Pigi Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pigi Airport
Αεροδρόμιο Πηγής
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The airport as seen from the "Kefala" hill
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Location | Pigi, Rethymno | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 16 ft / 5 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°22′37.3″N 24°33′51.6″E / 35.377028°N 24.564333°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
 Pigi Airport
Location in Greece
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Pigi Airport (Greek: Αεροδρόμιο Πηγής) was a military airfield located near Pigi on the island of Crete. It played a very important role for the Germans during the Battle of Crete in World War II.
Contents
What Was Pigi Airport?
Pigi Airport was a military airfield built in November 1940. It was located about 8 kilometers (5 miles) east of Rethymno city. The British army built it to help defend Crete from attacks. People from nearby villages like Adele and Pigi helped build it and were paid for their work.
The airport was actually a simple runway. It was about 960 meters (3,149 feet) long and 120 meters (394 feet) wide. It stretched across the plain from Pigi to Sfakaki.
Why Was It Important?
During the Battle of Crete, capturing Pigi Airport was a main goal for the German forces. They wanted to use it to land their planes and bring in more soldiers and supplies.
The airport was defended by soldiers from Australia and Greece. They took up positions on nearby hills, which they called "Hill A" (also known as "Kefala") and "Hill B." These hills gave them a good view to protect the runway.
The Battle for the Airport
On May 30, 1941, after fierce fighting, the Australian troops defending the airport had to surrender. The German forces then took control of the airfield.
However, Pigi Airport was not a very big or fancy airport. It didn't have strong anti-aircraft defenses or many other buildings. British reports from early 1941 said it was still being built. The runway was only really good for smaller fighter planes.
What Was It Like?
The northern side of the airport was right next to the old Rethymno-Heraklion National Road. This road is still there today. At the western end of the airfield, there was a small radio station used by the Royal Air Force.
After the War
In October 1944, when the Germans left Crete, they damaged the airport. They blew up its defense buildings to make it unusable.
After 1945, parts of the airport land were used for farming. In the 1960s, small planes sometimes used a part of the old runway for spraying crops. Today, you can't see much of the airport anymore. Most of it is now farmland.
