YouTube has posted the one-hour documentary film entitled “The Commandos’ Last Stand: The Daring Escape from Crete”. This was produced by The War Movie Channel and released in about 2011. Here is the YouTube description of the film:
Discover the dramatic story of the British commandos’ desperate rearguard action during the Battle of Crete in 1941. How did Laycock’s elite force change the course of history?
In May 1941, Crete became the stage for the largest airborne invasion ever attempted, with German paratroopers descending upon the island and trapping 30,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers. This gripping documentary unravels the extraordinary mission of Colonel Robert Laycock and his commandos, a highly unorthodox unit trained for daring raids, as they faced overwhelming odds with limited weapons and resources. Joined by the famed author-turned-intelligence-officer Evelyn Waugh, Laycock’s men were thrown into chaos – their original plan to capture an airfield quickly turned into a desperate struggle to hold off Hitler’s mountain troops and buy time for a massive evacuation. Explore how the strategic significance of Crete, likened to an “aircraft carrier” in the Mediterranean, put immense pressure on the Allied defenders.
The video details the frantic withdrawal across the island’s rugged White Mountains, the heroic resistance of commandos alongside the Maori Battalion, and the high-stakes naval evacuations under relentless Luftwaffe attacks. You’ll also get a rare glimpse into the personalities behind the mission – from Laycock’s fearless leadership to the wit and courage of Evelyn Waugh. Ultimately, the story is one of courage, improvisation, and sacrifice as the commandos fought to save thousands, even as most faced capture. If you’re fascinated by WWII special operations, commando history, or epic tales of battlefield leadership and survival, this is a must-watch deep dive into one of the war’s most dramatic retreats.
The film is quite good in putting the Commando action into the context of the chaotic evacuation of Crete. Their original assignment was the capture of the Maleme Air Field in eastern Crete, something for which were especially well trained. But as the film makes clear, due to several delays in transport from Egypt to Crete, that action had been overtaken by events beyond their control before they ever arrived. They ended up being assigned to cover the evacuation of British, Australian and New Zealand troops, something for they had not been especially trained. They nevertheless performed well under the circumstances. The film leaves it up to the viewer to decide whether the evacuation of several officers and men, including Laycock and Waugh, before most of those Commandos who took an active part in the evacuation and were left behind, was justified.
The film is well produced and edited. The illustrative maps and numbers of troops involved make it easy to follow the evacuation. The film is available on YouTube at the above link. If you do not have a subscription, you will have to put up with several commercial interruptions, but these can all be made to disappear by clicking the “Skip Ad” button on the lower rght side of the screen.
