Brigadier Chappel commanded the troops defending Heraklion. He had three regular British battalions as well as the Australian 2/4th Battalion, which had been in Greece. There was also the 7th Medium Regiment which was armed as infantry. There were also three untrained Greek battalions. Chappel was short of artillery. He had 13 old field guns and some 14 ant-aircraft guns. He had six light tanks with two "heavy tanks, which must have been Inf. Mk. II Matildas, although that is just a guess. Chappel was asked to hold the port and airfield at Heraklion.
The port served the largest settlement in Crete. There was a "saddle" that ran between a high mountain in the west called Ida and a lower mountain in the east called Diete. Heraklion was a town with a wall and with a population of about 36,000. Heraklion was larger than Canea. An ancient Minoan city of Knossos was in ruins.
An airfield was located some three miles east of the town. The airfield was in the coastal plain. Chappel's men were located in an area about four miles by two miles, with the longer area being from east to west. The 2/Black Watch held the airfield. The Australian 2/4th was around two hills the Auatralians called "the Charlies". That area had many boulders that the Australians would use as protection for fighting.
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