Heraklion defenses

 Heraklion was fortunate enough to have twelve 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns distributed around the airfield. To the southwest of the airfield there was artillery. They had nine 100mm guns and four 75mm guns. Chappel told the ant-aircraft gunners that they could fire "when they saw fit". Everyone else was to stay concealed until German bombing ended. 

Chappel only intended to have the artillery fire on the airfield if German troop-carrying aircraft landed in force or if all the anti-aircraft guns were knocked out. The Leicesters were asked to attack paratroops that landed on the airfield. They were also to attack if paratroops landed in the area bounded by the Charlies and the low ground. There was a heavy tank at the ends of the airfield. The light tanks were located to the southeast. The infantry were to attack as soon as the enemy troops landed. 

Germans bombed Heraklion from May 12th onwards. The bombing was intermittent. Bombers flew over at dawn on 13 May. A Gladiator biplane attacked five bombers. The bombers followed it down but none were shot down. Later that day, one German bomber was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. 

Some 40 German aircraft attacked on 14 May. Two Hurricane fighters had arrived the night before. They both were lost. German aircraft strafed the area on 16 and 18 May. Around this time, a German reconnaissance aircraft was shot down. 

This is based on the account in "Greece, Crete, and Syria" by Gavin Long