Operation Mercury: The German XI Air Corps and the Attack on Crete

 

The German parachute assault on Crete 1941. The German XI Air Corps mounted the German parachute assault on the island of Crete in 1941. It was the last time such a large scale attack was carried out by the Germans, due to the heavy losses they suffered in this operation. This Research Paper is a reprint of the important Pamphhlet No. 38 in the "Periodical Notes on the German Army" series, issued by the War Office at various times during the Second World War. It contains details of the history and organisation of the German Fallschirmjäger (parachute) troops, as well as airlanding troops. It contains a wealth of detail about the operation itself including a number of captured orders and other papers. There are complete descriptions of the Geman paratrooper's equipment, his tasks in the operation and the method of transport to the island. There are also loading charts and diagrams for gliders. This was the only example of a War Office publication devoted entirely to these troops, and is a valuable research aid both into the attack on Crete and the history of the German paratroops.

Author: British War Office
Published by: HMSO

Softcover 108 pages, 20 photographic plates, 4 maps, 6 line drawings,

Book Code:  ML0032