Royal Navy

Admiral Sir Andrew B. Cunningham (C in C Mediterranean)

The following is a listing of the ships used by the Royal Navy to defend Crete from invasion and during the eventual evacation of the island.

BB Queen Elizabeth  Captain C. B. Berry
BB Warspite ‡  Captain D. B. Fisher
BB Barham‡  Captain G. C. Cooke
BB Valiant‡  Captain C. E. Morgan
CV Formidable   Rear Admiral (Air) D. W. Boyd
    Captain A. W. LaT. Bisset
No. 803 Squadron - 6 Fulmars  Lt. K. M. Bruen
No. 806 Squadron - 6 Fulmars Lt. Commander C. L. G. Evans
No. 826 Squadron - 6 Albacores Lt. Commander W. H. G. Saunt
No. 829 Squadron - 4 Albacores Lt. W. B. Whitworth

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

10th Destroyer Flotilla
DD Vampire, RAN Commander J. A. Walsh
DD Vendetta, RAN Lt. Commander R. Rhoades
DD Voyager, RAN  Commander J. C. Morrow
DD Waterhen, RAN Lt. Commander J. H. Swain
DD Stuart, RAN (F) Captain H. M. L. Waller
DD Decoy   Commander E. G. McGregor
DD Defender  Lt. Commander G. L. Farnfield

14th Destroyer Flotilla
DD Greyhound*  Commander W. R. Marshall-A’Deane
DD Griffin   Lt. Commander J. Lee-Barber (see Note #1)

2nd Destroyer Flotilla
DD Hasty   Lt. Commander L. R. K. Tyrwhitt
DD Hereward*  Lt. W. J. Munn
DD Havock‡  Lt. G. R. G. Watkins
DD Hotspur  Lt. Commander P. F. Brown
DD Hero   Commander H. W. Biggs
DD Ilex* (F)  Captain H. ST. L. Nicholson
DD Isis   Commander C. S. B. Swinley
DD Imperial*  Lt. Commander C. A. De W. Kitcat

14th Destroyer Flotilla
DD Nubian‡  Commander R. W. Ravenhill
DD Jervis (F)  Captain P. J. Mack
DD Janus   Commander J. A. W. Tothill
DD Jaguar   Lt. Commander J. F. W. Hine
DD Juno*   Comander ST. J. R. J. Tyrwhitt
DD Kandahar  Commander W. G. A. Robson
DD Kimberley  Lt. Commander J. S. M. Richardson
DD Kingston‡  Lt. Commander P. Sommerville

5th Destroyer Flotilla
DD Kelly* (F)  Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten
DD Jackal   Lt. Commander M. P. Jonas
DD Kelvin‡  Commander J. H. Alison
DD Kashmir  Commander H. A. King
DD Kipling  Commander A. StClair-Ford

7th Destroyer Flotilla
DD Napier‡ (F)  Captain S. H. T. Arliss
DD Nizam‡  Lt. Commander M. J. Clark

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

10th MTB Flotilla
MTB 67*
MTB 213*   Lt. G. L. Cotten
MTB 314*
MTB 216*   Lt. C. L. Coles
MTB 217*

Royal Air Force Fighters based on Crete - Air Marshall Sir Arthur Longmore
24 Hurricanes, Gladiators, Fulmars

Italian Navy

Warships used for the invasion of Crete

TB Lupo‡   Commander Francesco Minabelli
TB Saggitario  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

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 (commander of German air assault)

Fliegerkorps X
?  He-111 Bombers
40-50 Ju-87 Dive Bombers

Fliegerkorps XI
? Ju-52 Transports - General Kurt Student (Airborne troop commander)

Fliegerkorps VIII
280 Ju-88 (LG-1), He-111(KG-26), Do-17 (KG-2) Bombers
 I/LG1 commander  Captain Cuno Hoffmann
 II/LG1 commander Captain Kollewe
 KG2 commander Colonel Rieckhoff
90 Me-110 (ZG-26), Me-109 (JG-77) Fighters (note: Me-109’s fitted w/bomb racks)
 III/JG77 commander Major v Winterfeldt
150 Ju-87 (StG2) Dive Bombers
 I/StG2 commander  Captain Hitschhold
 II/StG2 commander Major Ennerccerus
 III/StG2 commander  Captain Heinrich Brucker
 StG2 commander Lt.-Colonel Dinort

The following is a listing ships used during the surface battles fought between the Royal Navy & Italian Navy during the Battle for Crete.
 

Italian Naval Forces

TB  Lupo
1st Caique Squadron - Lt. Oesterlin (German)
20 small coastal vessels carrying 2,331 troops - reportedly at least half (10) were sunk

Royal Naval Forces

Force D Rear Admiral I. G. Glennie
CL Dido (F)
CL Orion
CL  Ajax
DD Janus
DD Kimberley
DD Hasty
DD Hereward

Italian Naval Forces

TB Sagittario
2nd Caique Squadron
at least (30) small coastal vessels w/4000 troops - only 2 vessels are lost

Royal Naval Forces

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

* Sunk
‡ Damaged
(F) Denotes a Flagship

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

Note #1 - Name of H.M.S. Griffin commanding officer supplied by J.A.J. Dennis (ex-First Lieutenant H.M.S. Griffin).  The CO's name is incorrectly shown as Lt. Kenneth R. C. Letts in several reference books.  According to Mr. Dennis, Lt. Letts was never CO and was invalided off the Griffin in January 1940.