The Kidnap of Heinrich Kreipe – By Trish Wade
During the German/Italian occupation of the Greek island of Crete an audacious plan was hatched to kidnap a German general. This was to be carried out by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and local resistance members. This is a little known story that would be seen as a propaganda coup for allied forces but there were reprisals to the civilian population in the aftermath which would question the overall success of the mission.
Dressed in German uniforms prior to
executing the plan to kidnap German General Heinrich Kreipe, British Captain Stanley Moss (left) and Major Patrick Leigh-Fermor are pictured in the mountains of Crete.
Copyright – https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/commando-kidnapping-capturing-general-kreipe-on-crete/
The original operation was launched in February 1944 when at that time General Freidrich-Wilhelm Muller, the Commander of the 22nd Air Landing Division, was in charge. Muller was much hated by the Cretan people for his brutality towards them. He was responsible for mass executions, torture and the razing of villages. He sent many civilians to labour camps. It was with him in mind that SOE executives Captain William Stanley Moss and Major Patrick Leigh-Fermor hatched a plan to kidnap him. The plan was submitted by Leigh-Fermor to the Commander of the SOE in the middle-east and it generally received widespread support with only one member opposing it and that was because of the fear of reprisals. However, in September 1943 the plan was approved and the operation was set in motion.
After undergoing training at an SOE camp, Leigh-Fermor, Moss and two members of the Cretan resistance Georgios Tyrakis and Emmanouil Paterakis set off to Crete on the 4th February 1944. Due to bad weather only Leigh-Fermor was parachuted in and met by Captain Sandy Rendel and other resistance members. The rest of the team attempted several times to join him but eventually had to be brought in by motor launch two months later in April landing at Tsoutsouea. It was during this time, in March in fact, that Leigh-Fermor was informed that Muller had been replaced by Major General Heinrich Kreipe, a man of which Leigh-Fermor knew very little about but he still thought that the capture of a high ranking officer would raise the morale of the Greeks and especially the Cretans.
Once assembled the team moved into the mountains above the village of Kastamonitsa and were joined by other local resistance men. One of them, Michail Akoumaianakis, lived just across the road from Villa Ariadne Kreipes residence in Knossos. Patrick Leigh-Fermour disguised himself as a shepherd which enabled him to move with more freedom around the countryside. He was able to survey the area between the villa and Kreipes headquarters in Ano Archanes, a distance of around five miles, and discovered a T junction where the road from Archanes joined the main road to Heraklion. Cars had to almost stop at this junction, an ideal place for an ambush.
Having acquired two German military police uniforms, the plan was put into action on the night of 26th/27th April. Wearing the uniforms, Leigh-Fermor and Moss received the coded signal that Kreipes car was approaching and it was unescorted. As the car arrived at the junction the SOE men blocked the road shouting halt demanding to see their identity papers. As Kreipe reached for them in his pocket Leigh-Fermor pulled a gun on him and the rest of the team surrounded the car and knocked the driver unconscious. Moss then took up the drivers position and Leigh-Fermor impersonated Kreipe and with three other members of the team hidden in the back with Kreipe they headed off towards Heraklion. They managed to get through twenty-two checkpoints successfully. This was due to Kreipe being known as an impatient and rude man with the people who manned the checkpoints so they just let the car through.
General Kreipe (center) is shown talking with Leigh-Fermor (right) of the British SOE following his kidnapping.
Copyright – https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/commando-kidnapping-capturing-general-kreipe-on-crete/
Eventually they stopped the car near a steep mountain track leading to Anogeia. Leigh-fermor abandoned the car a distance away, leaving a note inside it saying it was British Special Forces who had carried out the kidnap and therefore it had been nothing to do with local people. A letter the Germans chose to ignore! The Germans dropped leaflets threatening reprisals if the General wasnt returned in three days.
There then followed a long and difficult trek across the mountains from Mount Ida to the Aman Valley. The journey across the mountains was aided by several Cretan resistance groups. They had difficulties with communications when the wireless station broke down and all forms of communication had to be carried out by runners which slowed things down considerably. After one of the runners did not return Moss and Leigh-Fermor realised that they needed a wireless and went in search of one to the village of Pantanassa. Once there they were able to send and receive messages again. With-in a day dispatch runner George Psychoundakis brought Dick Barmes SOE officer and a wireless set to Pantanassa. In all this time the Germans were on high alert and had troops combing the mountains and valleys looking for Kreipe and his captors. They were trying to block all possible routes of escape. The group managed to evade a nearby patrol by moving to Patsos. On 9th May a unit of the Special Boat Service (SBS) landed at Limni beach to help with the evacuation. The whole abduction team met up in the small village of Karines and advanced together to Vilandredo. The Germans at this point were only an hour away from them. On reaching Asi Gonia they were informed that a boat would pick them up at Rodakino beach on the 14th May at night time. Rodakiniot Guerillas accompanied them on their final journey to the beach where the team and Kreipe boarded the boats at 10pm, finally finishing their journey at Mersa Malruh in Egypt and safety.
Throughout the whole kidnap it was said that Kreipe had been fairly quiet and amenable. Afterwards Leigh-Fermor and Moss were awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross respectively. Kreipe was eventually interned in Calgary Canada until 1947.
It is fair to say that the whole operation had dealt a blow to Axis morale on the island, however, after Kreipe’s kidnapping Muller was put back in charge of the island and he dished out reprisals against many of the local population. The villages were burned and looted, many men were executed regardless of whether they had any involvement with the resistance groups or not.
