The Battle of Crete and the AfD Nazis who boast instead of hiding

It has been eighty-four years and a day since one of the most valiant episodes of Greek resistance against the Nazi invasion unfolded. The Battle of Crete, which lasted for over 20 days, endures as a symbol of resistance against Nazism in collective historical memory.

The fierce confrontations have been thoroughly documented, alongside the atrocities perpetrated by Nazi troops in retaliation for the determined local resistance. Nonetheless, some individuals in Germany still regard the Battle of Crete as a sign of heroism and courage.

AfD MP Rüdiger Lucassen shared a post to “commemorate” his father, Hans Lucassen, a German paratrooper who participated in the Battle of Crete in 1941.

See his post:

Heute vor 84 Jahren sprang mein Vater Hans Lucassen mit seinen Kameraden des Fallschirmjägerregiments 1 über Kreta ab. Das Unternehmen Merkur wurde zur größten Luftlandeoperation der Kriegsgeschichte. Nach 12 Tagen verlustreicher Kämpfe gegen einen materiell und personell… pic.twitter.com/jj48Yq2Lpi

— Rüdiger Lucassen, MdB (@MdB_Lucassen) May 20, 2025

In his post, the far-right German MP brazenly claims:

“Eighty-four years ago today, my father Hans Lucassen jumped over Crete with his comrades of the 1st Paratrooper Regiment.
Operation ‘Merkur’ was the largest airborne operation in military history.
After 12 days of intense combat against a numerically and materially superior opponent, the Mediterranean island was seized.

The military achievements of these forces are still acknowledged by military historians and practitioners.
The personal stories of the German paratroopers are heart-wrenching. This includes the tale of the three Blücher brothers:
Hans-Joachim, Leberecht, and Wolfgang Graf von Blücher—descendants of the renowned Prussian field marshal—were killed within a few hours.
Hans-Joachim died in Wolfgang’s arms while attempting to deliver ammunition to his brother’s unit. Leberecht was possibly fatally injured during the parachute drop.

For my father, Crete marked his first significant military engagement, followed by years on the Eastern Front and at the Battle of Monte Cassino.

The conquest of Crete also solidified the reputation of the modern paratrooper corps.
To this day, the foundational elements and terminology from this battle are well-known among Bundeswehr soldiers—even if political leadership seeks to suppress them.

Winston Churchill described it as follows:
‘These brave, well-trained, and entirely reliable paratroopers represented the pinnacle of German bravery.’”

What Lucassen neglects to mention are the horrific war crimes committed by these same Nazi paratroopers in Crete:

1. Kondomari (June 2, 1941)

The first mass execution of civilians in occupied Europe occurred here.
23 unarmed men were executed by German forces, a tragedy documented by German photographer Franz-Peter Weixler, whose photos serve as rare evidence of Nazi war crimes.

2. Kandanos (June 3, 1941)

The entire village was obliterated, and its residents executed.
The Germans displayed signs proclaiming: “Kandanos will never be inhabited again.”
This remains a powerful symbol of Nazi cruelty in Crete.

3. Viannos and Ierapetra (September 14–16, 1943)

This was one of the most brutal massacres of the Occupation.
Over 450 civilians were executed across 20 villages.
Whole villages were set ablaze, infrastructure was demolished, and many victims were subjected to torture before execution.

4. Anogeia (August 13, 1944)

Anogeia was destroyed on the orders of General Müller, due to the area’s active resistance.
Over 100 residents were executed, and every home was razed.

5. Overall in Crete:

During the Occupation (1941–1945), thousands of Cretan civilians were executed.
More than 100 villages were annihilated.

The AfD’s “We’re Not Nazis” Claim and Germany’s New Law

Lucassen’s party, the AfD, is not merely a conservative party.
It has been officially designated as extremist by Germany’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
In 2021, the AfD was subjected to surveillance as an extremist entity, a designation reaffirmed in 2025.

The AfD promotes German nationalism and attempts to sanitize Germany’s Nazi past rather than confront it critically.

High-ranking members have made statements justifying the Nazis and casting doubt on the Holocaust.
In 2019, the German intelligence service reported that the AfD is linked to far-right historical revisionism, potentially leading to a denial of guilt for the war and the Holocaust.

Lucassen’s post is neither the first nor the last from this xenophobic far-right German party, which recently achieved its highest electoral success in postwar German history.