Clash of Empires World War 2 The Invasion of Crete 1941
Just as Rommel arrived in North Africa the British expedition to Greece (March 1941) to block any German intervention in the Balkans met with disaster. No sooner had the British arrived than powerful German panzer formations swept down through Yugoslavia and invaded Greece. The Greek defence quickly crumbled whereupon the British were forced to withdraw and many evacuated to Crete. The subsequent German assault on the island (May 1941) was the largest airborne operation so far and although successful the casualties were heavy. Hitler was so appalled by the losses that he never ordered a similar mission again.
Background
Many of the survivors of the Greek debacle were transferred to the island of Crete which due to its strategically important position in the eastern Mediterranean was the next prime German objective. However, a strong Royal Navy presence in the region meant that a seaborne invasion was too risky a proposition. Instead, Hitler gave approval for a daring large scale airborne assault by the elite German Fallschirmjäger which was led by General Kurt Student. With German air superiority assured, on the morning of the 20th of May, elements of the 7th Paratrooper Division began landing by parachute and glider near the principal airfields on the island. These were followed by the 5th Mountain Division which was transported by aircraft. Due to poor reconnaissance the Germans underestimated the strength of the forces that opposed them. On the island there were 42,500 British, Greek and Commonwealth troops under the command of General Freyberg. However, these Allied units were dispersed to cover the most likely landing areas and therefore found it difficult to support each other. This situation was exacerbated by the mountainous terrain, a lack of transport and only a few roads. Furthermore, there were severe shortages in artillery and other equipment. Despite these deficiencies the defenders were still able to inflict very heavy losses upon the German paratroopers who were particularly vulnerable during their descent and when scattered on the ground. Also, two efforts to send reinforcements by sea were intercepted and dispersed by the Royal Navy. Nevertheless, with great courage and tenacity the German airborne troops were able to overcome these difficulties and managed to gain a foothold at Maleme where they seized the airfield. This allowed reinforcements to come in by plane and with effective air support the Germans were able to force the defenders back to the south of the island. Finally, Freyberg gave the order to evacuate on the 27th of May. However, nearly half of his command remained cut off and was either captured or killed. Meanwhile, in the waters around the north of the island the Royal Navy was also forced to withdraw due to heavy losses caused by highly accurate German bomber raids. Thus, the British were expelled from Crete but at a very heavy cost to the German paratrooper mission which thereafter was greatly curtailed.
Using the Clash of Empires rules the battle strength and capabilities of the combatants can be shown as follows: -
The German Invasion Force
The German invasion force consists of one Paratrooper Division and one Mountain Division. These are highly professional elite units and therefore are rated Superior in quality and get a +1 bonus to Initiative for Army Type. They have a Combat Rating (CR) of ❷ which equates to a +2 Fighting Bonus (FB). The Germans have light artillery in the form of the new 7.5cm Leichtgeschűtz 40 light gun. On the Air Support and Bombardment Table this gives them a 1D3 Advantage Die for Artillery. Air support is being provided by Fliegerkorps VIII in Greece. Thus, Student can call upon 15 units of Stuka Dive-bombers and 18 units of Fighter-bombers for close air support. These have a combined FB of +24 which converts to a 1D6 Advantage Die for strafing and bombing. Contributing Battle Factor modifiers consist of a +1 for Elite Infantry, +2 for Dive-bombers in Close Air Support and +2 for Assault Engineers in Close Assault. This reflects the presence of the Airlanding Assault Regiment and many paratroopers being armed with MP40 submachine guns. Total Modifier +5 which is added to the Battle Dice score. In the game General Student is rated as a Competent commander and therefore rolls 1D6+1 for Initiative.
Airborne Troops
When using Airborne Troops, the procedure is to roll 1D6 1-3 indicates that airborne troops are dispersed or dropped too far away from target. Fighting Bonus negated. 4-5 indicates that airborne troops are on target and can double their FB. A roll of 6 indicates that they have achieved a Vertical Envelopment and can triple their FB.
All this information can be simply expressed as follows: Invasion Force Superior 2D6 (+5), CR ❷+3 FB (Airborne on target) and +4 Initiative (Incl. of Surprise Attack +2). Special: Airborne Troops 1-3 miss target, 4-5 Double FB and 6 Triple FB. Assets: Attached Artillery 1D3 and Air Support 1D6 for Strafing and Bombing. This is now in an easily accessible form that can be put straight into the Battle Log below.
