This is the complete

order of battle In modern use, the order of battle of an armed force participating in a military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the armed ...

for the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...

and related operations in 1941.

Allied

Land forces

Commonwealth & Allied Forces, Crete - "Creforce"

;Headquarters Creforce - (Eastern Zone, east of Chania) :Major-General

Bernard Freyberg Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963) was a British-born New Zealand soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, who served as the 7th Governor-General of New Zealand from 1946 to 1952. Freyb ...

, VC, Colonel Stewart * C Squadron,

3rd The King's Own Hussars The 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and the Second World Wars, before being amalgamated with the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, to ...

(seven light tanks) :Major G.W.Peck :10

Light Tank Mk VI The Tank, Light, Mk VI was a British light tank, produced by Vickers-Armstrongs in the late 1930s, which saw service during the Second World War. Development history The Tank, Light, Mk VI was the sixth in the line of light tanks built by Vi ...

s * B Squadron,

7th Royal Tank Regiment The 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7th RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army from 1917 until disbandment in 1959. History The 7th Royal Tank Regiment was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. The regimen ...

:Lieutenant George Simpson :Two Matilda tanks, crewed in part by two officers and five gunners of the 2/3rd Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (RAA). * 1st Battalion, The Welch Regiment :Lieutenant Colonel A. Duncan, MC (Force Reserve)

2nd New Zealand Division

;Headquarters New Zealand Division - Brigadier, Acting Major General Edward Puttick - (Western Zone, west of Chania) * 27th New Zealand Machine Gun Battalion (Lt. Col. FJ Gwilliam) (179 personnel) * 5th New Zealand Field Artillery Regiment (less infantry detachment) (256 personnel) * 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Brig. Lindsay Inglis) between Chania and Galatas ** 18th New Zealand Infantry Battalion (677 personnel) ** 19th New Zealand Infantry Battalion (565 personnel) ** 20th New Zealand Infantry Battalion (637 personnel) ** 1st Light Troop, RA (87 personnel) * 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Brig. James Hargest) ( Maleme and

Platanias Platanias (Greek: Πλατανιάς) is a village and municipality on the Greek island of Crete. It is located about west from the city of Chania and east of Kissamos, on Chania Bay. The seat of the municipality is the village Gerani. Platania ...

) ** 21st New Zealand Infantry Battalion (376 personnel) ** 22nd New Zealand Infantry Battalion (644 personnel) ** 23rd New Zealand Infantry Battalion (571 personnel) **

28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion 28 (twenty-eight) is the natural number following 27 and preceding 29. In mathematics It is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14. Twenty-eight is the second perfect number - it is the sum of its proper diviso ...

(619 personnel) ** 7th Field Company

New Zealand Engineers The Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RNZEME) was a New Zealand Army Corps comprising Army trained tradesmen (craftsmen) who repaired Army equipment wherever New Zealand Forces served. Prior to 1946 NZEME functions were carr ...

(148 personnel) ** 19th Army Field Corps Company (216 personnel) ** New Zealand Field Punishment Centre (FPC) Prisoners were released to fight the enemy. ** 1st Greek Regiment (1,030 personnel), (Col. IP Papadimitropoulos) ** Evelpidon Officers' Academy (17 Officers, 300 Cadets), (Lt. Col. Loukas Kitsos) * 10th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Lt. Col.

Howard Kippenberger Major General Sir Howard Karl Kippenberger, (28 January 1897 – 5 May 1957), known as "Kip", was an officer of the New Zealand Military Forces who served in the First and Second World Wars. Born in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, Kippen ...

) ( Galatas) ** New Zealand Divisional Cavalry (194 personnel) ** New Zealand Composite Battalion (1007 personnel) ** 6th Greek Regiment (Lt. Col. M Grigoriou)(1485 personnel) ** 8th Greek Regiment (Lt. Col. Pan Karkoulas)(1013 personnel)

British 14th Infantry Brigade

* Headquarters, 14 Bde (Brig. Brian Herbert Chappel) – at

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban A ...

