# Battle of Crete order of battle

This is the complete order of battle for the Battle of Crete and related operations in 1941.

## Allied
### Land forces
#### Commonwealth & Allied forces, Crete - "Creforce"
##### Headquarters Creforce - (Eastern Zone, east of Chania)

    Major-general Bernard Freyberg, VC, Colonel Stewart
* C Squadron, 3rd The King's Own Hussars (seven light tanks)
    Major G.W.Peck
    10 Light Tank Mk VIs
* B Squadron, 7th Royal Tank Regiment
    Lieutenant George Simpson
    Two Matilda tanks, crewed in part by two officers and five gunners of the 2/3rd Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (RAA).
* 1st Battalion, the Welch Regiment
    Lieutenant Colonel A. Duncan, MC (force reserve)

#### 2nd New Zealand Division
##### Headquarters New Zealand Division - Brigadier, Acting Major General Edward Puttick - (Western Zone, west of Chania)

* 27th New Zealand Machine Gun Battalion (Lt. Col. FJ Gwilliam) (179 personnel)
* 5th New Zealand Field Artillery Regiment (less infantry detachment) (256 personnel)
* 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Brig. Lindsay Inglis) between Chania and Galatas
** 18th New Zealand Infantry Battalion (677 personnel)
** 19th New Zealand Infantry Battalion (565 personnel)
** 20th New Zealand Infantry Battalion (637 personnel)
** 1st Light Troop, RA (87 personnel)
* 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Brig. James Hargest) (Maleme and Platanias)
** 21st New Zealand Infantry Battalion (376 personnel)
** 22nd New Zealand Infantry Battalion (644 personnel)
** 23rd New Zealand Infantry Battalion (571 personnel)
** 28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion (619 personnel)
** 7th Field Company New Zealand Engineers (148 personnel)
** 19th Army Field Corps Company (216 personnel)
** New Zealand Field Punishment Centre (FPC) Prisoners were released to fight the enemy.
** 1st Greek Regiment (1,030 personnel), (Col. IP Papadimitropoulos)
** Evelpidon Officers' Academy (17 officers, 300 cadets), (Lt. Col. Loukas Kitsos)
* 10th New Zealand Infantry Brigade (Lt. Col. Howard Kippenberger) (Galatas)
** New Zealand Divisional Cavalry (194 personnel)
** New Zealand Composite Battalion (1,007 personnel)
** 6th Greek Regiment (Lt. Col. M Grigoriou)(1,485 personnel)
** 8th Greek Regiment (Lt. Col. Pan Karkoulas)(1,013 personnel)

#### British 14th Infantry Brigade

* Headquarters, 14 Bde (Brig. Brian Herbert Chappel) – at Heraklion
** 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment (Lt. Col. CHV Cox, DSO, MC) (637 personnel)
** 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment (Lt. Col. A Gilroy) (742 personnel)
** 2nd Battalion, Black Watch (Major AA Pitcairn, temporary commander) (867 personnel)
** 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Lt. Col. RCB Anderson, DSO, MC) (655 personnel) – Tymbaki sector
** 7th Medium Regiment, RA (Maj. R.J.B. Snook, DSO (wounded - 20 May 1941). No artillery weapons; equipped and served at Crete as infantry. (450 personnel)
Attached to 14 Bde:
** Australian 2/4th Battalion (Lt. Col. Ivan Dougherty) (550 personnel)
** Greek 3rd Regiment (Lt. Col Ant Betinakis) (656 personnel)
** Greek 7th Regiment (Col. E Cheretis) (877 personnel)
** Greek Garrison Battalion (commander unknown; ex-Greek 5th "Crete" Division, left behind as a garrison when their division was summoned to defend the mainland) 830 personnel)

