If the Axis declines the costly invasion, Crete becomes an Allied base rather than a battlefield. Together with Malta it constricts Axis shipping, supports submarines and aircraft across the eastern Mediterranean, and makes Malta convoys from Alexandria easier to protect. The island would endure heavy Axis bombing, but its railway and developed ports would make sustained resupply more practical. Concrete runways could also host medium and heavy bombers for raids against the Ploiești oil fields, threatening an important source of high-quality German fuel.
Chapter · 53:14-59:30
Crete and Malta close the eastern Mediterranean
A surviving Allied Crete disrupts Axis convoys, supports Malta, threatens Italian waters, and opens Romanian oil to bombing.