The Allied Defenders
Despite suffering from fatigue and the loss of all their heavy equipment during their evacuation from Greece the Allied defenders are still well trained and motivated. They are therefore rated as Ordinary in quality and don’t qualify for an Initiative bonus. This motley Allied force is roughly equivalent to four Infantry Divisions which have a Combat Rating of ❶ and a total Fighting Bonus of +2. On the Air Support and Bombardment Table this gives them a 1D3 Advantage Die for Artillery. There is no significant tank force available and British aircraft were withdrawn before the invasion. Therefore, there is no air support and the Germans have complete air superiority. Their only contributing Battle Factor modifier is a +1 for Infantry in Defence (dug in) which is added to the Battle Dice score. They have two anti-aircraft batteries, but the guns are dispersed which means that their opponent’s get their full modifier for Close Air Support. The defenders outnumber the Germans by more than 2 to 1 but due to a lack of transport are unable exploit their numerical superiority. Therefore, they only get a 1D6 advantage for outnumbering their opponent. In the game General Freyberg is rated as an Average commander and therefore rolls 1D6 for Initiative. This information can be simply expressed as follows: Allied Defenders Ordinary 2D6 (+1), CR ❶ +2 FB. Assets: Artillery 1D3.
Scenario Pre-set condition: - The decoding of German Enigma traffic means that the British are aware that an invasion of Crete is imminent. However, the British defenders think that the main attack will be by sea and that a seaborne operation can be thwarted by the Royal Navy. Therefore, the German airborne forces get complete surprise +2 Initiative.
WW2 Clash Battle Procedure:
After rolling for Initiative the Battle Roll for each army consists of the following procedure:
Battle Dice 2D6 (highest scoring die only).
Army Combat Rating (CR) to Fighting Bonus (FB).
Calculate Battle Bonus. (Determined by Army Type and FB).
Any other Battle Advantages such as Artillery Bombardment, Opponent outnumbered or Tactical Advantage.
Total Battle Roll.
Highest scoring Battle Roll wins and the difference between the two scores determines the number of casualties.
Combat Rating to Fighting Bonus Conversion and Casualty Tables not shown.
World War 2 Battle Log
German Invasion Force (Battle of Crete)
Initiative | Battle Dice (Modifier) | No. of Units and CR to Fighting Bonus | Battle Bonus Normal (Enhanced) | Battle Advantage Dice | Total Score |
1D6 +4
4+4 = 8
Airborne Troops Roll 1D6 = 5 Airborne Troops on target double FB. | 2D6 (+5) 3 and 1
3+5 = 8 | Elite Divisions x2 EPD ❷x1 = 1x2 = +2 FB EMD ❷x1 = +1 FB
Total = +3 FB
| Odds Dice
1D3(1D6) 1D6 = 4
| Tactical 2D6
Artillery 1D3
Strafing and Bombing 1D6
4+2+3+1 = 10 | 8+3+4+10 = 25 |
Allied Defenders (Battle of Crete)
Initiative | Battle Dice (Modifier) | No. of Units and CR to Fighting Bonus | Battle Bonus Normal (Enhanced) | Battle Advantage Dice | Total Score |
1D6 = 5
| 2D6 (+1) 4 and 1
4+1 = 5 | Infantry Divisions x4 ❶ x4 = +2 FB | No odds or evens
1D3(1D6) 1D3 = 3 | Opponent outnumbered 1D6
Artillery 1D3
6+3 = 9 | 5+2+3+9 = 19 |
WW2 Army Battle Bonus Calculation Table not shown.
Battle Bonus calculation determined by Air Force Type and Fighting Bonus (FB).
(#D#) = Enhanced Battle Bonus on odds or evens Battle Dice.
Result: Differential = 6. Loser/Winner +2/-3 on Casualty Table. British losses = 2.25 Inf. German losses 75% of 1 unit. Losses = Killed, wounded or captured.
Battle Report: The German Paratroopers are successfully dropped on target and are therefore able to double their FB of +1 to +2. An initiative win and Odds Battle Dice effectively cancels their opponent’s numerical advantage. This together with artillery and close air support achieves a differential of 6 which signals a victory for the Fallschirmjäger. Nevertheless, casualties are high and Hitler forbids any further large-scale airborne operations.
Sources
Ailsby, C. 2001: Hitler’s Sky Warriors. Brown Paperworks Limited.
Dupuy, R. E. and Dupuy, T. N. 1993: The Collins Encyclopaedia of Military History. Harper Collins Publishers.
Mayer, S. L. Various Contributors. 1977: Encyclopaedia of World War II. Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited.
Quarrie, B. 2001: Fallschirmjäger. German Paratrooper 1935-45. Osprey Publishing Ltd.
Article Front Page Picture
British soldiers in surrender, following Nazi airborne invasion of Crete, May 1941 (b/w photo). Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo. After Alamy (IY05614556).
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