Commemorating the 63rd Anniversary of the Battle of Crete

Floor Speech

SPEECH OF
HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY
OF NEW YORK
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2004

Ms. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 63rd anniversary of the Battle of Crete. Last year, I introduced H. Res. 244 which recognizes and appreciates the historical significance of the people of Crete during World War II. This is a historic event with direct significance to the Allies' victory of World War II. On May 20, 1941, thousands of German paratroopers and gliders began landing on Crete. Both the Allies and Nazis wanted Crete because of its strategic location. At that time the British controlled the island. It was a very strong point on the lifeline to India and protected both Palestine and Egypt.

The Nazi invasion force included the elite German paratroopers and glider troops. Hitler felt this was to be an easy victory, yet he is quoted to have said shortly after the invasion, "France fell in 8 days. Why is Crete free?"
The invasion of Crete took 11 days. It resulted in more than 6,000 German troopers listed as killed, wounded or missing in action. The losses to the elite 7th parachute division were felt so hard by the German Military it signified the end of large-scale airborne operations.

This valiant fight by the Cretan people began in the first hour of the Nazi airborne invasion, in contrast to the European underground movements that took a year or more after being invaded to activate.

Young boys, old men and women displayed breathtaking bravery in defending their Crete. German soldiers never got used to Cretan women fighting them. They would tear the dress from the shoulders of suspected women to find bruises from the recoil of the rifle. The penalty was death.

The Times (London) July 28, 1941, reported that "five hundred Cretan women have been deported to Germany for taking part in the defense of their native island."

Another surprise for the German soldiers who invaded Crete was the heroic resistance of the clergy. A priest leading his parishioners into battle was not what the Germans anticipated. At Paleochora, Father Stylianos Frantzeskis, hearing of the German airborne invasion, rushed to his church, sounded the bell, took his rifle and marched his volunteers toward Maleme to write history.

This struggle became an example for all Europe to follow in defying German occupation and aggression. The price paid by the Cretans for their valiant resistance to Nazi forces was high. Thousands of civilians died from random executions, starvation, and imprisonment. Entire communities were burned and destroyed by the Germans as a reprisal for the Cretan resistance movement. Yet this resistance lasted for four years.

The battle of Crete was to change the final outcome of World War II. The Battle of Crete significantly contributed in delaying Hitler's plan to invade Russia. The invasion was delayed from April to June of 1941. The 2-month delay in the invasion made Hitler's forces face the Russian winter.

The Russian snowstorms and the sub zero temperatures eventually stalled the Nazi invasion before they could take Moscow or Leningrad. This was the beginning of the downfall of the Nazi reign of terror.

This significant battle and the heroic drive of the Cretan people must always be remembered and honored. Democracy came from Greece and the Cretan heroes exemplified the courage it takes to preserve it.

Today, the courage and fortitude of the Cretan people is seen in the members of the United Cretan Associations of New York which is located in Astoria, Queens.

I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the Cretans in the United States, Greece, and the diaspora.

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