Operation Mercury - Maleme Historical Scenario AAR for Command Ops 2

My complete after action report for the scenario "Maleme Historical Scenario".
This scenario is part of "The Cauldron" scenario pack.

Planning the operation

Analyzing the briefing:

Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete, is upon us!

Elements of the XI Fliegerkorps are to paradrop west of Khania and capture the vitally important Malene airfield. Once the airport is taken, transport planes will be able to land and start delivering reinforcements and supplies. This way Gebirgsjaeger Division 5 will join the offensive. Together with the Fallschirmjäger they will head east, seize the city of Khania and its port. If this is done, our troops will head further east in an effort to claim the rest of the island. Ultimately Crete will fall and the mountain troops will stay behind while acting as a garrison.

As general Kurt Student said:
                "Roll up Crete from the west."

Objectives:

Primary objectives of this operation

Primary:

• Maleme airfield: Crucial for the operation. Must be taken above all as it will be used to fly in reinforcements and supplies for this operation.
  
• Khania: One of the major cities on Crete.
  
• Souda (port): Important for the later parts of the Crete campaign. Will be used to ferry in goods and supplies. Also lies on the way to the eastern parts of Crete.

Secondary

• Exit point to Rethymnon: If the primary objectives are met and when this sector is mostly clear our troops have to move east in order to start "rolling up" Crete.
  
• Point 107: Of strategic importance as it is overlooking Maleme airfield.
  
• Souda bay west: Of strategic importance as it is overlooking Souda port.
  
• Galatas: Not really of strategic importance, yet it lies between Malene airfield and Khania. It is possible it might be used by the Allies as a point of resistance. Taking hold of it early might facilitate our push to Khania.

Lower priority

• Sanatorium hill: A elevation in between Khania and Souda bay. Nice to have, as it closes off the Akrotiri peninsula, yet not vital to the operation.
  
• All of the AA batteries: They are all quite dispersed and mostly out of the way of the main objectives. If things go well and there are some companies to spare I will take them out. If not, they are the lowest priority.

Operational objective:

• Keep control of "Prison Valley": Drop point of the 7th Flieger Division and the place where supply drops are planned throughout the operation.

Order of Battle:

Order of battle: two divisions and a regiment

The Fallschirmjäger were nicknamed by the Allies as the "Green Devils". They were famous for their willingness to give every effort unwaveringly even in the grimmest of situations.

Battleplan:

My battleplan for this sector of Operation Mercury

In preparation of Operation Mercury the Luftwaffe has being flying air superiority and tactical bombing missions over Crete. This has resulted in the retreat of the single RAF airwing from the island. We have total air superiority, yet the British still rule the waves. So all reinforcements will have to come through transport planes. The lack of heavy artillery in our airborne elements will at least be redressed by lots of airstrikes.

As for the ground portion of the operation: the plan will revolve around two fronts:

• Gruppe West (dubbed Comet):
  
  Luftlande Sturm Regiment will be dropped west of Maleme airfield, near the town of Tavronitis. Once enough of the units are on the ground, I will organize them under the regimental headquarters and launch an assault towards the airfield. Speed is of the essence, so I'll not wait until the whole regiment is dropped. After this, once one of the Luftlande battalions drop, I'll direct it towards Point 107. It will make claiming the airfield so much easier.
  
  Once both objectives are taken the Luftlande regiment will reorganize itself into a more defensive posture. It is imperative that we do not lose the airport. If possible I'll keep some pressure on the enemy units and start making a push eastwards along the coast.
  
  Late in the afternoon on day two the first regiment of the Gebirgsjaeger Div 5 will be airlifted, the rest of the division will follow the days after. Once there are enough mountaintroops, the full offensive will begin. Two regiments of the Gebirgsjaeger Division will first head southwards and eventually start sweeping to the east. They are to clear the mountain ranges to the south. The rest of the division will take the coastal roads to the east. Luftlande Sturm Regiment will be in support.
  
  Eventually they will link up with Flieger Div 7 and together they will continue pushing eastwards, taking Khania, Souda port and ultimately heading east.
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• Gruppe Mitte (dubbed Mars):
  Flieger Div 7 will drop in Prison Valley. They will first try to consolidate their position and act as a shield to keep enemy units from reaching Maleme airfield. If our forces at the airfield are having trouble with seizing or holding the airfield, a battalion will be dispatched to try and help them. If this proves to be insufficient, more troops will be sent. On the other hand, if the Luftlande Sturm Regiment doesn't need the aid, the Flieger Division will stir up trouble, attract attention to itself and put pressure on the enemy by attacking nearby enemy forces.
  
  Once the Gebirgsjaeger Div 5 and Luftlande Sturm Regiment link up with the Flieger Division all of the forces will head east.

Overwhelmed by the Axis attack on mainland Greece, the Allies evacuated their troops and stationed them on Crete in april. Both Axis and Allies valued the island for its strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean. The Allies wouldn't let Crete fall without a fight.

Annotations

Overview of forces

As this operation will feature multiple countries and units from more than one branch or service things might get a bit hectic in the screenshots. To be clear and as a reference, here is an overview of how these forces are depicted ingame.

Day One - Seizing Maleme Airfield

Operation Mercury - Day One

In the early morning a swarm of Ju 52 cross the sea of Crete and kick Operation Mercury into motion. Once in their designated zones, Luftlande Sturm Regiment and Flieger Division 7 are let loose and drop to their locations near Maleme airfield and Prison Valley. Some mishaps happen though and a couple of the units get dropped off course.

"The air was black with planes of all descriptions including many troop carriers. Then it seemed to rain men, hundreds of them."
                        2nd Lt Clif Poole

The Luftlande Sturm Regiment lands just west of Maleme airfield, in plain view of the enemy defenders. Other battalions and companies get dropped right on top of the enemy and immediately have to fight for their lives. The enemy forces at the airfield and on Point 107 are quick to react and waste no time in engaging the newly dropped paratroopers.

Quickly a couple of assorted Luftlande companies organize under the regimental HQ and prepare themselves to assault the airport. Meanwhile, troops continue to drop. To the west II Battalion lands intact. This is fortunate as I immediately order them to form up behind the beleaguered regiment and prepare themselves for an assault on Point 107. As they can form up in relative safety they get their assault going earlier than the regiment. The battalion crosses the river at noon and quickly seize Point 107. With Point 107 under our control, the Luftlande regiment gets traction, fights its way to the airfield and seizes it from the wavering defenders.

In the east Flieger Division 7 drops mostly unscattered in Prison Valley. Some units drop dangerously close to Galatas though and are engaged immediately. I am determined to at least save some of these units from destruction and send a battalion to Galatas to escort them to safety. After a quick assesment the rest of the division is tasked with consolidating our grasp of the valley. The hills to the south are teeming with Greek forces and thus are a danger to our forces further down in the valley. A joint strike of the 7th Engineers Battalion and the I Battalion easily scatter the Greek and secures the south flank. The rescue attempt at Galatas results in mixed success. Under cover fire of II Battalion some companies manage to crawl back to safety. But they are not in good enough shape to continue to fight and are merged into other companies. III Battalion HQ and a couple of its companies do get out in decent shape and reorganize near the town of Marmaras.


Due to bad landings many of the Fallschirmjäger are immediately dropped into combat with allied forces.
⠀

Clearing out the southern perimeter of Prison Valley

By 14:00h both Point 107 and Maleme airport are firmly in our grip. A stubborn squad of Matilda tanks remains rooted on the hillslope between the airport and Point 107. Together with the last fixed AA battery they are shelling my troops and keeping them suppressed. Soon though they are whittled down and are destroyed.

After the drops in this sector, the Ju52 of the Luftwaffe returned to their bases to load more troops. Subsequent drops were made in other sectors in the afternoon. One group attacked Rethymnon at 16:15h and another attacked Heraklion at 17:30h.

