Fortress Crete (German: Festung Kreta) was the term used during World War II by the German occupation forces to refer to the garrison and fortification of the Greek island of Crete, which they had captured after a fierce battle at the end of May 1941. The Germans occupied the western three prefectures of the island (the prefectures of Chania, Heraklion and Rethymno) with their headquarters in Chania, whilst the Italians occupied the easternmost prefecture of Lasithi until the Italian capitulation in September 1943. The first German garrison unit was the 164th Infantry Division (a.k.a. Fortress Division Crete, German: Festungs-Division Kreta - FDK). In 1942, FDK was split to form the smaller Fortress Brigade Kreta (German: Festungs-Brigade Kreta - FBK) and the 164th Light Afrika Division wh