The Fall of Crete 1941: Was Freyberg Culpable?

The Fall of Crete 1941: Was Freyberg Culpable? PDF Author: Major James Bliss
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1786250276
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 221

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Book Description
On 20 May 1941, Generaloberst Kurt Student’s Luftwaffe XI Fliegerkorps conducted the first operational airborne invasion in history to seize Crete. Major-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg VC, 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, commanded the British forces defending the island. Freyberg, forewarned of the details of the invasion, possessed numerical superiority over the enemy, but was defeated within twelve days. Freyberg, later blamed for the defeat due to his perceived faulty defensive dispositions, was dealt a losing hand from the start. His troops consisted of those that could be rescued from the failed Greek Campaign and lacked sufficient weapons, communications, and transport to conduct the defense. Despite the best efforts of the Royal Navy, overwhelming Luftwaffe air superiority in the absence of the Royal Air Force isolated Crete and the relentless drive of the attacking German forces captured it. Poor tactical leadership by Freyberg’s subordinate commanders and their failure to prosecute his operational plan led to defeat by the barest margin. While a tactical loss, Freyberg’s destruction of the 7th Flieger Division resulted in Hitler never considering an operational airborne assault again. Freyberg, although accepting responsibility for the defeat, should not be held entirely culpable for the loss of Crete.

The Fall of Crete 1941: Was Freyberg Culpable?

The Fall of Crete 1941: Was Freyberg Culpable? PDF Author: Major James Bliss
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1786250276
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 221

Get Book Here

Book Description
On 20 May 1941, Generaloberst Kurt Student’s Luftwaffe XI Fliegerkorps conducted the first operational airborne invasion in history to seize Crete. Major-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg VC, 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, commanded the British forces defending the island. Freyberg, forewarned of the details of the invasion, possessed numerical superiority over the enemy, but was defeated within twelve days. Freyberg, later blamed for the defeat due to his perceived faulty defensive dispositions, was dealt a losing hand from the start. His troops consisted of those that could be rescued from the failed Greek Campaign and lacked sufficient weapons, communications, and transport to conduct the defense. Despite the best efforts of the Royal Navy, overwhelming Luftwaffe air superiority in the absence of the Royal Air Force isolated Crete and the relentless drive of the attacking German forces captured it. Poor tactical leadership by Freyberg’s subordinate commanders and their failure to prosecute his operational plan led to defeat by the barest margin. While a tactical loss, Freyberg’s destruction of the 7th Flieger Division resulted in Hitler never considering an operational airborne assault again. Freyberg, although accepting responsibility for the defeat, should not be held entirely culpable for the loss of Crete.

Monte Cassino

Monte Cassino PDF Author: Peter Caddick-Adams
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199974640
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 413

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Book Description
Offers an authoritative account of the lesser-known yet devastatingly brutal battle waged by the Italian campaign during World War II.

Military Review

Military Review PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military art and science
Languages : en
Pages : 60

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Book Description


Combined Arms Center (CAC) Research and Publication Index

Combined Arms Center (CAC) Research and Publication Index PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military art and science
Languages : en
Pages : 60

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Book Description
Index to selected publications of the Combined Arms Center.

Operation Mercury

Operation Mercury PDF Author: John Sadler
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783460539
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description
Unlike the few other books written on the catastrophic fall of Crete in May 1941, this book concentrates on the military actions between the first German paratroop landing on 20 May and the final defeat and evacuation on 30 May. As well as studying the strengths, tactics, leadership and weapons of both sides, the book contains numerous graphic personal anecdotes by participants, be they German, Allied or Cretan. While the battle was a decisive defeat for the Allies, the Germans made a disastrous start. How they recovered from this so spectacularly is well covered.This is a worthy addition to the Battleground series being both a fine study of the conflict and an invaluable guide. The Author has visited Crete on many occasions and knows the ground well.

Freyberg

Freyberg PDF Author: Laurie Barber
Publisher: Hutchinson
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
""Freyberg" is a fascinating study of New Zealand's most famous general during his most consequential years 1941-1945. With recent declassification of intelligence material, used particularly in Crete and Mareth, Freyberg's command capability can be seen in a new light. This book contradicts previous accounts that question Freyberg's competence and describe him as cautious. It reassesses his capacity for highter command, particularly under the impossible circumstances he was faced with and his having to adjust continually to new superiors with different demands. Freyberg's innovative capacity, consistent ability, tenacity, and personal bravery are highlighted during his command in Crete, the Western Desert, Mareth and Cassino. The authors examine Freyberg's battle plans and explain why he deserved to be called the "Salamander of the British Empire"."--Inside front cover.

Disasters and Heroes

Disasters and Heroes PDF Author: Angus Calder
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
Images of war and its commemoration are an everyday presence in contemporary culture, from the embedded reporter in the field to the Last Post at the Menin Gate. Disasters and Heroes: On War, Memory and Representation revisits campaigns from the plains of Troy to recent events in the Balkans, examining how wars are represented and remembered. Angus Calder shows how the 'facts'of war are transformed into myths that condition later responses to war, and how the construction of memory begins with wartime events themselves. Beginning with a section devoted to war memorials and the public remembrance of war, such as D-Day commemorations, the essays collected in Disasters and Heroes then look at the lived experience of war for 'ordinary' people, while the final section deals with literary representation of war, from The Iliad to T.E. Lawrence and on to Christa Wolf's Cassandra. Disasters and Heroes is a thought-provoking collection dealing with issues of major significance which recent events have made painfully topical.

The Fall of the Philippines

The Fall of the Philippines PDF Author: Louis Morton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 664

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Book Description


Officers and Gentlemen

Officers and Gentlemen PDF Author: Evelyn Waugh
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Officers and Gentlemen" by Evelyn Waugh. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Time to Kill

Time to Kill PDF Author: Paul Addison
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 504

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Book Description
In the 50 years since the end of the Second World War, much has been written about the men at the top, but little attention has been given to what soldiering was like for the 'dog-face' and 'squaddy', the NCO's and junior officers. Redressing the balance, this original and powerful book explores the conditions in which the soldiers of many different countries lived and died, as well as their hopes and fears, and their experience of battle. John Erickson, John Keegan, Theodore Wilson and Omer Bartov are among the distinguished cast of historians whose subjects range from GIs in Europe to Indian troops in North Africa, and from the comic overtones of Dad's Army in Britain to the grim earnest of the war on the eastern front, where Russian woman fought as full combatants.