By 1 June 1941, the Allied evacuation from Crete was complete.

The battle had begun with a German airborne invasion in May. British, Australian, New Zealand, and Greek troops fought on the island, but the Allied position collapsed. Once Crete could no longer be held, the aim changed. It was no longer possible to win the battle. It was to get as many men away as possible.

That task fell largely to the Royal Navy.

The withdrawal was dangerous from the start. German aircraft could attack ships moving to and from the island, and the navy had too little air cover of its own. Evacuation by sea still worked, but it came at a high cost. Ships were sunk or damaged while carrying troops or trying to reach them. The navy could move men from Crete, but not safely.

The evacuation also had limits. Many troops were taken off the island, often after hard movement through difficult country and under the strain of defeat. Others could not be rescued. They were left behind and became prisoners. That makes it hard to treat the end of the battle as a rescue story.

Crete showed the pressure Britain faced in the eastern Mediterranean in 1941. The Royal Navy remained essential, but German air power made every sea movement more costly. Ships that had once represented reach and control now had to operate under conditions that left them exposed.

The British link is clear, but the story is not only British. Australian and New Zealand troops had carried much of the fighting on the island. Greek forces and civilians were also part of the battle. The evacuation belongs to that shared Allied defeat.

By 1 June, the main withdrawal was over. Crete had been lost. Thousands had escaped, and thousands had not. The date marks the end of an evacuation carried out under heavy pressure, with the Royal Navy paying a high price to save part of a beaten force.