Battle of Heraklion

Battle of Heraklion
	Part of World War II, Battle of Crete
	; A stick of German paratroopers exiting from a Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft over the town of Heraklion during the German airborne assault on the north coast of Crete. The large smoke plume (centre) indicates the site of a German Ju 52, shot down by allied ground fire.
Date	20 May 1941
Location	Heraklion, Crete
Result	German victory
Belligerents
Australia; Greece; United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Brian Chappel	Bruno Bräuer

A stick of German paratroopers exiting from a Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft near the town of Heraklion during the German airborne assault on the north coast of Crete. A second Ju 52 is burning and trailing smoke, after being hit by allied ground fire.

The Battle of Heraklion was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete.^[1] It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the codename Unternehmen Merkur ("Operation Mercury"). British, Australian and Greek forces defended the Heraklion port and airfield.

Heraklion was defended by the British 14th Infantry Brigade, augmented by the Australian 2/4th Battalion with attached 7th Battery of the 2/3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment^[2] and the Greek 3rd, 7th and Garrison Battalions.

References

↑ http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/records/awmohww2/army/vol2/awmohww2-army-vol2-ch13.pdf Chapter 13 - Heraklion
↑ Rae, CJE, Harris, AL & Bryant, RK 1987, On target: the story of the 2/3 Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment from formation on 18th July 1940 until disbandment on 14 July 1943 and the subsequent service of 7th Battery, 8th Battery, and 9th Battery, until the end of World War II, 2/3rd Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Association, [Melbourne], http://antiaircraft.org.au/about-us/on-target.

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[1] ttp://www.awm.gov.au/collection/records/awmohww2/army/vol2/awmohww2-army-vol2-ch13.pdf Chapter 13 - Heraklion

[2] Rae, CJE, Harris, AL & Bryant, RK 1987, On target: the story of the 2/3 Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment from formation on 18th July 1940 until disbandment on 14 July 1943 and the subsequent service of 7th Battery, 8th Battery, and 9th Battery, until the end of World War II, 2/3rd Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Association, [Melbourne], http://antiaircraft.org.au/about-us/on-target.