** 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment (Lt. Col. CHV Cox, DSO, MC) (637 personnel) ** 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment (Lt. Col. A Gilroy) (742 personnel) ** 2nd Battalion, Black Watch (Major AA Pitcairn, temporary commander) (867 personnel) ** 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Lt. Col. RCB Anderson, DSO, MC) (655 personnel) –

Tymbaki Tympaki ( el, Τυμπάκι) is a town and a former municipality in the Heraklion regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reforms it is part of the municipality of Faistos, of which it is a municipal unit, the unit has an ar ...

sector ** 7th Medium Regiment, RA (Maj. R.J.B. Snook, DSO ( wounded - 20 May 1941). No artillery weaponsa; equipped and served at Crete as infantry. (450 personnel) ''Attached to 14 Bde'': ** Australian 2/4th Battalion (Lt. Col.

Ivan Dougherty Major General Sir Ivan Noel Dougherty, (6 April 1907 – 4 March 1998) was an Australian Army officer during the Second World War and early Cold War period. Education and early life Ivan Noel Dougherty was born on 6 April 1907 in Leadville, Ne ...

) (550 personnel) ** Greek 3rd Regiment (Lt. Col Ant Betinakis) (656 personnel) ** Greek 7th Regiment (Col. E Cheretis) (877 personnel) ** Greek Garrison Battalion (commander unknown; ex- Greek 5th "Crete" Division, left behind as a garrison when their division was summoned to defend the mainland) 830 personnel)

19th Australian Infantry Brigade

Mobile Base Defence Organization

;Headquarters Mobile Base Defence Organization - Maj.-Gen. CE Weston-

Souda Bay Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greece, Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akr ...

* 15th Coast Regiment, RA * "S" Royal Marine Composite Battalion, Maj. R Garrett (Royal Marines) * 1st Battalion, The Rangers, The King's Royal Rifle Corps - (later designated 9th Battalion, The

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...

(The Rangers)) *

102nd (Northumberland Hussars) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery The Northumberland Hussars was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, transferred to the Royal Artillery for the duration of the Second World War. It was disbanded as an independent Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when the strength of t ...

- no equipment, used as infantry * 106th (Lancashire Hussars) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. AF Hely * 16th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion - 350 officers and men
Formed from the under strength 2/2nd and 2/3rd Australian Infantry Battalions * 17th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion - 270 officers and men
Formed from the understrength 2/5th and 2/6th Australian Infantry Battalions * 2nd Greek Regiment - 930 Officers and Men * 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Marines

Naval forces

* Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet - Admiral Sir Andrew B Cunningham

Forces A1

;Force A1 - Rear Admiral H B Rawlings (R.A., 7th Cruiser Squadron) * ''Queen Elizabeth''-class battleships ** HMS ''Warspite'' (03) - Captain DB Fisher - damaged ** HMS ''Valiant'' (02) - Capt. CE Morgan - damaged * G and H-class destroyers ** - Cmdr. WR Marshall-A'Deane, Sunk 22 May 1941 ** - Lt. KRC Letts ** - Lt. GRG Watkins ** - Cmdr. HW Briggs * J-class destroyer ** - Lt. Cmdr. JFW Hine

Force B

Force B - Capt. Henry A Rowley * Light cruisers ** HMS ''Gloucester'' (62) - Capt. Henry A Rowley, sunk 22 May 1941 with the loss of 722 crew ** HMS ''Fiji'' (58) - Capt. PBRW William-Powlett, sunk 22 May 1941 ** HMS ''Orion'' (85) - Capt. GRB Back - damaged ** HMS ''Dido'' (37) - Capt. HWV McCall - damaged * Destroyers ** HMS ''Decoy'' (H75) - Cmdr. EG McGregor ** HMS ''Hereward'' (H93) - Lt. WJ Munn, sunk by enemy aircraft 29 May 1941. ** HMS ''Hotspur'' (H01) - Lt.Cmdr. CPF Brown ** HMS ''Imperial'' (D09) - Lt. Cmdr. CA De W Kitcat, sunk 29 May 1941 off Crete ** HMS ''Jackal'' (F22) - Lt. Cmdr. MP Jonas ** HMS ''Kimberley'' (F50) - Lt. Cmdr. JSM Richardson

