KRETA ALS BEISPIEL: GERMAN AIRLIFT DURING THE BATTLE OF CRETE A thesis presented to the Faculty of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND SCIENCE Military History by ALLEN C. MORRIS, JR, MAJ, USAF B.S., Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, 2002 M.A., American Military University, Charles Town, West Virginia, 2011 Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 2014-01 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Form Approved REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 13-06-2014 Masters Thesis AUG 2013 – JUN 2014 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Kreta als Beispiel: German Airlift During the Battle of Crete 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER ALLEN C. MORRIS, JR. 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORG REPORT U.S. Army Command and General Staff College NUMBER ATTN: ATZL-SWD-GD Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2301 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT The Battle of Crete began with the first, and last, division-sized German airdrop of parachute and glider infantry into a contested environment during World War II; it culminated in a massive airlift relief operation with far- reaching strategic aftereffects for the Germans and Allies alike. As such, the campaign set the tone for airborne operations during the war and canonized several tenants of forced entry operations still used today. Luftwaffe commanders conceived Operation Merkur in a resource-limited, time-restricted environment; though victorious, the plan as originally conceived, failed. German airlift shaped this pyrrhic Axis victory by first endangering, and then subsequently saving the German operation. The Germans capitalized on an opportunity and rapidly reinforced a single lodgment via airlift, abandoning previously proven concepts of employment to attempt new tactics which ultimately saved their forces from defeat. Had the Luftwaffe employed its airlift forces at the Battle of Crete to exploit mass and synergy at a single lodgment, the resulting overwhelming force might have drastically changed the conduct of this battle. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Crete, Airlift, Fallschirmjäger, MERKUR, paratroopers 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON OF ABSTRACT OF PAGES a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE 19b. PHONE NUMBER (include area code) (U) (U) (U) (U) 164 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 ii MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND SCIENCE THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Name of Candidate: MAJ Allen C. Morris, Jr. Thesis Title: Kreta als Beispiel: German Airlift During the Battle of Crete Approved by: , Thesis Committee Chair Mark T. Gerges, Ph.D. , Member Mark M. Hull, Ph.D., J.D., FRHistS , Member Maj. Clayne T. Bradley, M.S. Accepted this 13th day of June 2014 by: , Director, Graduate Degree Programs Robert F. Baumann, Ph.D. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student author and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to this study should include the foregoing statement.) iii ABSTRACT KRETA ALS BEISPIEL: GERMAN AIRLIFT DURING THE BATTLE OF CRETE, by Major Allen C. Morris, Jr.,164 pages. The Battle of Crete began with the first, and last, division-sized German airdrop of parachute and glider infantry into a contested environment during World War II. It culminated in a massive airlift relief operation with far-reaching strategic aftereffects for the Germans and Allies alike. As such, the campaign set the tone for airborne operations during the war and canonized several tenants of forced entry operations still used today. Luftwaffe commanders conceived Operation Merkur in a resource-limited, time-restricted environment; though victorious, the plan as originally conceived, failed. German airlift shaped this pyrrhic Axis victory by first endangering, and then subsequently saving the German operation. The Germans capitalized on an opportunity and rapidly reinforced a single lodgment via airlift, abandoning previously proven concepts of employment to attempt new tactics which ultimately saved their forces from defeat. Had the Luftwaffe employed its airlift forces at the Battle of Crete to exploit mass and synergy at a single lodgment, the resulting overwhelming force might have drastically changed the conduct of this battle. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The idea for this thesis started in 2007, when I first read about the Battle of Crete. Throughout my own research I learned that the battle and its outcomes connected to American airlift and airborne doctrine in many ways. Seemingly disregarded in the American airlift community, I wanted to reveal the impact Crete had on how we operate today; the MMAS program at Army CGSC made that possible. I wish to thank my committee, because they saw something in my ideas that sparked their interest. They stuck with me throughout, providing much appreciated instruction, course corrections, and support. Dr. Mark Gerges saw something in my passion for this subject and volunteered to chair. His confidence bolstered mine, and I am forever thankful. Dr. Mark Hull brought his expertise in the German military to the table, and helped make the final product historically correct; I am proud to have worked with you once again, sir. Maj. Clayne Bradley brought his airlift experience and red pen to bear on these ideas, and faithfully corrected my sidetracks and terrible grammar. His support and enjoyment of the writing process made it a pleasure to put thoughts on paper. I want to thank my family and my parents, for understanding that though I am “home” this year, there is still a lot of work to do. Last but far from least, thank you Jess, for your love, feedback, honesty, and all your encouragement. Thanks to you all! v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND SCIENCE THESIS APPROVAL PAGE ............ iii ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................v TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... vi ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 THE GENESIS OF VERTICAL ENVELOPMENT ...................................14 CHAPTER 3 FORMULATING OPERATION MERKUR ..............................................23 CHAPTER 4 THE ASSAULT: 20 MAY 1941 .................................................................56 CHAPTER 5 PYRRHIC VICTORY: 21–23 MAY 1941 ..................................................76 CHAPTER 6 OUTCOMES AND ANALYSIS OF OPERATION MERKUR .................95 CHAPTER 7 CRETE AS AN EXAMPLE ......................................................................120 CHAPTER 8 CONCLUSION: CRETE MATTERS .......................................................133 APPENDIX A THEATER GEOGRAPHY .....................................................................142 APPENDIX B THE ISLAND OF CRETE ......................................................................143 APPENDIX C XI FLIEGERKORPS ORGANIZATION, 20 MAY 1941 ......................144 APPENDIX D XI FLIEGERKORPS ASSAULT, 20 MAY 1941 ...................................145 APPENDIX E REINFORCEMENT AND THE FALL OF CRETE 21-31 MAY 1941 .............................................................................................................146 APPENDIX F JU-52S ENROUTE TO CRETE ..............................................................147 APPENDIX G JU-52 AIRDROPS OVER CRETE .........................................................148 APPENDIX H GEBIRGSJÄGER WAITING TO BOARD JU-52S TO CRETE............150 vi APPENDIX I AIRLIFT AIRCRAFT WRECKED AT MALEME AIRFIELD ..............151 APPENDIX J GENERALS STUDENT AND RINGEL CONFER ON CRETE............153 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................154 vii ACRONYMS GRF Global Response Force HQ Headquarters JFE Joint Forced Entry JOAC Joint Operational Access Concept JP Joint Publication KGzbV Kampfgruppe zur besonderen Verwendung LLStR Luftlande Sturm Regiment MAJCOM Major Command OKH Oberkommando der Heeres OKL Oberkommando der Luftwaffe OKW Oberkommando der Wehrmacht RAF Royal Air Force USAF United States Air Force viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Sweat stung the colonel’s eyes as he perspired in his seat, the afternoon sun beating down through the cockpit glass. He winced and sighed deeply; open windows, even at 120 miles per hour, offered little relief. He thought about the absurdity of wearing a parachute as the Ju-52 transport thundered south, barely 100 feet above the wave tops. Squinting in the sunlight, he pondered the ironic betrayal of the cloudless sky. The transports were easy targets. Glancing right, he saw the ghost-white copilot sweating profusely from under his leather flying helmet. The colonel looked over his shoulder and saw the nervous young faces of the mountain infantrymen stuffed into his aircraft, their knees interlocking, their white edelweiss patches standing out against the grey of their tunics. Most struggled with their collars against the heat or grasped their rifles with white knuckle grips. Airsickness struck many. Throughout the short, unpleasant flight the transport rocked and bounced along in the rough afternoon air currents. As his eyes met those of a particularly young-looking blonde soldier, he nodded and smiled confidently before turning back to watch the mountains and northern coastal plains of Crete steadily grow larger in his windscreen. The island’s green orchards and olive trees appeared inviting, stretching from the mountainsides to the beaches, like a post card from some coastal resort; south of this paradise stood the ominous brown and beige mountains. The colonel recognized the bare earth of the airfield ahead. Maleme, just a white sandy spot hacked into the otherwise green landscape south of the beach, like a scar healed over the island’s flat northwest plain. For a second more it was quiet, with no movement visible. About three miles to the shore, the hardscrabble airfield clearly 1 stood out against the surrounding hills, even from a low altitude. The colonel took a deep breath, smelling the stinging odor of aviation gasoline and getting his first whiff of a more foreboding scent–cordite. The colonel looked down to the wavetops. He recognized that the afternoon sea breeze would force a landing to the north, and turned the yoke to the right slightly to help him offset to the west. The colonel was an old pro; flying to the west of the field kept the landing runway in sight on the inside–the pilot’s side–of the turn, making aligning for landing easier than attempting to do so with a view across the cockpit. A half mile to the shore now, and the red-black-and white swastika marker panels laid out on the airfield were clearly visible. German troops still held the field. Then the sky exploded. Ahead of the transport, geysers of ocean water jumped into the air so close the colonel initially thought he’d have to fly through them before they harmlessly passed below his aircraft. Tracers tracked across the transport’s nose in long angry streaks of red and yellow. He pressed on, dodging through the hail of gunfire; it peppered his fuselage, making sounds like someone throwing gravel against a metal door. The muffled screams of wounded mountain infantrymen behind him sounded out over the growl of the engines. As the old airlift pilot banked hard to his left, turning into the wind, the Ju-52 transport turned belly up to the southern hill making a great black cross in the sky; its ninety-six foot wingspan now an inviting target to the machine gunners hidden in the terrain below. With less than a quarter mile to touchdown, the colonel rolled out of his turn and cut the throttles back, descending rapidly. The tracers arced gracefully overhead, searching for their next target. The colonel glanced away from his landing for an instant, 2