Providing an account of the struggle for Crete during World War II, this book contains some of the author's own experiences as a Medical Officer at the time of the battle. The author describes the leadership, the geography, the communications problems and the delayed counter-attack.

Beretning om Tyskernes invasion af Kreta i 1941, herunder de tyske faldskærmstroppers bekæmpelse af de spredte dårligt bevæbnede engelske og græske styrker samt den civile græske modstandskamp. Operationerne varede 10 dage.

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.

In contrast to the Greek mainland, the Nazis occupied most of Crete between 1941 - 45. After the German troops' defeat in North Africa, Crete was turned into a fortress. This study examines the goals, methods and effectiveness of the German occupation policy, the reactions of the Cretan administration and of the population in particular, and also describes the opponents' combat operations. The study is based not only on written papers, documents and files of Greek, Cretan, British and German origin, but also on letters, manuscripts, expos'es and interviews by and with contemporary witnesses.