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Nazi Victory: Crete 1941
When German paratroops dropped on Crete in 1941, it was the first and only time in the history of warfare that an island was conquered from the air. But the Battle of Crete was a far greater triumph for the Nazis than most Americans know: three British cruisers and eight destroyers were sunk. The aircraft carrier Formidable was so badly damaged it was taken out of service. So were five cruisers and seven destroyers. Fully half the battleship strength of the Mediterranean Fleet was crippled. And two thousand sailors of the Royal Navy were killed.
But this Luftwaffe victory could not be exploited by the Germans, who were committed to the Russian front. In fact, the
battle of Crete forced the German divisions to delay their advance into Russia till winter, when snows engulfed them. Crete, a bitter defeat for the Allies, contributed ironically to their final victory.
David Thomas's skill at unraveling military actions gives us for the first time an understanding of the significance of this crucial battle of World War II. Nazi Victory is destined to repeat the reception enjoyed by Mr. Thomas's brilliantly written The Battle of the Java Sea.
But this Luftwaffe victory could not be exploited by the Germans, who were committed to the Russian front. In fact, the
battle of Crete forced the German divisions to delay their advance into Russia till winter, when snows engulfed them. Crete, a bitter defeat for the Allies, contributed ironically to their final victory.
David Thomas's skill at unraveling military actions gives us for the first time an understanding of the significance of this crucial battle of World War II. Nazi Victory is destined to repeat the reception enjoyed by Mr. Thomas's brilliantly written The Battle of the Java Sea.
- GenresWorld War II
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
19 people want to read
About the author
David A. Thomas
19 books1 followerLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: David A. Thomas
David Arthur Thomas is the former director of technology at the National Archives, where he was responsible for systems, the online catalogue, the website and the preservation of digital records. He has a long-standing interest in crime, imprisonment, and poverty, and has written extensively on these topics for family history magazines.
Please see: David A. Thomas
David Arthur Thomas is the former director of technology at the National Archives, where he was responsible for systems, the online catalogue, the website and the preservation of digital records. He has a long-standing interest in crime, imprisonment, and poverty, and has written extensively on these topics for family history magazines.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 19, 2021
Read as a part of the WWII April 2021 book club monthly feature on Goodreads.
The text is exhaustive in its telling of the naval campaign surrounding the battle of Crete. The author lacks a strong sense of “good story telling” although the analysis is pretty thought provoking and interesting. I was also somewhat disappointed by the lack of axis and army perspective during the campaign.
I also found that this book lacked human drama when you could certainly tell the naval effort was desperate! Not sure if I would read this author again as there are many others that offer better. Nonetheless, a good and strong introduction that highlights Admiral Cunningham’s amazing contributions in the Mediterranean campaign.
The text is exhaustive in its telling of the naval campaign surrounding the battle of Crete. The author lacks a strong sense of “good story telling” although the analysis is pretty thought provoking and interesting. I was also somewhat disappointed by the lack of axis and army perspective during the campaign.
I also found that this book lacked human drama when you could certainly tell the naval effort was desperate! Not sure if I would read this author again as there are many others that offer better. Nonetheless, a good and strong introduction that highlights Admiral Cunningham’s amazing contributions in the Mediterranean campaign.
November 29, 2023
From the title, I was expecting this to be an account of the first mainly airborne invasion in military history. The first sentence of the preface set me straight: "This book is a chronicle of naval defeat."
The events the book covers are the evacuation of British forces first from Greece, then the evacuation of Crete. Two miniature Dunkirks, then.
As an American, in spite of my lifelong study of WWII, I remain fairly ignorant of the exploits of the Royal Navy during the war. There was the defeat of the Graf Spree, the sinking of the Bismarck, the loss of the Prince of Wales and Repulse the day after Pearl Harbor, and convoy duties during the Battle of the Atlantic. The story of the Royal Navy's action here in Greece and Crete fills in a big blank for me.
The action here takes place in May 1941. I can't say for sure that naval experts had yet come to fully grasp the consequences of air superiority. At least one British Admiral did understand, though, having ordered the air attack on the Italian Navy based in Taranto, several months earlier.
So, as the first sentence of the preface says, this is a book about a naval defeat. But the Italian Navy didn't participate, and there was no Nazi naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea. It was an early case of air power versus surface ships.
I found the text fairly easy to follow. Often, when there are so many simultaneous actions occurring, authors struggle to tell the tail. Thomas does a fine job. Also, his analysis of the options the various commanders had is even-handed. It is easy to find fault from years in the future, but Thomas avoids that trap.
The events the book covers are the evacuation of British forces first from Greece, then the evacuation of Crete. Two miniature Dunkirks, then.
As an American, in spite of my lifelong study of WWII, I remain fairly ignorant of the exploits of the Royal Navy during the war. There was the defeat of the Graf Spree, the sinking of the Bismarck, the loss of the Prince of Wales and Repulse the day after Pearl Harbor, and convoy duties during the Battle of the Atlantic. The story of the Royal Navy's action here in Greece and Crete fills in a big blank for me.
The action here takes place in May 1941. I can't say for sure that naval experts had yet come to fully grasp the consequences of air superiority. At least one British Admiral did understand, though, having ordered the air attack on the Italian Navy based in Taranto, several months earlier.
So, as the first sentence of the preface says, this is a book about a naval defeat. But the Italian Navy didn't participate, and there was no Nazi naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea. It was an early case of air power versus surface ships.
I found the text fairly easy to follow. Often, when there are so many simultaneous actions occurring, authors struggle to tell the tail. Thomas does a fine job. Also, his analysis of the options the various commanders had is even-handed. It is easy to find fault from years in the future, but Thomas avoids that trap.
May 31, 2010
A good, focused, relatively short read, 230 pages, on Operation Mercury, the
German capture of Crete.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews