{"podcast":{"title":"History of the Second World War","slug":"history-of-the-second-world-war-121541","podcast_index_feed_id":121541,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ADV9720598643","website_url":"historyofthesecondworldwar.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/21bf4060-5dd8-11ec-9e7b-cf638f607a7e/image/a0bffe858b2be3f366512de624384db7.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Wesley Livesay","episode_count":358,"summary":"History of the Second World War is a weekly podcast which will cover World War 2, beginning with the tumultuous years after the First World War, continuing into the descent into war during the 1930s, through the war years, and then into the post war aftermath.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T14:21:21.272414+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-of-the-second-world-war-121541"},"episode":{"title":"260: Crete Pt. 5 - Failed Counterattacks","slug":"260-crete-pt-5-failed-counterattacks","published_at":"2026-06-03T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-of-the-second-world-war-121541/260-crete-pt-5-failed-counterattacks","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-of-the-second-world-war-121541","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/op3.dev/e/rss.pdrl.fm/45c474/tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML2966109694.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/op3.dev/e/rss.pdrl.fm/45c474/tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML2966109694.mp3","summary":"The Royal Navy's success in turning back the German invasion convoys in the waters north of Crete on the night of May 21st removed the threat of a seaborne landing, but it could not undo the damage done by Commander Freyberg's obsession with that very threat. This episode examines how Freyberg's misreading of Ultra intelligence about the 5th Mountain Division led him to hoard troops along the coast and withhold artillery from targets plainly visible in front of them, all while the Germans steadily expanded their grip on Maleme airfield. The doomed Allied counter-attack of May 22nd — delayed until daylight, shattered by German fighters before it could reach the runway — marks the decisive turning point of the battle. With General Julius Ringel arriving to assume command and concentrate all German effort on driving east from Maleme, the British began their retreat toward Galatas, conceding any chance of recovering the airfield. Meanwhile, at Rethymno and Heraklion, Allied forces were holding on and even turning German supply drops to their own advantage — a stark contrast to the unraveling situation in the west that sets the stage for the final collapse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"The Royal Navy's success in turning back the German invasion convoys in the waters north of Crete on the night of May 21st removed the threat of a seaborn…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1238,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/history-of-the-second-world-war-121541/episodes/260-crete-pt-5-failed-counterattacks/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-of-the-second-world-war-121541/260-crete-pt-5-failed-counterattacks.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}