Roads, water, and defensive logistics on Crete

Crete's defenders needed to treat infrastructure as part of the battle plan before the enemy arrived. Securing water and putting available ground into cultivation would reduce dependence on vulnerable imported supplies. A road to the coast away from the enemy-facing side would give the garrison another route for moving and landing matériel instead of concentrating everything on one exposed approach. Railways were attractive but slower and more resource-intensive than the road that could have been built first. The island's defence was a logistics problem of time, routes, food, and water as well as a contest of troops and weapons.