault and airfield defence regiments.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου
WW2 Wrecks welcomes and encourages readers to comment and engage in respectful conversation about the content posted here.
We value thoughtful, polite and concise comments that reflect a variety of views.