Off to Crete....

[Allan P.]

I'm off to Crete for the family holiday in a couple of weeks.

Anyone know of any interesting sites to see?

Thanks,

Allan

[JYN]

Dear Allan,

Well, if you are going to rent a car, there is a nice private museum on the road which is going to Sphakia. The owner who died few years ago has been collected relics from the BEF withdrawal and you will find also some FJ stuff.
Avoid Heraklion, there is not too much to see there and go to Chania and Maleme. There are two nice museums in Chania where you could find few evocations of the battle of Crete. A good source book easy to carry is the After the Battle Crete Special issue. You will find some english reprints overthere but there are a bit pricy. Anyway, enjoy your trip !

Jean-Yves

[Willi Z.]

Dear Allan,

As Jean-Yves (who I met in Crete last year at both Maleme and downtown Chania during the 60th anniversary of the battle) said, Heraklion is not very exciting. There is a small "Battle of Crete" museum there. Visit the German cemetary on hill 107 at Maleme for sure. Many battle sights are in the near area.....bridges, etc. Make a stop at Suda Bay, for the Allied cemetary. I went to that small private museum on the way to Sphakia........it was filled with battlefield pickups. The visitor who arrived at the museum just before I got there was a Sturm Rgt veteran....Then I hiked the Imboss gorge, which was a major British retreat route and leads to Sphakia. As JY mentioned, get the After the Battle issue to find the Sturm Rgt monument (not sure how much is still there, the eagle was being sent back to Germany to be restored and placed at Stendal). You can easily find the major drop zones of FJR1,2 and 3...along with both the glider landings areas and drop zones of the Sturm Rgt.

Regards,

Willi

[JYN]

Dear Allan,

Concerning the flight, as you are from UK, you will probably landed by Chania which is a bit less exited than landing on Heraklion airfield.
I forgot, a little museum located in Galatas by the church. If you go there you could easily have a look at the Prison.
My next book Fallschirmjaeger in Crete will be avaible in two weeks, you will be probably already on your way.

If you go to the German Cemetery; go to the top of it, you will find a path (through vineyards) which will take you to little chapell and a Cross (HILL 107) and some rest of a BEF AA position. Becareful with snakes. I have seen one of those by a water point in the vineyard around this point and he was very big !
Cretans which are living by the mountains are still speaking of Ju 52s relics lost in some mountains. Never had the possibility to check it. But it could be true. Diving around Maleme is forbidden. This is a military area !...

Jean-Yves

[jslavick]

Crete

Hello all,

I lived on Crete for four years just (outside of Heraklion) The way I found best to see the historic sites was to get the books which cover the operation and then head off to the general areas with the books in hand; soon you will begin to see how easy it is to match then and now. A lot is still there--same road routes, same bridges, landmarks...etc. I was actually able to make nearly perfect present day matches of period pictures.

Hersonnisos (spelling?) was my favorite ville for nightlife! It can get really out of hand there!

Enjoy your vacation!

Joe

[Graeme L]

Hi Allan,

Antony Beevor's book Crete - The Battle and the Resistance is quite good. It details where the major battles took place and includes maps of the areas. The book is available in English on the island but is cheaper here.

Graeme

[Willi Z.]

Yes, Beevor's book is good for following the battle. It is filled with alot of nonsense however, the usual British bias and silliness. A tragic victory for the Germans while Arnhem was a glorious defeat for the British.......

Franz Kurowski's account of the battle was available in English on the island. You can stop in any market to find books on the island. Some interesting small personal accounts fo the battle can be found there also.

We are all eagerly anticipating Jean-Yves' book on Kreta. I forgot that little museum in Galatas. Also, off the coast near Galatas is a Ju52 in about 30 feet of water. JY, I did not know about that trail near the cemetary. Will have to check it out sometime. Are you going over next year at all?

BTW, Chania was my favorite city.......

Willi

[JYN]

Hi Willi,

I went several times in Crete but I am a bit quiet now. Will see... maybe I will ask to sign few copies of my book overthere (ah, ah, ah..). In a way, I prefer to visit my FJ friends in Germany because it more quiet.

JYN

[Allan P.]

Thanks very much guys, what a great response!

I'm off on the 30th July, so plenty of time to buy a book or two.

Jyn, when is your new book out?

Thanks again, very much appreciated.

Allan

[JYN]

Hi Allan,

He should arrived from the printer in two weeks.

Anyway, enjoy your trip in Crete. Land where I met my girlfriend (origin. Leicester).

Jean-Yves

[Kyle Harrington]

Maleme/Suda Bay

It is worth noting the seizmic gulf between the Commonwealth cemetry at Suda with all its colour and obvious care to the practically unoticed German Cemetry at Maleme. Look at the ages of the German paras , 17,18 19 , all so young as I recall the dull flat memorial stones had three names on each, the directions in 1992 were on a sign occupied simultaneously with a marketing board for a local disco and grill. Suda Bay is awash with colour,
flowers , trees etc. It says something perhaps about German
reprisals in the Cretan mountains which still have various bullet scarred remnants from that period. Yet these young Geman
paras were on a par with the best in the Wehrmacht, untainted
and extremely brave. When I look at my photos of Maleme and Suda one is struck with the disparity of care and attention.Visit
Chania with its Venetian harbour , simply beautiful.