Strategic British Diversions on Crete in 1943

In January 1943, Churchill and Roosevelt agreed upon a landing of the Allied forces in Sicily, in an operation codenamed “Operation Husky”. In order to implement the operation and misdirect the Germans, the Allied forces organized Operation “Mincemeat”, by throwing on a coast of fascist Spain the corpse of a British officer carrying documents reporting an alleged landing of the forces on Crete. 

Meanwhile, three sabotages were conducted at Iraklion airports and the Allied landing successfully took place on the 10th of July 1943 in Sicily. Similarly, after the capitulation of Italy on the 8th of September 1943, Churchill orchestrated a new misdirection operation aiming to occupy and liberate the Dodecanese, with the scheme codenamed “Accolade”. To that end, the English spread the word of coming landings in Ierapetra united with the Italians and the rebels of Captain Bantouvas, the mightiest leader of the resistance in Crete. 
As a result, when the English strike in Rhodes on the 9th of September, Captain Bantouvas takes hold of the outpost of Simi Viannou, while on the 12th of the same month the English occupy the island of Kos and Captain Bantouvas with his men fights the great battle of Simi Viannou. 

Tom J. Dunbabin congratulates Captain Bantouvas and promises new reinforcements but the English operation in the Dodecanese failed, and Crete had to suffer the brutal retaliation of Viannos and Ierapetra.