Fallschirmjager in Crete, 1941 The Merkur Operation

Crete's invasion by German paratroopers in 1941 became and remains the role model for all airborne military operations in the twentieth century. Crete was a military centre with major naval strategic importance, and the Allies had expected an Axis seaborne invasion to capture it. Instead, an elite attack force of crack airborne troops, followed by transport aircraft, took the island in hours and the Luftwaffe's dominance of skies ensured that no Allied naval retaliation was possible. This book explains the organisation of the operation and proceeds to document with first hand accounts from actual participants in the invasion force each step of the battle.

Jean-Yves Nasse
Hardcover large format 160 pages