British Naval Forces

Ships deployed to defend and evacuate Crete
  • Admiral Sir Andrew B. Cunningham
    Position: C in C Mediterranean

Battleships

  • BB Queen Elizabeth
    Commanding officer: Captain C. B. Berry
  • BB Warspite (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Captain D. B. Fisher
  • BB Barham (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Captain G. C. Cooke
  • BB Valiant (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Captain C. E. Morgan

Aircraft Carrier

  • Rear Admiral D. W. Boyd
    Position: Rear Admiral (Air)
  • CV Formidable
    Commanding officer: Captain A. W. LaT. Bisset
    • No. 803 Squadron
      Commanding officer: Lt. K. M. Bruen
      Notes: 6 Fulmars.
    • No. 806 Squadron
      Commanding officer: Lt. Commander C. L. G. Evans
      Notes: 6 Fulmars.
    • No. 826 Squadron
      Commanding officer: Lt. Commander W. H. G. Saunt
      Notes: 6 Albacores.
    • No. 829 Squadron
      Commanding officer: Lt. W. B. Whitworth
      Notes: 4 Albacores.

Cruisers

  • CL Gloucester (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Captain H. A. Rowley
  • CL Fiji (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Captain P. B. R. W. William-Powlett
  • CL Orion (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Captain G. R. B. Back
  • CL Ajax (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Captain E. D. B. McCarthy
  • CL Perth, RAN (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Captain Sir P. W. Bowyer-Smith
  • CL Dido (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Captain H. W. V. McCall
  • CL Naiad (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Captain M. H. A. Kelsey
  • CL Phoebe
    Commanding officer: Captain G. Grantham
  • CL Calcutta (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Captain D. M. Lees
  • CL Carlisle (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Captain T. C. Hampton
  • CL Coventry
    Commanding officer: Captain W. P. Carne
  • CM Abdiel
    Commanding officer: Captain Hon. E. Pleydell-Bouverie

10th Destroyer Flotilla

  • DD Vampire
    Commanding officer: Commander J. A. Walsh
    Notes: Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
  • DD Vendetta
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander R. Rhoades
    Notes: Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
  • DD Voyager
    Commanding officer: Commander J. C. Morrow
    Notes: Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
  • DD Waterhen
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander J. H. Swain
    Notes: Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
  • DD Stuart (flagship)(flagship)
    Commanding officer: Captain H. M. L. Waller
    Notes: Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
  • DD Decoy
    Commanding officer: Commander E. G. McGregor
  • DD Defender
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander G. L. Farnfield

14th Destroyer Flotilla

  • DD Greyhound (sunk)(sunk)
  • DD Griffin
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander J. Lee-Barber1
  • DD Nubian (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Commander R. W. Ravenhill
  • DD Jervis (flagship)(flagship)
    Commanding officer: Captain P. J. Mack
  • DD Janus
    Commanding officer: Commander J. A. W. Tothill
  • DD Jaguar
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander J. F. W. Hine
  • DD Juno (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Comander ST. J. R. J. Tyrwhitt
  • DD Kandahar
    Commanding officer: Commander W. G. A. Robson
  • DD Kimberley
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander J. S. M. Richardson
  • DD Kingston (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander P. Sommerville
  • ^Multiple reference books show Lt. Kenneth R. C. Letts as Griffin's CO. According to J.A.J. Dennis (ex-First Lieutenant H.M.S. Griffin), Letts was invalided off the Griffin in January 1940 and was never CO.

2nd Destroyer Flotilla

  • DD Hasty
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander L. R. K. Tyrwhitt
  • DD Hereward (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lt. W. J. Munn
  • DD Havock (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Lt. G. R. G. Watkins
  • DD Hotspur
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander P. F. Brown
  • DD Hero
    Commanding officer: Commander H. W. Biggs
  • DD Ilex (flagship)(flagship) (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Captain H. ST. L. Nicholson
  • DD Isis
    Commanding officer: Commander C. S. B. Swinley
  • DD Imperial (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander C. A. De W. Kitcat

5th Destroyer Flotilla

  • DD Kelly (flagship)(flagship) (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten
  • DD Jackal
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander M. P. Jonas
  • DD Kelvin (damaged)(damaged)
  • DD Kashmir
    Commanding officer: Commander H. A. King
  • DD Kipling
    Commanding officer: Commander A. StClair-Ford

7th Destroyer Flotilla

  • DD Napier (flagship)(flagship) (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Captain S. H. T. Arliss
  • DD Nizam (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander M. J. Clark

10th MTB Flotilla

  • MTB 67 (sunk)(sunk)
  • MTB 213 (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lt. G. L. Cotten
  • MTB 314 (sunk)(sunk)
  • MTB 216 (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lt. C. L. Coles
  • MTB 217 (sunk)(sunk)