Nearing dusk and with both drop zones secured I turn my attention to III Battalion Luftlande. Half of the battalion, including its HQ, got stranded in a small coastal town three kilometers east of the rest of the regiment. I task Kampftruppe Braun and Kompanie Osius to head east and take Pyrgos. This way they keep the pressure on the retreating enemy companies and will bridge the gap to the III Battalion. Meanwhile the stranded companies sally forth from their position, make a dash westward across the beach and blast their way through the panicking enemy units. A sigh of relief is made when III Battalion is safely reunited.


After a successful assault on Maleme Airport Kompanie Osius and Kampftrupp Braun continue their push east to Pyrgos


After being encircled due to a bad drop, parts of III Coy Luftlande make a mad dash back to their regiment

Apart from the two big drops of the Luftlande regiment en the Flieger division, two separate Luftlande companies got dropped far east. Their mission is to silence AA batteries. At the end of the day 2nd Glider Coy I Bn Luftlande successfully assaults and takes out an AA battery on the Akrotiri peninsula. The 1st Coy wasn't so successful and had to retreat while trying to take on its battery.


Operation Mercury - End of the first day - 23:30h

All in all I'm happy with the way the first day turned out. Tomorrow morning some regimental units of the Luftlande are still to drop and in the afternoon we are expecting the first regiment of the Gebirgsjaeger Division 5. For the moment our forces have consolidated their positions and the airfield is firmly under our control. Unless the Allies force my hand, I'll let most of my troops rest for the night. They've earned it.

Day Two - The push inland

Operation Mercury - Day two

Most of the night passes in relative peace. I do task the two eastern glider companies to assault another AA battery. Again, 1st Glider Coy Luftlande attempts to take out its previous target just east of Mournies, but fails in the end. I opt to leave the battery intact and let the company find its way to Flieger Div 7. 2nd Glider Coy on the other hand storm the AA battery at Pythari and take the British platoon by surprise. They are ordered to head in fast and quiet, only engaging at the last possible moment. The assault is flawlessly executed and at 05:50h the company manages to capture its second AA emplacement of the operation.

At dawn, Greek forces have moved from their positions in the south and are moving past Marmaras. The little town is held by III Battalion, which quickly respond by firing upon the marching Greek. Daybreak also brings some new intel that Allied forces are leaving Khania, moving out of the city to the West.


III Bn Flieger Div 7 wakes up being surrounded by Greek and British forces

Some wrecked Ju 52 transport planes at Maleme Airfield. By the end of this operation 170 of these will be put out of action.

Near Maleme airfield, I order all of the battalions of the Luftlande Sturm Regiment to move out and keep the pressure on. 15th Coy MG LL got placed on the hilltop of Point 107 and once day breaks it opens up the 22nd Nz Battalion in Xamoudokhori. All of my battalions make steady progress. At 13:00h though a New Zealand battalion counterattacks, but gets repulsed in the end. From then onward most of the enemy units are retreating, reforming or haven't got the stomach to fight.


At first light 15th MG Coy Luftlande opens up on a New Zealand infantry battalion. Meanwhile I and II Bn move up from the north


A New Zealand infantry battalion is counterattacking in an attempt to stop the the tide of German Paratroopers

A more grave situation is unfolding in Prison Valley though. At noon, Greek and Commonwealth forces pour out of Galatas from the southwest. II Battalion Flieger, which is positioned on the southeast slope of the mountain near the prisons get pounded by the flood of units. Even III Battalion Flieger feels the heat and has to retreat to the south. In this move a British armoured platoon managed to blast the mortar platoon of III Battalion to pieces. All afternoon the stalwart II Battalion is engaged in a continual firefight. The divisional artillery company and the MG company with its LG40 guns are placed a bit higher and further back of the battalion and are having a field day. Clear line of sight and an abundance of targets means they keep firing indiscriminately and soon are running low on ammo. In the end though, the combination of the stubborn defense of the II Battalion, the divisional support companies and the many airstrikes put a stop to the advance of the Allies.