Force C

Force D

Force E

;Force E - Captain JP Mack (CO 14th Destroyer Flotilla) * - Capt. (D2) H St L Nicholson * - Capt. (D14) P J Mack * - Lt. Cmdr. Max Joshua Clark * - Capt. TC Hampton - damaged

5th Destroyer Flotilla

5th Destroyer Flotilla - Captain

Mountbatten The Mountbatten family is a British dynasty that originated as an English branch of the German princely Battenberg family. The name was adopted on 14 July 1917, three days before the British royal family changed its name to “Windsor”, by ...

* HMS ''Kelly'' (F01) - Capt. Lord Louis Mountbatten, Sunk 23 May 1941 * HMS ''Kashmir'' (F12) - Cmdr. HA King, Sunk 23 May 1941 * HMS ''Kelvin'' (F37) - Cmdr. JH Alison - damaged * HMS ''Jackal'' (F22) - Lt.Cmdr. MP Jonas * HMS ''Kipling'' (F91) - Cmdr. A St Clair-Ford

Evacuation Fleet

Sphakia evacuation force - Rear-Admiral King * HMS ''Phoebe'' - Capt. G Grantham, light cruiser * HMAS ''Perth'' - Capt. Sir P.W. Bowyer-Smith, light cruiser - damaged * HMS ''Coventry'' - Capt. WP Carne, light cruiser * HMS ''Calcutta'' - Capt. DM Lees, Anti-aircraft cruiser, sunk 1 June 1941 with 255 survivors * HMS ''Glengyle'' - Capt. CH Petrie, Landing Ship, Infantry (Large) * HMAS ''Napier'' (G97) - Capt. Stephen Harry Tolson Arliss RN, N-class Flotilla Leader. * HMAS ''Nizam'' (G38) - Lt. Cmdr. Max Joshua Clark * HMS ''Kelvin'' (F37) - Cmdr. JH Alison * HMS ''Kandahar'' (F28) - Cmdr. WGA Robson

Air forces

* Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, Middle East - Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore **

No. 30 Squadron RAF Number 30 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft and is based at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. The squadron was first formed as a unit of the Royal Flying Corps in 1915, serving through the rest of t ...

(Squadron Leader RA Milward/Sqn. Ldr. Shannon) - Bristol Blenheim **

No. 33 Squadron RAF Number 33 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Westland Puma HC.2 from RAF Benson, Oxfordshire. History First World War No. 33 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed from part of No. 12 Squadron at Filton on 12 January 1916. F ...

(Sqn. Ldr. MT StJ Prattle/Sqn.Ldr. Edward Howell, OBE, DFC) - Gloster Gladiator,

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

No. 80 Squadron RAF No. 80 Squadron RAF was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force squadron active from 1917 until 1969. It was operative during both World War I and World War II. Establishment and early service Founded on 1 August 1917 at RAF Montrose, equipped ...

(Sqn. Ldr. EG Jones) - Gloster Gladiator,

No. 112 Squadron RAF No. 112 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It served in both the First World War and Second World War and was active for three periods during the Cold War. It is nicknamed "The Shark Squadron", an allusion to the fact that it was t ...

(Sqn. Ldr. LG Schwab) - Gloster Gladiator,

No. 203 Squadron RAF No. 203 Squadron RAF was originally formed as No. 3 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service. It was renumbered No. 203 when the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918. History First World War The squadron can be traced to The Eastchurch Squadron, wh ...

- Bristol Blenheim

Axis forces

Land, Airborne and Air forces

''Fliegerkorps XI''

''Fliegerkorps VIII''

''Luftflotte IV''

''Luftlande Sturmregiment''

Two glider companies were detached and seconded to 7th Flieger Division, below

7th ''Flieger Division''

''The 2nd Battalion of the 2nd FJ Rgt was used with the 1st FJ Rgt''

5th ''Gebirgs'' Division

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Crete Order of Battle

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Crete Order Of Battle

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

Order of Battle In modern use, the order of battle of an armed force participating in a military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the armed ...