| Operation Albumen | |
|---|---|
| Part of theBattle of the Mediterranean, in theSecond World War | |
 Aircraft being repaired inMaleme, August 1941 | |
| Location | |
| Objective | Commando raids on German airfields in theAxis-occupied Greek island ofCrete |
| Date | 7/8 June 1942 4/5 July 1943 |
| Executed by |  United Kingdom Greece Free France |
| Outcome | Allied victory |
| Casualties | 12 German soldiers Pierre Léostic † 3 Free French captured 62+ citizens killed |
Operation Albumen was the name of BritishCommando raids in June 1942 on German airfields in theAxis-occupied Greek island ofCrete, to prevent them from being used in support of theAxis forces in theWestern Desert Campaign in theSecond World War. The operations were carried out with similar raids against Axis airfields atBenghazi,Derna andBarce in Libya and were among the first plannedsabotage acts in occupied Europe.
During theBattle of Crete (20 May – 1 June 1941), the Axis powers had captured the island ofCrete, before they had won theBalkans campaign. In the late spring of 1942, the airfields of Crete gained increased importance by becoming the main transit base for theLuftwaffe to fly supplies to theAxis forces in Egypt in their advance on theNile Delta (see alsoBattle of Gazala).[1]
Luftwaffe aircraft based on Crete flew photo-reconnaissance, bombing and convoy sorties covering the south-east Mediterranean. To disrupt these operations, the British command inCairo sent three groups from theSpecial Boat Squadron (SBS) and one from theSpecial Air Service (SAS) to Crete to sabotage the airfields ofHeraklion,Kastelli,Tympaki andMaleme.[1]
Aircraft types operating from Crete included theJunkers Ju 52 andMesserschmitt Me 323 transport aircraft, theJunkers Ju 88 andJunkers Ju 86 aircraft for bombing and photo-reconnaissance and theMesserschmitt Bf 109 fighter. Heraklion airfield was allocated to the SAS group and the SBS groups were assigned to the other three airfields. The SBS groups were met byTom Dunbabin, the British liaison officer with theCretan resistance, who provided them with local guides. The sabotage attacks were scheduled for the night of 7/8 June 1942.[1]
The attackers on Kastelli consisted ofCaptain G. I. A. Duncan of theBlack Watch, twoNCOs of the SBS and the Greekgendarme Vassilis Dramoundanis. The operation went according to plan and on 7 June the saboteurs, assisted by the localsGiorgos Psarakis,Kimonas Zografakis (nicknamedBlackman) and Kostas Mavrantonakis, managed to destroy five aircraft, damage 29 and set fire to several vehicles and considerable quantities of supplies (including about 200 long tons (200 t) of aviation fuel) using delayed-action bombs.[2]
The June 1942 operation is often referred to as the first raid on Kastelli, because of a similar operation that took place a year later. One of the objectives of this second operation was to lead the Germans into believing that an Allied landing on Crete (rather than theAllied invasion of Sicily) was imminent. On the night of 4/5 July 1943, two commando groups under the DanishMajorAnders Lassen and the Greek Kimonas Zografakis, simultaneously attacked the airfield of Kastelli from two directions. Despite the strong security, they succeeded in deceiving the garrison and destroyed most of the parked aircraft and fuel dumps.[3][4][page needed]
The Heraklion operation was commanded byGeorge Jellicoe and included four members of theFree French Forces commanded byGeorges Bergé (the other three being Jacques Mouhot, Pierre Léostic and Jack Sibard) andLieutenant Kostis Petrakis of theHellenic Army. The group was transferred to Crete on board the Greek submarineHS Triton (Y-5) [el] and rowed ashore in threeinflatable boats. They had intended to land at Karteros beach but came ashore in theGulf of Malia on the dawn of 10 June and late.[5] The men had to march overland to reach Heraklion airfield. They hid by day and marched by night, arriving during the night of 12/13 June. Due to increased traffic caused by a succession of night sorties that was in progress, the team had to postpone their attack until the next evening. The group entered the airfield while it was being bombed by theRoyal Air Force (RAF) and destroyed about twenty Ju 88s usingLewes bombs. All six saboteurs escaped from the airfield but their retreat was betrayed, resulting in 17-year-old Pierre Léostic being killed and the other three Frenchmen being arrested. Jellicoe and Petrakis escaped to Egypt.[6][page needed][7][page needed]
The Tympaki team (led byDavid Sutherland of the Black Watch) discovered that due to air raids from Egypt, the airfield had been temporarily abandoned and the aircraft based there had been moved.
The Maleme team was made up of Captains Michael Kealy and James Allott who landed on Crete aboard the Greek submarinePapanikolis. After a difficult march, they reached Maleme but they discovered that the airfield was strongly guarded and was recently equipped with electrified fences, making it impossible to penetrate its perimeter.
As a result of the raids, 25 aircraft were destroyed, many more damaged and 12 German soldiers killed. Inreprisal for the sabotage in Heraklion, the occupation forces executed fifty inhabitants of the greater Heraklion area the next day. Prior to the attacks, on 3 June, the Germans had executed another twelve Heraklion citizens. TheAvenue of the 62 Martyrs (Greek:Λεωφόρος 62 Μαρτύρων) inmodern Heraklion is named in remembrance of the victims.
On 23 June, Jellicoe, Petrakis and the participants of the Kastelli and Tympaki operations were evacuated toMersa Matruh,Egypt on acaique from Trypiti beach near the village of Krotos in south Crete. They reached Mersa Matruh shortly before theBattle of Mersa Matruh when it fell toRommel's advancing forces. Jellicoe was later awarded theDistinguished Service Order. After several days of interrogations under the threat of execution, Bergé, Mouhot and Sibard, who were captured after the Heraklion sabotage, were transferred to theOflag X-C war prisoner camp in Germany. Eventually, Bergé ended up inOflag IV-C, Colditz castle inSaxony, where prisoners who had repeatedly attempted to escape were held. Bergé joined SAS commanderDavid Stirling who had been captured in the meantime. To honour the memory of Pierre Léostic, Kostis Petrakischristened his son after him.
The failure to prevent the raids on the airfields was one of the reasons that led to the replacement of GeneralAlexander Andrae byBruno Bräuer as commander of Crete.
