May 2001 is the 60th anniversary of one of the most important battles in history - the battle for Crete - the first large-scale paratroop invasion ever carried out. This investigative film will reveal how, whilst at the time the battle was seen as a resounding victory for the Germans, Hitler ordered that the paratroopers were never to be used again. Churchill, however, was impressed by this airborne tactic, and British and American paratroop armies were formed. Using spectacular archive film (the Germans made an astonishing propaganda film celebrating the battle) and moving testimony, this film recaptures the brutality of the conflict and examines the role of paratroopers in modern warfare.
