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Post by volkssturm on Aug 5, 2019 12:32:59 GMT -5
Here's an interesting short film on the Battle for Crete. No narration, just combat footage from the battle (at least mostly. There may be some generic footage in there). For those unfamiliar with it, Crete was occupied by British Commonwealth troops when the Germans invaded Greece. The Germans then launched an airborne assault on the island. It was, as the Duke of Wellington said a of Waterloo, "A close run thing." The falschirmjaegers managed to get a toehold and hung on until reinforced by mountain troops brought over by plane and small craft. The Royal Navy controlled the sea around the island but the Luftwaffe controlled the air. Control oft he air proved decisive, with the navy taking serious losses and the British forces forced to withdraw or surrender. However, the German paratroops took such heavy casualties and were so close to disaster that Hitler never allowed another major airborne assault. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvxAE-eALhI
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Kipp
Private
Posts: 86
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Post by Kipp on Aug 5, 2019 17:19:04 GMT -5
I always love looking at the older film and letting the images speak for themselves. It is a wonderful concept of recorded history and on this film is truly unique for its campaign. For me, the German gliders briefly shown in the aerial camera angle was very intriguing.
On a personal level, I had family who lived in Australia since 1935 and joined the armed forces for WWII. Some went to Europe, but the one I am the closest with was in Burma (he's a happy bloke who is 98 years young). I do not know if any of my relatives were there, but I do know they were ANZAC's. Thanks for sharing!
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Post by norseman on Aug 5, 2019 17:49:57 GMT -5
The Germans were some magnificent bastards! But..... just like the Confederates choose unfortunately to be on the wrong side of morality.
I do feel that they have become the scapegoats. You cannot buy German Wehrmacht army men with the correct flag. You get the modern German flag. But you can buy IJA army men with the correct flag. Both were brutal fascist regimes.
A couple of years ago while visiting Pearl Harbor I witnessed Japanese American kids wearing rising sun t shirts and surfboards within eye shot of the USS Arizona.
It’s a double standard and I do not get it.
My grandfather served in WW2 and my wife’s family has served in every war from the Civil war forward, as German Americans my wife’s grandfather was never forgiven for fighting for the USA. His wife was fresh off the boat from Germany and still went back to visit family.
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Post by volkssturm on Aug 5, 2019 23:07:05 GMT -5
Crete would be a good scenario for an airsoft game, especially in areas with Mediterranean climates. It was pretty much an infantry battle between relatively small units in dry, rugged, mountainous terrain. The only problem is everybody would want to be a falschirmjaeger or gebirgsjaeger.
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Post by volkssturm on Aug 5, 2019 23:21:31 GMT -5
There was a made for TV movie, "Sword of Honour" (2001), that was partially set in the Battle for Crete. It's based on a WWII trilogy of satirical novels by Evelyn Waugh (he was a guy. Evelyn is also a man's name in the UK). Not well known in the US these days, he was a staple of English classes back in the stone age as an example of satire. Waugh actually served on Crete with a Commando unit and later as a liaison officer in Yugoslavia with Randolph Churchill. Well made movie, good costuming, good sets, but they made an error in casting Daniel (007) Craig in the role of the main character, Guy Crouchback, a somewhat naïve, bumbling well intentioned mid-30's lower upper-class type. They would have been better with Hugh Grant or Hugh Laurie.
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