Chapter 609: What Is That?

The Greek defenders actually had very limited forces. On the island of Crete, there was only a single British infantry battalion as the core defensive force. The remaining troops didn’t even have standardized rifle models or calibers, and the local commanding general was an old man who didn’t quite understand modern warfare.

It was the first time the Greek infantry had seen so many parachutes dancing in the sky, and the first time they realized the nature of the war they faced had completely changed. The German paratroopers were an exceptionally elite offensive force, and the weapons in their hands were among the most advanced available.

The island of Crete was dotted with bunkers and fortifications meant to defend against a German attack. In the era of the First World War, these would have been considered a very strong defensive system, one that almost no army could swiftly penetrate. But before the German attackers, these bunkers had become as fragile as paper.

German paratroopers had 75mm recoilless rifles, a new type of direct-fire weapon that was perfect for dealing with distant enemy strongpoints with the greatest of ease. The only drawback of this weapon was the huge cloud of smoke it produced upon firing, which could easily draw retaliatory attacks from enemy aircraft. Unfortunately for the defenders, the skies over Crete were filled with German planes, so this drawback was no longer a problem.

This weapon, along with large-caliber 120mm mortars, could be mounted on modified Kübelwagens for the airborne troops, giving them strong mobility. They were also not very heavy, allowing soldiers to move them manually for short distances when necessary.

Even if the 75mm recoilless rifles couldn’t reach the front lines in time, the Panzerfaust rocket launchers, which were already in widespread use by German paratroopers, could effectively deal with machine gun bunkers that couldn’t be overcome. Even if the rockets from these weapons couldn’t destroy an entire bunker, they could still create dense smoke and concussive shock, incapacitating the personnel inside.

“Fire! Don’t let the Germans in!” a Greek officer shouted from inside a command tower. He and his troops had been ordered to defend a field airstrip on Crete and repel any enemy forces attempting to capture it. Originally, the airfield was supposed to be destroyed as soon as the German attack began, but because the Greek commander disagreed with this plan, hoping to keep the airfield to allow his own fighter planes to continuously harass any potential large-scale landing, the decision to destroy it was ultimately shelved.

Tragically, within ten hours, all Allied aircraft on Crete had been swept from the skies by the German Luftwaffe. Any Allied planes that dared to take off were shot down by German aces. The performance of the two sides’ aircraft was not on the same level, which made the air battle over Crete exceptionally grim, imbuing the pilots of the Greek Air Force with the spirit of Don Quixote.

However, this Greek commander had watched with his own eyes as massive German gliders landed on a nearby hillside, and had seen German paratroopers descend like scattered dandelion seeds—hundreds at first, then thousands, then tens of thousands. These German airborne troops had assaulted the anti-aircraft positions around the airfield but had not made a rush to attack the vital airfield itself.

Just as the Greek defenders were wondering about this, a soldier stared at the sky in terror and shouted a warning to everyone: “My God! What is that? What is that thing?” His words drew everyone’s attention. Several soldiers who were reloading their guns looked up at the distant sky.

The Greek commander also looked up, staring at the aircraft steadily approaching the airfield, at a loss for words. Giant rotors spun horizontally above the aircraft. They weren’t moving very fast, but the roar of their engines inspired a certain despair.

The terrifying scene finally unfolded. These Crusader helicopters from Germany hovered over the airfield. The first few appeared to be heavily armored models, with small-caliber rocket pods slung under their sides and shielded 13mm heavy machine guns mounted on their flanks.

The machine guns began to strafe ground targets, cutting down groups of Greek soldiers in their trenches and behind cover. The massive disparity in firepower left the Greek soldiers at a loss. They raised their rifles and fired at the helicopters, only to find that their guns seemed to do no damage to the enemy aircraft.

Rat-tat! Rat-tat! A heavy machine gun hidden from view opened fire on the sky. It was one of the few heavy weapons the Greek defenders had. Bullets flew skyward, leaving a clear line of holes on one of the helicopters. A German gunner was hit and slumped over. The helicopter immediately began to adjust its altitude and turned sharply to leave the battlefield.

Before the Greek soldiers could even cheer, more German helicopters in the sky moved into firing positions. One helicopter suddenly opened fire, and seven or eight small-caliber rockets streaked toward the Greek heavy machine gun position.

