The Invasion and Battle for Crete, (Unterrnehmen Merkur - Operation Mercury), World War 2, Maleme 1941 The Battle of Crete is considered one of the most sensational events of the Second World War. Crete was the scene of the largest German Airborne operation of the war, and the first time in history that an island had been taken by airborne assault. Afterwards, Crete was dubbed the graveyard of the Fallschirmjager (German Parachutists); they suffered nearly 4000 killed and missing in the assault.