#### 19th Australian Infantry Brigade

| Unit | Commander | Remarks |
| HQ 19 Brigade | Brig. George Vasey | At Georgioupolis |
| 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion | Lt. Col. Ian R. Campbell | 620 personnel; Rethymno; Campbell commanded all Allied forces in the Rethymno area |
| 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion | Lt. Col. Ray Sandover | 650 personnel; Rethymno |
| 2/7th Australian Infantry Battalion | Lt. Col. Theo Walker (par. 21) | About 550 personnel. Based at Heraklion; redeployed to Maleme and saw action in the Souda-Chania area ("42nd Street") during the battle. |
| 2/8th Australian Infantry Battalion | Lt. Col. John W. Mitchell | About 400 personnel. Based at Chania; reinforced British forces around Perivolia and Mournies, and saw action in the Souda-Chania area ("42nd Street") during the battle. |
| No. 5 Battery, 2/3rd Field Regiment | | |
| No. 6 Battery, 2/3rd Field Regiment | Maj. I. J. Bessell-Browne | 90 personnel, equipped with captured Italian weapons: four 100 mm guns and four 75 mm guns. |
| 4th Greek Regiment | Col. M. Trifon | 1,300 personnel; Rethymno |
| 5th Greek Regiment | Lt. Col. I Servos | 1,200 personnel; Rethymno |
| Gendarmerie Privates School | Col. Iak Chaniotis | 916 personnel; Rethymno |

#### Mobile Base Defence Organization
##### Headquarters Mobile Base Defence Organization - Maj.-Gen. CE Weston-Souda Bay

* 15th Coast Regiment, RA
* "S" Royal Marine Composite Battalion, Maj. R Garrett (Royal Marines)
* 1st Battalion, the Rangers, the King's Royal Rifle Corps - (later designated 9th Battalion, the King's Royal Rifle Corps (the Rangers))
* 102nd (Northumberland Hussars) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery - no equipment, used as infantry
* 106th (Lancashire Hussars) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. AF Hely
* 16th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion - 350 officers and men Formed from the under strength 2/2nd and 2/3rd Australian infantry battalions
* 17th Australian Brigade Composite Battalion - 270 officers and men Formed from the understrength 2/5th and 2/6th Australian infantry battalions
* 2nd Greek Regiment - 930 officers and men
* 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Marines

### Naval forces

* Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet - Admiral Sir Andrew B Cunningham

#### Forces A1
##### Force A1 - Rear Admiral H B Rawlings (R.A., 7th Cruiser Squadron)

* Queen Elizabeth-class battleships
** HMS Warspite (03) - Captain DB Fisher - damaged
** HMS Valiant (02) - Captain CE Morgan - damaged
* G and H-class destroyers
** HMS Greyhound (H05) - Cmdr. WR Marshall-A'Deane, sunk 22 May 1941
** HMS Griffin (H31) - Lt. KRC Letts
** HMS Havock (H43) - Lt. GRG Watkins
** HMS Hero (H99) - Cmdr. HW Briggs
* J-class destroyer
** HMS Jaguar (F34) - Lt. Cmdr. JFW Hine

#### Force B

Force B - Capt. Henry A Rowley
* Light cruisers
** HMS Gloucester (62) - Capt. Henry A Rowley, sunk 22 May 1941 with the loss of 722 crew
** HMS Fiji (58) - Capt. PBRW William-Powlett, sunk 22 May 1941
** HMS Orion (85) - Capt. GRB Back - damaged
** HMS Dido (37) - Capt. HWV McCall - damaged
* Destroyers
** HMS Decoy (H75) - Cmdr. EG McGregor
** HMS Hereward (H93) - Lt. WJ Munn, sunk by enemy aircraft 29 May 1941
** HMS Hotspur (H01) - Lt.Cmdr. CPF Brown
** HMS Imperial (D09) - Lt. Cmdr. CA De W Kitcat, sunk 29 May 1941 off Crete
** HMS Jackal (F22) - Lt. Cmdr. MP Jonas
** HMS Kimberley (F50) - Lt. Cmdr. JSM Richardson

#### Force C

Force C - Rear Admiral Edward Leigh Stuart King (C.O. 15th Cruiser Squadron) :
| Ship | Commander | Armament | Tonnage | Remarks |
| HMS Naiad (93) | Capt. MHA Kelsey | | | Light cruiser - damaged |
| HMAS Perth (D29) | Capt. Sir PW Bowyer-Smyth | 8x6 inch guns, 8x4 inch guns, 4x3 pdr guns, 8x21 inch torpedo tubes | 6,830 tons | Light cruiser - damaged |
| HMS Kandahar (F28) | Cmdr. WGA Robson | | | Destroyer |
| HMS Nubian (F36) | Cmdr. RW Ravenhill | | | Destroyer - damaged |
| HMS Kingston (F64) | Lt. Cmdr. P Sommerville | | | Destroyer - damaged |
| HMS Juno (F46) | Cmdr. St John Tyrwhitt | | | Destroyer Sunk 21 May 1941 |
| HMS Calcutta (D82) | Capt. DM Lees | | | Anti-aircraft cruiser Sunk 1 June 1941 within one hundred miles of Alexandria |

