Maleme
35°31′N 23°51′E / 35.517°N 23.850°E
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Maleme (Greek: Μάλεμε) is a town and airport[1] 16 km to the west of Chania, in North Western Crete, Greece. It is located in Platanias municipality, in Chania prefecture.
Maleme has a few large hotels and several pleasant apartments close to the beach and some bars and a discotheque at the western end. Its beach is made of fine pebbles and is popular though often less crowded than the beaches of Gerani, Agia Marina and Platanias.
History
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Bronze Age
A Late Minoan tholos tomb has been discovered in the vicinity of Maleme.
World War II
Maleme is best known as a landing site for German paratroopers invading Crete in 1941, at the start of the Battle of Crete (Operation Mercury) during World War II. The paratroopers captured the airstrip that was located just outside the town; once captured, this airstrip allowed the Germans to airlift in the reinforcements needed to capture the rest of the island. Many of the paratroopers lost their lives in the attack and are buried in the German war cemetery[citation needed] (35°32′02″N 23°49′52″E / 35.533779°N 23.831137°E[2]) located on a hill above Maleme.
There is an Royal Air Force (RAF) Memorial to the airmen of 30 and 33 Squadrons who died during the battle. The memorial is located (35°31′31″N 23°49′43″E / 35.525363°N 23.828619°E) just outside Maleme and overlooks the (35°31′36″N 23°49′32″E / 35.526625°N 23.825604°E[3]) Iron Bridge across the Tavronitis River.