Operation Mercury, the World War II German invasion of Crete, was something of a disaster for both sides. The Allies lost the island but the Germans airborne troops took horrendous loses and were never able to stage another large-scale airborne attack. The Germans under Luftwaffe General Kurt Student made a number of errors – they underestimated the number and quality of Allied troops on the island; they dispersed their airborne landings, trying to capture several airfields; and they tried to resupply by sea in the face of the Royal Navy. The Allies, though, had the handicap of too much information, too much outdated experience, and not enough equipment. In the “too much information” department, New Zealand General Freyberg had Ultra intercepts that were misinterpreted to imply that the main German invasion would come by sea, and kept troops back against beach landings that never materialized. In the “outdated experience” department, Allied officers on Crete were usually World War One veterans and were used to cautious battles and minimizing casualties; what was needed to do was aggressive counterattacks before the German Fallschirmjägern could get organized. And the Allies were woefully undersupplied; the Greek units on the island had been starved of weapons and ammunition by a government afraid they might be used against it, and all the Allies were woefully short of communications equipment, leading to the use of runners and messengers rather than radios. Once the Germans were able to capture Maleme airport and start flying in reinforcements, the battle was over. The battle effectively ended the military careers of both commanders;

Author John Sadler’s pervious books have all be about Scottish wars, but he does an excellent job here. Insightful analysis of the campaign is interspersed with first-person accounts. There are good maps and appropriate action photographs. The only questionable comment was Sadler claims that German paratroops were unable to maneuver during their drop because their parachutes used “static lines”; my understanding is the static line is there to ensure the parachute opens and in-air maneuverability is a function of parachute design. However, I have no personal experience and could be all wrong. ( )