Germans capture Crete

A blazing German troop-carrier (JU-52), hit by machine-gun fire from an entrenchment adjacent to the bombed area during the invasion of Crete, May 1941. Parachute troops and equipment are seen descending.

The Axis Operation MERCURY was the invasion of the island of Crete. Despite early setbacks following the iniitial parachute and glider landings, including a failed seaborne landing, further airborne landings, the eventual capture of Maleme Airfield in western Crete, and a seaborne landing, forced an Allied evacuation. Those not evacuated by the Royal Navy eventually surrendered and the few who evaded capture joined the local resistance.