With the surrender of Greece in 1941 Crete was thrust into the war. Of the seven airstrips on Crete, The best equipped, and the only one with a concrete runway, was at Heraklion. It was also the only one with any blast pens, to protect aircraft on the ground. However, it was still improvised in nature, with, for example, the fuel store located outside the positions defending the airfield. About 500 men from the 2/4th were evacuated by sea to Crete, arriving on 27 April.
Allies
Heraklion was defended by the British 14th Infantry Brigade, which was made up of: the 2nd Battalion, the York and Lancaster Regiment ; and the 2nd Battalion, the Black Watch ; with and the Australian 2/4th Battalion temporarily attached. On 16 May, four days before the battle, they were augmented by the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, which was shipped in from Egypt. Attached was the 7th Battery of the 2/3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, the 7th Medium Regiment of artillery, 250 artillerymen fighting as infantry and the Greek 3rd, 7th and Garrison Battalions. There were few artillery or anti-aircraft guns, but two heavy infantry tanks and six light tanks. The whole force was commanded by BrigadierBrian Chappel. Chappel deployed the three Greek battalions in Heraklion town. The 2/4th was deployed to overlook the airfield from two hills, known as "the Charlies". To their west were the 2nd York and Lancs, the 2nd Leicesters and the 7th Medium Regiment. To their east were the 2nd Black Watch, on "East Hill, from which they could dominate both the airfield and the coast road. All units were well dug in and well camouflaged.
Germans
The Germans believed that the total number of Allied troops at Heraklion was 400. In fact it was over seven battalions, or "nearly enough infantry for a division".
Battle
From the middle of May 1941 air attacks against Heraklion increased to four or five a day until 20 May when troop carriers dropped paratroopers at Maleme airfield on the west of the island. Warning reached Heraklion as their own share of Germantroop transports were spotted arriving at about 400 feet four abreast in long columns that stretched out of sight. This was the largest of the German parachute formations; it was made up of the 1st Fallschirmjager Regiment; the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Fallschirmjager Regiment and an anti-aircraft machine gunbattalion. All were under the command of Colonel Bruno Brauer. The three battalions of the 14th Brigade managed to kill or wound nearly all the German parachute troops who landed at Heraklion in this first wave, apart from a small pocket. After this attempt the Germans did not try to land any more paratroopers at Heraklion. Instead they built up their forces outside the perimeter. Before the Germans were able to complete the encirclement of Heraklion a company from the 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders joined the defence from Tymbaki on the south coast. The German forces, victorious from Battle_of_Maleme landed four more companies of troops in the vicinity of Heraklion which successfully linked up with the survivors of the first landings and launched attacks on the British positions. The fighting at times was extremely fierce but the Yorks and Lancs held their positions. By 28 May the position on the island as a whole had been lost and General Freyberg ordered a general evacuation. When the men of the 14th Brigade heard of the evacuation they were astonished; During the initial landing, the German paratroopers attacking the airfield were repulsed, but they successfully managed to establish a strong foothold around the Allied position, and after heavy fighting the battalion was withdrawn from town, being taken off the Heraklion mole aboard several British destroyers as the island fell to the Germans. During the evacuation several of the warships that carried the 2/4th were subjected to heavy aerial attack, and several men from the battalion were killed or wounded. After arriving in Alexandria, the battalion was rebuilt in Palestine, making up its losses from the earlier campaigns.
