A documentary detailing the German invasion of Crete in May 1941, showing the invasion, Allied evacuation and the German occupation. Through interviews with historians, veterans and civilians we see how it all unfolded, why the Allies lost the island and the brutal aftermath.
The battle for Crete is generally skimmed over in WW2 documentaries. It will generally get a mention but generally doesn't get more than a few basic details. So it is refreshing to see an entire mini-series devoted to the battle.
More than that, we don't just learn about the German invasion but the costly evacuation by the Royal Navy of Allied soldiers and the brutal post-invasion period: the German occupation of the island. Very interesting and edifying.
On the negative side, while partitioning the series into invasion - evacuation - occupation is quite neat and allows an episode for each, I could have done with more invasion and less occupation. In the interests of fitting everything about the invasion into 50 minutes you miss some details. The occupation episode, while highlighting the brutality of the Germans towards the Cretans and the sadness of loved ones needlessly killed, did labour its point and could have been half an episode, rather than a full one.
Overall, a very good series.
The battle for Crete is generally skimmed over in WW2 documentaries. It will generally get a mention but generally doesn't get more than a few basic details. So it is refreshing to see an entire mini-series devoted to the battle.
More than that, we don't just learn about the German invasion but the costly evacuation by the Royal Navy of Allied soldiers and the brutal post-invasion period: the German occupation of the island. Very interesting and edifying.
On the negative side, while partitioning the series into invasion - evacuation - occupation is quite neat and allows an episode for each, I could have done with more invasion and less occupation. In the interests of fitting everything about the invasion into 50 minutes you miss some details. The occupation episode, while highlighting the brutality of the Germans towards the Cretans and the sadness of loved ones needlessly killed, did labour its point and could have been half an episode, rather than a full one.
Overall, a very good series.
