MALEME

'Maleme' (Greek: Μάλεμε) is a town and airport 16km to the west of Chania, in North Western Crete, Greece. It is located in Platanias municipality, in Chania prefecture. Maleme is best known as the place where German paratroopers first attacked Crete in 1941, at the start of the Battle of Crete (''Operation Mercury'') of World War II. They captured the airstrip that was located just outside the town. Many lost their life in the attack and are buried in the German war cemetery located on a hill above Maleme. There is an Royal Air Force (RAF) Memorial to the airmen of 30 and 33 Squadrons who died during the battle. The memorial is located just outside Maleme and overlooks the Iron Bridge across the Tavronitis River. There are many stories of Cretan peasants attacking and killing paratroopers with their farming tools, walking sticks and even their bare hands. A Late Minoan tholos tomb has been discovered in the vicinity of Maleme. The modern town has a few large hotels and several pleasant apartments close to the beach and some bars and a discotheque at the western end. The beach is made of fine pebbles and is popular though often less crowded than the beaches of Gerani, Agia Marina and Platanias.

Contents

War on Crete & post-war events in Maleme

A few historical facts

War on Crete & post-war events in Maleme

'For deeper understanding of the WW2 and post-war Maleme events', please read a Robert Fulghum story "Maleme", where one shall find all associated feelings, that had to take place over the proud people of Crete to find a way to raise such a great memorial place and that have made the pain from WWII events turn out in a memento of peaceful co-existence.
Maleme Memorial on WikiMapia
Do read the Bob Fulghum's story, worth your time. Then visit Maleme memorial place to feel yourself the told story and touch the peace of mind there.

A few historical facts

The (''Operation Mercury'') was headed by Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte on the Nazi side. Allied forces were successful only on blocking the Nazi ships from reaching Crete and opening the main huge invasion on the north coast-lines.
Von der Heydte had a quite hard time to make re-join and lead paratroopers initially sparsely located alongside the north-west coast. With a help of general Ringel's Alpenjaegers (Mountain Yagers) the invasion got ahead to Galatas and Chania.
'A WW2 story' is told about his final success to take-over the that time capital city of Crete,Chania, and says, that after a week of hard fights from both sides, von der Heydte and his men lost under harsh conditions imposed by many injuries on landing parachutes into vineyards and rocky hills and by brave Greek, British and New Zealand defenders many parts of their weaponry, ammunition, supplies, uniforms.
After more than a week the invaders took over of the territory and conquered the city of Chania. Von der Heydte was finally sitting at a small table in a tavern there and asked to seek and bring in the Lord Mayor of the city to ask for unconditional capitulation.
The 'Lord Mayor of the Chania', walked up with a translator to the tavern and once facing at the table to baron von der Heydte, he had, in response to Heydte's request to capitulate and hand-over the city to his hands, surprised the invader at the very Crete-style - saying that he is ready to capitulate, but does not see any officer to hand-over city to and simply rejected to discuss about any capitulation as he does not believe von der Heydte to be any kind of officer at all because he has no such uniform and cannot proof himself by any available means to be an officer...just in shirt, torn of trousers and wounded knees, no cap - he lost it days ago, just a tied handkerchief and only a belt was remembering the original uniform.