Continued Allied possession of Crete would make raids against Romanian oil fields possible in this scenario. Romania supplied a concentrated quantity of useful oil, although Germany obtained oil elsewhere too. Disrupting that production would hurt both the German economy and its military supply. Destruction that kept installations and wells out of service for months would impose a greater cost than a brief interruption.
Notable Point · 1:20:06-1:20:58
Romanian oil as a bombing target from Crete
Holding Crete could expose a concentrated German oil supply to bombing, even though Romania was not Germany's only source.