The first episode of a new documentary titled ‘WWII: Battle of Crete’ will air on Foxtel’s History Channel tonight at 7.30pm, just in time for the commemoration of the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign on May 20.
The three-part series, produced by Pilot Productions, tells the story of the famous WWII battle and details the four year German occupation of Crete that followed.
“As the huge wave of German aircraft approached, the island of Crete was defended by a poorly equipped Allied force. Such a huge airborne invasion had never been attempted before or since in war. This is the story of that unique battle and it’s aftermath,” a statement about the documentary reads.
One of the few surviving Anzacs of Greece, 103-year-old Alf Carpenter, appears in the documentary, as well as the Chief Historian of the NSW Anzac Memorial, Mr Brad Manera.
“It seemed like a slaughter to me,” says Carpenter in a trailer for the documentary.
The Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign in Australia assisted with the documentary by connecting the director, Ian Cross, with numerous Anzacs, institutions and historians around the world.
“We thank Ian and his team for creating a great opportunity to learn, commemorate and pay our respects to the legacy of the Anzacs of Greece,” Nick Andriotakis, Secretary of the Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign, told The Greek Herald.