Other

  • SS Rorqual
    Commanding officer: Commander R. H. Dewhurst
  • Sloop Grimsby
    Commanding officer: Commander K. J. D'Arcy
  • Sloop Auckland
    Commanding officer: Commander J. G. Hewitt
  • Sloop Flamingo
    Commanding officer: Commander J. H. Huntley
  • Corv. Salvia
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander J. I. Miller
  • LSL Glenroy
    Commanding officer: Captain Sir James Paget, Bart
  • LSL Glengyle
    Commanding officer: Captain C. H. Petrie
  • MS Widnes (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander R. B. Chandler
  • MS Derby
    Commanding officer: Lt. F. C. V. Brightham
  • PC KOS 21
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander I. H. Wilson
  • PC KOS 22 (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lt. H. D. Foxon
  • PC KOS 23 (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander J. J. Reid
  • PC Syvern
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander R. E. Clarke
  • PC Moonstone
    Commanding officer: Lt. Commander P. G. Britten
  • PC Lanner
    Commanding officer: Skipper W. Stewart
  • M ML1011 (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lt. A. H. Blake
  • M ML1030 (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lt. W. M. O. Cooksey
  • M ML1032
    Commanding officer: Lt. E. N. Rose

British Air Force

Royal Air Force fighters deployed on Crete
  • Air Marshall Sir Arthur Longmore
  • 24 Hurricanes, Gladiators, Fulmars

Italian Naval Forces

Ships deployed for the invasion of Crete
  • TB Lupo (damaged)(damaged)
    Commanding officer: Commander Francesco Minabelli
  • TB Saggitario
    Commanding officer: Lt. Guiseppe Cigala Fulgosi
  • SS Tricheco
  • SS Uarsciek
  • SS Fisalia
  • SS Topazio
  • SS Adua
  • SS Dessie
  • SS Malachite
  • SS Squalo
  • SS Smeraldo
  • SS Sirens
  • SS Nereide

Italian Air Force

50th Italian Bomb Group
  • Cant Z.1007bis
    Notes: Unknown number.

Several other Italian air units were involved but listed references do not denote units or numbers of particular aircraft types used.

German Air Force

  • General Alexander Lohr
    Notes: Commander of German air assault.

Fliegerkorps X

  • He-111 Bombers
    Notes: Unknown number.
  • Ju-87 Dive Bombers
    Notes: 40-50 aircraft.

Fliegerkorps XI

  • General Kurt Student
    Notes: Airborne troop commander.
  • Ju-52 Transports
    Notes: Unknown number.

Fliegerkorps VIII

Bombers

  • 280 aicraft
    • I/LG1
      Commanding officer: Captain Cuno Hoffmann
      Notes: Ju-88.
    • II/LG1
      Commanding officer: Captain Kollewe
      Notes: Ju-88.
    • KG2
      Commanding officer: Colonel Rieckhoff
      Notes: Do-17.
    • KG6
      Notes: He-111.

Fighters

  • 90 aicraft
    • ZG-26
      Notes: Me-110.
    • III/JG77
      Commanding officer: Major v Winterfeldt
      Notes: Me-109; fitted with bomb racks.

Dive Bombers

  • StG2
    Commanding officer: Lt.-Colonel Dinort
    Notes: 150 Ju-87
    • I/StG2
      Commanding officer: Captain Hitschhold
    • II/StG2
      Commanding officer: Major Ennerccerus
    • III/StG2
      Commanding officer: Captain Heinrich Brucker

Destruction of the Lupo Convoy

21-22 May 1941

Italian Forces

  • TB Lupo
  • 1st Caique Squadron (seriously damaged)(seriously damaged)
    Commanding officer: Lt. Oesterlin (German)
    Notes: 20 small coastal vessels carrying 2,331 troops; reportedly at least half (10) were sunk.

British Forces

  • Rear Admiral I. G. Glennie
  • CL Dido (flagship)(flagship)
  • CL Orion
  • CL Ajax
  • DD Janus
  • DD Kimberley
  • DD Hasty
  • DD Hereward

Attack on the Sagittario Convoy

22 May 1941

Italian Forces

  • TB Sagittario
  • 2nd Caique Squadron
    Notes: At least (30) small coastal vessels with 4000 troops; only 2 vessels are lost.

British Forces

Force C
  • Rear Admiral E. L. S. King
  • CL Naiad (flagship)(flagship)
  • CL Perth
  • CL Calcutta
  • CL Carlisle
  • DD Kandahar
  • DD Kingston
  • DD Nubian

Sources

  • The Battles for Crete by S. W. C. Pack
  • Sea Battles in Close-Up, World War 2; Vol. 2 by E. Grove
  • The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1940-1943 by J. Greene & A. Massignani
  • The Italian Navy in World War II by M. A. Bragadin
  • Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945 by J. Rohwer & G. Hummelchen