257: Crete Pt. 2 - May 20th at Maleme

About this episode

This episode covers the opening day of the German airborne assault on Crete, focusing on the battle at Maleme and the decisions that influenced its outcome.

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.f⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠m Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Wesley Livesay

Topics covered

• World War II
• Crete
• military strategy
• airborne operations
• battle analysis

Keywords

• Crete
• German airborne assault
• Maleme
• World War II
• military history
• Colonel Andrew
• battle strategy

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Crete, Maleme, Tavronitis river, Hill 107

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• 259: Crete Pt. 4 - Naval Victory, Naval Disaster · May 27, 2026 · 25 min
• 258: Crete Pt. 3 - May 20th a Day of Failures · May 20, 2026 · 28 min
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