Lot 277

WWII NAZI GERMAN PARATROOPER MATCH SAFE KRETA 1941

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WWII NAZI GERMAN PARATROOPER MATCH SAFE KRETA 1941

Estimate: $150 - $250

Starting Bid: $80

(0 Bids)

by Milestone Auctions
August 1, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
38198 Willoughby Parkway
Willoughby, OH, US 44094

WWII Nazi German Fallschirmjäger Match Safe from Kreta 1941. This brass match safe coremorates the German Paratroopers at the battle of Crete embossed with a Fallschirmjäge Badge. Excellent. BATTLE OF CRETE:  The Battle of Crete (German: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, codenamed Operation Mercury (German: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, with multiple German airborne landings on Crete. Greek and other Allied forces, along with Cretan civilians, defended the island. After the first day of fighting, the Germans had suffered heavy casualties and the Allied troops were confident that they would defeat the invasion. The next day, through communication failures, Allied tactical hesitation, and German offensive operations, Maleme Airfield in western Crete fell, enabling the Germans to land reinforcements and overwhelm the defensive positions on the north of the island. Allied forces withdrew to the south coast. More than half were evacuated by the British Royal Navy and the remainder surrendered or joined the Cretan resistance. The defence of Crete evolved into a costly naval engagement; by the end of the campaign the Royal Navy's eastern Mediterranean strength had been reduced to only two battleships and three cruisers. The Battle of Crete was the first occasion where Fallschirmjäger (German paratroops) were used en masse, the first mainly airborne invasion in military history and the first time the Allies made significant use of intelligence from decrypted German messages from the Enigma machine. Due to the number of casualties and the belief that airborne forces no longer had the advantage of surprise, Hitler became reluctant to authorise further large airborne operations, preferring instead to employ paratroopers as ground troops.  In contrast, the Western allies were impressed by the potential of paratroopers and started to form airborne-assault and airfield-defence regiments.

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