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Operation Mercury Battle of Crete [Mission]

The Battle of Crete (German: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, Greek: Μάχη της Κρήτης) was part of the Greek Campaign during World War II, and took place on the Greek island of Crete. The battle began on the morning of May 20, 1941, when Germany launched a military operation codenamed "Operation Mercury" (German: Unternehmen Merkur), which involved airborne and landing troops on Crete under the escort of the Luftwaffe and the Italian Royal Navy. The island was defended by the Greek Resistance Movement and the Allies.

After the first day of fighting, the Allied forces, led by the British, suffered extremely high casualties, but were unable to effectively block the German offensive. On the second day, due to problems with the Allied communications, the Allied commanders were unable to grasp the situation in time, causing the Maleme Airport on the west side of the island to fall into the hands of the Germans, allowing the Germans to airlift a large number of reinforcements, overwhelming the Allies in numbers and eventually completely controlling Crete.