Swoosh! Swoosh! The rockets, spewing smoke and flames, launched from the pods under the helicopter’s wings and flew towards their target. Although their spread was wide, the short distance ensured that huge clouds of smoke quickly erupted from the target area.

The German Army Aviation Corps had found the optimal use for helicopters: after the massive air force had destroyed the enemy’s anti-aircraft defenses, and after the paratroopers had disrupted the battlefield and tied down the enemy’s defensive forces, helicopters could be used to deliver troops to control crucial strategic objectives, such as airfields, train stations, and ports. Because the enemy’s anti-aircraft fire had already been destroyed, the suppressive fire provided by the helicopters could be effective, providing enough cover for the troops they carried to conduct ground operations.

Thus, in the context of the large-scale warfare of World War II, the helicopter was not a trump card for anti-tank warfare, but rather the ultimate weapon for sweeping up partisans and supporting paratroopers. It didn’t need thick armor or advanced long-range guided weapons. Its purpose was to arrive at the airborne drop zone with powerful armament; at that moment, having anything was better than having nothing.

More helicopters arrived from the distance, and another dozen armored helicopters joined in suppressing the ground forces. They had clearly been assigned missions in advance, clearing potential ground threats from all angles. Some used machine guns to drive off the Greek infantry, while others used rockets to clear out stubborn bunkers.

Then, some helicopters lowered their altitude and dropped ropes. German soldiers slid down one after another. Akado had once watched such an exercise, and for a moment, he was left speechless by the progress of the era and the ingenuity born from war. He felt as if he were watching a 21st-century American special forces air assault, yet in this scene, the soldiers sliding down from the aircraft were German G.I.s wearing M35 Stahlhelms.

The powerful downdraft kicked up dust from the ground, creating swirling clouds of sand in the distance. The first German soldier to touch down either lost his footing or was afraid of being hit, as he fell to the ground in a clumsy heap. The next soldier landed immediately after, raised his rifle, and quickly ran towards a pre-assigned objective.

“First squad! To the right! To the right! Take that machine gun nest! Second squad! With me! Attack! Attack!” Nearby, soldiers were continuously sliding down ropes from another helicopter. There was clearly a commander in this group; as soon as he landed, he began loudly assigning tasks. The German soldiers near him swiftly split into two teams and advanced, crouched low, towards different objectives.

These German helicopter-borne infantry all wore goggles, and their faces were covered with black scarves. This was not an intentional imitation of modern special forces attire, but simply because during exercises, soldiers found that the dust kicked up by the helicopter’s downdraft could get in their eyes or be inhaled. Thus, they had to choose this fashionable getup.

“I don’t care what that is! Fire! Fire! Kill those Germans! Quickly!” The Greek officer was the first to react, quickly shouting the order to fight. He wanted to grab the phone to contact headquarters and tell the commander-in-chief to blow up the other airfields immediately. But when he picked up the receiver, there was no sound.

Outside the building, two German special forces soldiers stood by the telephone lines. The junction box still bore the words “Caution, Wires!” The cut telephone line was still swinging back and forth. One of them held an assault rifle, guarding the surroundings, while the other still held the pliers he had just used, his dry lips parting to reveal white teeth. They had arrived stealthily on another helicopter, their purpose to cut communications and disrupt the local battlefield.

The Greek officer dropped the phone in despair. He then saw two helicopters in the distance turn their sides towards the airfield command tower where he was located. The black muzzles of two 13mm aircraft machine guns were pointed in his direction. The Greek officer felt his situation was dire.

As dazzling muzzles flashed on the helicopters, the command tower was instantly torn apart by a torrent of steel. The destructive power of large-caliber machine guns combined with full-power ammunition could only be described as terrifying. After just a few seconds, there was no breathing life left inside the entire tower. The Greek commander had been turned into a sieve by the very first bullets, unable to even let out a scream.

Braving the risk of being shot down, 110 German Crusader helicopters appeared over the battlefield. These aircraft, loaded with vast quantities of weapons, ammunition, and soldiers, swiftly arrived on the scene. They easily suppressed the scattered ground targets with their onboard firepower, and the troops they delivered rapidly captured an Allied field airstrip on the island of Crete.

Published: 2025-09-10T05:25:39.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2026-01-20T16:57:23.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c609-what-is-138561812

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