Discovery Channel - Europes Secret Armies Resisting Hitler (2004) Part 4 The Mountain Men of Crete

The armies of the countries of mainland Europe were powerless to stop Hitler's war machine as it crushed all in its path during the early months of World War 2. The terrifying tactic of 'Blitzkrieg' saw city after city fall beneath the Nazi jackboot. The people of previously free counties began to look for a way to fight back. There were ways to defeat an army other than on the battlefield. Europe's Secret Armies is a thrilling exploration of the stories behind the resistance and partisan groups that formed to fight a hated oppressor. These were civilian armies; made up of ordinary men and women left with no other option but to go underground to strike back. The series hears from those who were not content to bend the knee or were not prepared to be part of Adof Hitler's ever-growing Third Reich. Freedom fighters risked torture, imprisonment and death throughout Europe France's Maquis, the mountaineers of Crete, heroes and heroines from the Low Countries, Norway, Poland rose up, not least inside the tyrant's own land, Germany. Includes archival footage, re-creations, and interviews with actual resistance fighters.

Part 4 The Mountain Men of Crete

The Germans invaded Crete on May 20th 1941. Its geographical importance in both German and Allied planning for the domination of the Mediterranean and Africa was to prove Crete's downfall. As the Germans mounted 'Operation Mercury' a ragbag collection of defenders readied themselves for the onslaught. Nazi intelligence had assured the attacking force that their presence on the island would be welcomed by the presumed docile inhabitants. The local Cretans, along with an eclectic mix of Allied troops, would prove that intelligence flawed. This episode tells the story of the mistakes and miscalculations made by both the British and German armies as they fought for control of the Island and how the 'mountain men' of Crete played a crucial role in the allied fight back. With the island captured in bloody fighting by the Germans, the skillful native fighters of Crete would prove a significant thorn in the side of the occupying German army. Includes interviews with surviving veterans and eyewitness accounts, as well as rare archive footage.

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