GERMAN AND AXIS FORCES

KURT STUDENT

The German Luftwaffe general was a pioneer of the use of airborne forces and was in charge of developing the Nazis’ elite paratrooper force, which played a key role in the Battle of

Crete in 1941. After the war, Student was put on trial and convicted for committing war crimes for how his men mistreated and murdered Crete prisoners of war.

WALTER KOCH

Koch was the commander of the German paratrooper branch, called the Fallschirmjäger, and led the first wave at the Battle of Crete. However, he publicly opposed Hitler’s Commando Order (that insisted Allied commandos be killed without trial even if in uniform or surrendering) and died in Berlin shortly afterwards in an automobile collision.

FRANCESCO MIMBELLI

The Italian naval commander was in charge of the torpedo boat Lupo that successfully defended most of a convoy of German troops against seven British ships. He was later given command of Italy’s Black Sea forces and after the war was promoted to rear admiral and commander of the Italian Naval Academy, finally retiring in 1964.