#### Force D

Force D - Rear-Admiral Irvine Glennie Destruction of Lupo Convoy (21–22 May 1941) :
| Ship | Commander | Remarks |
| HMS Dido (37) | Capt. HW McCall | Light cruiser- damaged |
| HMS Orion (85) | Capt. PBRW William-Powlett | Light cruiser - damaged |
| HMS Ajax (22) | Capt. EDB McCarthy | Light cruiser - damaged |
| HMS Janus (F53) | Cmdr. JAW Tothill | Destroyer |
| HMS Hasty (H24) | Lt.Cmdr. LRK Tyrwhitt | Destroyer |
| HMS Hereward (H93) | Lt. WJ Munn | Destroyer - sunk by enemy aircraft 29 May 1941 |
| HMS Kimberley | Lt. Cmdr. JSM Richardson | Destroyer |

#### Force E
##### Force E - Captain JP Mack (CO 14th Destroyer Flotilla)

* HMS Ilex (D61) - Capt. (D2) H St L Nicholson
* HMS Jervis (F00) - Capt. (D14) P J Mack
* HMAS Nizam (G38) - Lt. Cmdr. Max Joshua Clark
* HMS Carlisle (D67) - Capt. TC Hampton - damaged

#### 5th Destroyer Flotilla

5th Destroyer Flotilla - Captain Mountbatten
* HMS Kelly (F01) - Capt. Lord Louis Mountbatten, sunk 23 May 1941
* HMS Kashmir (F12) - Cmdr. HA King, sunk 23 May 1941
* HMS Kelvin (F37) - Cmdr. JH Alison - damaged
* HMS Jackal (F22) - Lt.Cmdr. MP Jonas
* HMS Kipling (F91) - Cmdr. A St Clair-Ford

#### Evacuation Fleet

* HMS Ajax
Sphakia evacuation force - Rear-Admiral King
* HMS Phoebe - Capt. Guy Grantham, light cruiser
* HMAS Perth - Capt. Sir P.W. Bowyer-Smith, light cruiser - damaged
* HMS Coventry - Capt. WP Carne, light cruiser
* HMS Calcutta - Capt. DM Lees, anti-aircraft cruiser, sunk 1 June 1941 with 255 survivors
* HMS Glengyle - Capt. CH Petrie, landing ship, infantry (large)
* HMAS Napier (G97) - Capt. Stephen Harry Tolson Arliss RN, N-class flotilla Leader.
* HMAS Nizam (G38) - Lt. Cmdr. Max Joshua Clark
* HMS Kelvin (F37) - Cmdr. JH Alison
* HMS Kandahar (F28) - Cmdr. WGA Robson

### Air forces

* Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, Middle East - Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore
** No. 30 Squadron RAF (Squadron Leader RA Milward/Sqn. Ldr. Shannon) - Bristol Blenheim
** No. 33 Squadron RAF (Sqn. Ldr. MT StJ Prattle/Sqn.Ldr. Edward Howell, OBE, DFC) - Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane
** No. 80 Squadron RAF (Sqn. Ldr. EG Jones) - Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane
** No. 112 Squadron RAF (Sqn. Ldr. LG Schwab) - Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane
** No. 203 Squadron RAF - Bristol Blenheim

## Axis forces
### Land, airborne and air forces
#### Luftlande Sturmregiment

Headquarters Luftlande Sturmregiment - Generalmajor Eugen Meindl, then Col. Ramcke, Maj. Braun :
| Unit | Commander | Remarks |
| 1st Battalion | Major Walter Koch | Glider battalion |
| 2nd Battalion | Major Edgar Stentzler | |
| 3rd Battalion | Major Otto Scherber | |
| 4th Battalion | Hauptmann (Captain) Walter Gericke | |
Two glider companies were detached and seconded to 7th Flieger Division, below

#### 7th Flieger Division

The 2nd Battalion of the 2nd FJ Rgt was used with the 1st FJ Rgt in Heraklion