In May of 1941, German forces invaded the Greek island of Crete. This marks the largest airborne invasion since the beginning of aerial warfare and airborne assaults. Winston Churchill was later quoted saying “To lose Crete because we had not sufficient bulk of forces there would be a crime.” to the Chief of the Imperial General Staff on June 4, 1940. Death and destruction became the norm for Axis power, Allied forces and even civilians during a ten-day battle following an airborne assault conducted by the Germans. Winning the battle the Germans were able to force thousands of people to flee to Egypt by sea. Some say that the fall of Crete could have been easily avoided. Although the Germans and Adolph Hitler won the battle it was a battle that forced them to re-evaluate their own tactics. Although the Germans made errors, Allied forces had larger shortcomings and errors ultimately causing them to lose the battle.
History
“As a base for air warfare against Great Britain in the Eastern Mediterranean, we must prepare to occupy the island of Crete. For the purpose of planning, it will be assumed that the whole Greek mainland including the Peloponnese is in the hands of the Axis Powers.” This quote is a direct reflection of the growing need and concern for terrain to support future operations in the Mediterranean area made by Adolph Hitler in Directive No. 28. In 1941, it had become clear that the Mediterranean area is becoming an extremely decisive area for both sides to influence the future of the Second World War. The Germans saw that by taking Crete it would prevent the British forces from hindering operation in the Balkans that would further influence their attack on the Soviet Union planned for the summer of 194...
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In 1942, the Allies decided to help out the Soviet Union and opened up another front to the war in Western Europe. The United States and Britain did not have a large enough military to mount an invasion at the time but they had drawn up plans to prepare for an invasion in case Germany’s western front weakened or the Soviet Union was put into dire straits. In August of 1942 the Canadians attempted an invasion of the French port city of Dieppe. It was a poorly planned and coordinated invasion that was meant to be a test the defense that Germany had established that ended in disaster, nearly 5,000 troops were either killed, wounded, or captured. In July 1943, British, American, and Canadian troops invaded Sicily as the western front expanded from Africa into Europe. The valuable experience from the amphibious landings in southern Europe would be used to launch to launch the largest invasion force in the world to crack open the solid ...
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The Peloponnesian War was between the Greek cities of Athens and Sparta due to the growing tensions that continued to grow between the two cities that eventually came to a breaking point. The Peloponnesian War, which can be divided into three phases known as: The Archidamian War, The Sicilian Expedition and The Decelean War, is one of the greatest event in Greek history and an analysis of the causes and effects of this war will give us a better understanding for how the cities of Athens and Sparta came to war and the impact it left behind.
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Although once a strategic military site even up through World War II, Crete is now a wonderful Greek asset full of history, culture, and beauty. Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and is located in the southeast of the Mediterranean Sea. Crete is not only home to more than 550,000 Greek citizens; it is also the destination for more than one quarter of all visitors that come to Greece.
Thales of Miletus (modern day Turkey) was said to be the very first Greek philosopher, scientist and mathematician. Although little is known about Thales, it is recorded that he lived between 624 BC – 546 BC. Thales was the founder of the Milesian school and also known as one of the Seven Wise Men (Stokes). Most of his accomplishments are speculated upon since none of his writings survived, and all sources seem to be non-existent. All that is known about his thoughts came from Aristotle, the four statements are as follows: (1) The world originated from water; (2) The world floats on water; (3) The world has many gods; (4) Soul produces motion (Burnet). Aristotle was very hesitant in writing these claims, stating that even by his time Thales was known only by word of mouth and not through hard evidence. Thales was said to be a devoted traveler and it is mainly through the writings of Aristotle why Thales is considered the “father of science” and the first pre-Socratic Greek philosopher.