. "7,100" . "4,123 dead" . "Australia:" . "40,000\u201361,800 (10,000 without fighting capacity)" . "New Zealand:" . "Total:" . "The Battle of Crete (German: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek: \u039C\u03AC\u03C7\u03B7 \u03C4\u03B7\u03C2 \u039A\u03C1\u03AE\u03C4\u03B7\u03C2) was fought during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code name Unternehmen Merkur (Operation Mercury). Greek and Allied forces, along with Cretan civilians, defended the island."@en . "1941-06-01Z"^^ . "Battle of Crete"@en . . "6,700" . "Italy:" . "14,000paratroopers" . . "180 fighters" . . . . "500 transports" . "Greece:" . "AxisPyrrhic victory" . "Germany:" . "11,451" . "15,000mountain troopers" . "United Kingdom:" . "280 bombers" . "15,000" . "80 troop gliders" . "unknown wounded" . "17,479 captured" . . "2,700" . "150 dive bombers" .