Treaty of Surrender

On 9^th May 1945, Major-General Hans Benthack, German Commander of the Fortress of Crete, arrived in Heraklion by light aircraft from Chania and was led to the Villa Ariadne at Knossos. There, in the villa's main dining-room, the German general signed the unconditional surrender of German troops remaining on the island, "with his hand trembling, very pale and deeply moved" (Georgios Kavos, German-Italian Occupation and Resistance on Crete, Heraklion 1991, p. 768 - in Greek). The document was signed on behalf of the Allies by Brigadier Kirwan, representative of Alexander, Commander of the Mediterranean Operations Theatre, and Major-General Georgios Foundoulakis, Military Commander on Crete. The document was to take effect as of "10 o'clock Greenwich Mean Time on the 10^th day of May 1945". The long-lasting occupation was over.