During the Second World War, about 15.000 German troops died in Greece. The German military cemetery in Maleme (Deutschen Soldatenfriedhof in Maleme) is one of two Greek cemeteries where German soldiers’ graves may be found. The German military cemetery Dionysus – Rapentozis in Attica is the other cemetery.
The German cemetery is located near Maleme airport on Crete’s north shore, 20 kilometers west of Chania and one kilometer above Maleme settlement. From here, one can see far into Chania’s beautiful blue bay. Olive groves border the hillsides to the west, all the way down to the meandering Tavronitis river. The silhouette of the Gonia Monastery may be seen from afar. The “White Mountains” Range reaches to 2.450 meters in the south. The memorial’s primary concept was to build a graveyard for fallen soldiers based on the four major battlegrounds of Maleme, Chania, Rethymnon, and Heraklion.
Former German commander Gericke established the cemetery in 1974. 4.465 German troops who died on the island of Crete are buried here, the majority of whom were paratroopers who perished during the invasion.
The German Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge eV), a private group located in Kassel, is responsible for the cemetery’s upkeep, as directed by the German government. The organization has looked after similar graves all around the world.
