In May 1941, Germany launched the first full-scale airborne invasion in history, attempting to seize the island of Crete entirely from the sky. Gliders and paratroopers descended onto airfields under ...

The German invasion of Crete in May 1941 was the first major invasion led by paratroopers. It was a costly victory for the Germans, which led Hitler to dismiss such operations in the future. But the ...

20/5/1941. Under the code name 'Operation Mercury', Germany begins the airborne invasion of Crete. But the Nazis' estimations for an easy victory prove wrong. A throwback to the legendary Battle of ...

Early on May 20, 1941, thousands of German paratroopers, known as Fallschirmjägers, in hundreds of transport planes and gliders were preparing to assault the Greek island of Crete. It was the first ...