The Battle of Crete was the first occasion during the Second World War where the German troops encountered widespread resistance from a civilian population , which initially surprised and later outraged them . As most Cretan partisans wore no uniforms or insignia such as armbands or headbands , the Germans felt free of all of the constraints of the Hague Conventions and killed armed and unarmed civilians indiscriminately . Immediately after Crete fell , a series of collective punishments against civilians began . Between 2 June and 1 August , 195 persons from the village of Alikianos and its vicinity were killed in mass shootings known as the Alikianos executions . On 2 June , several male citizens from Kondomari were executed by a firing squad , with the shootings being captured on film by a German army war correspondent . On 3 June , the village of Kandanos was razed to the ground and about 180 of its inhabitants killed . After the war , Student , who ordered the shootings , avoided prosecution for war crimes , despite Greek efforts to have him extradited
Kondomari were executed
Massacre of Kondomari
Battle of Crete