260: Crete Pt. 5 - Failed Counterattacks

History of the Second World War

Wesley Livesay

Society & Culture, Documentary, History

4.5 • 626 Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2026

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Royal Navy's success in turning back the German invasion convoys in the waters north of Crete on the night of May 21st removed the threat of a seaborne landing, but it could not undo the damage done by Commander Freyberg's obsession with that very threat. This episode examines how Freyberg's misreading of Ultra intelligence about the 5th Mountain Division led him to hoard troops along the coast and withhold artillery from targets plainly visible in front of them, all while the Germans steadily expanded their grip on Maleme airfield. The doomed Allied counter-attack of May 22nd — delayed until daylight, shattered by German fighters before it could reach the runway — marks the decisive turning point of the battle. With General Julius Ringel arriving to assume command and concentrate all German effort on driving east from Maleme, the British began their retreat toward Galatas, conceding any chance of recovering the airfield. Meanwhile, at Rethymno and Heraklion, Allied forces were holding on and even turning German supply drops to their own advantage — a stark contrast to the unraveling situation in the west that sets the stage for the final collapse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.
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0:32.4	Thank you. Hello everyone and welcome to another history of the second World War episode.
0:48.0	This time, it's 260, Crete Part 5, failed counterattacks.
0:53.6	This week, a big thank you goes out to Ross for becoming
0:55.9	a podcast member. Members get access to ad-free versions of all of the podcast episodes, plus
1:01.0	special member-only episodes roughly once a month. Head on over to History of the Second World War.com
1:06.1	slash members to find out more. The actions at sea on the night of May 21st and into the 22nd
1:13.0	were an important moment for the Battle of Crete, because the work done by the Royal Navy,
1:17.9	pushing back the two invasion flotillas, finally removed the threat of a seaborn invasion
1:23.3	from the list of things that the defenders on the island needed to be concerned about.
1:28.1	Since the very first moment that the Germans had started bringing in troops by air on the 20th,
1:32.8	the possibility of a seaborne invasion had caused Freiburg and other British officers
1:37.4	to focus far too much time and effort on preparing for that possibility.
	...

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