Commonwealth forces flock out of Galatas and put pressure on II Battalion. Further south I and III Battalion mop up assorted Greek units

Nearing 17:30h the pressure becomes to great and II Battalion Flieger retreats. III Battalion does the same and in its retreat battalion HQ gets shot up and disbanded. Bitter fighting over the hills erupts as the Fallschirmjäger desperately fall back across the crest. So, my whole front towards Galatas has buckled and the Allies waste no time in claiming Marmaras. As darkness descends the Allies are poised to strike through Prison Valley. By doing this they will take away an aerial supply point. During the night I let my troops retreat and redress the lines past lake Aghye.


Operation Mercury - End of day two at 20:30h

Seaborne reinforcements for the Axis were en route by the end of day two. Just before midnight the Axis convoy was intercepted by the British Royal Navy and were forced to retreat. Two ships managed to continue to their landing spots on Crete though. Yet of all of the soldiers landing on the Akrotiri peninsula, only one soldier managed to join his comrades.

At the end of the day good progress was made in the west. With the addition of the first mountaintroops through airlift, the Luftlande Sturm Regiment has performed admirably. Initially when I drew up plans for this operation I thought they would need reinforcements from Flieger Division 7. Turns out it is quite the opposite. My mistake is that I got overconfident in seeing the gains at Maleme airfield and the initial relative ease at which I could operate in Prison Valley. A costly mistake, what price will I pay on day three?

Day Three - Linkup with Flieger Div 7

Operation Mercury - Day three

Flieger Division 7 spends most of the night reorganizing. I opt to make a stand at Lake Aghye. One battalion is set up south, the rest positions itself north on the hillside. That way we still have sight on the valley and we can defend our supply drop without actually going into the valley. On the western end, Luftlande Sturm Regiment spreads out to make sure no enemy troops slip past our lines during the night.

At around 03:00h though, companies of the 22nd New Zealand Infantry Battalion do manage to slip past the lines and even launch an attack on Luftlande Base at Maleme Airfield. Luckily most of the companies are seriously weakened by earlier fighting and are repulsed with the help of my mountaintroops. This would be the beginning of continual small skirmishes on the far west of the sector. Though these fights might be insignificant, it does mean that I have to commit some companies to comb out the woods and valleys in order to round up these stragglers. These companies could've been better used elsewhere.

At first light the companies of the Luftlande Sturm Regiment wake early and start to move out, taking routes through the valleys to cover as much territory as possible. No real opposition is encountered.


Luftlande Sturm Regiment and GJ Regt 100 spread out to cover as much terrain as possible while Flieger Div 7 sticks together in defense

At 07:30h long range firefights erupt between elements of Flieger Division 7 and the Allies stationed at Marmaras. This is mostly ineffectual as it spans the width of the whole valley. Artillery and infantry guns keep firing though and slowly casualties trickle into the aid stations. I keep my units in a defensive position and await the the Allies' move. Hours later, still nothing stirs from the town. They do however start targeting my transport columns from the supply point. As this is totally in the open the transports do get seriously hampered. Luckily enough supplies to keep the division going do get through though.

Fresh supplies are brought in through airdrops in Prison Valley. Up to this point this is the only way of supplying the Fallshirmjäger of Flieger Division 7.

Just before noon I task Kampftrupp Braun to scale a hill and scout out the town of Platanias. The town lies at a bottleneck between the Sea of Crete to the north and steep hills to the south. As soon as the company emerges from the wooded hilltop it sees that the town is crawling with enemy forces. After retreating to safety I hastily throw together a plan. III Fj Bn Luftlande will be the first to attack from the south. Using the same path as my scouts did. They will come in guns blazing and attract the attention of the defenders. Then both Kampftrupp Braun, Kompanie Osius and 16th Pioniere Company of the Luftlande will assault from the west, entering the town and covering as much terrain before starting to fire. Giving cover is the 15th MG Company of the Luftlande. It lost all its LG 40's during the previous battles, yet still has plenty of MG 34's to give covering fire.

During day three another wave of seaborne reinforcements were planned. The landing attempts ultimatedly failed as the Royal Navy still had supremacy of the sea. Again the Axis transport flotilla had to retreat. This time though the British warships were severely attacked by Luftwaffe bombers. Many of its ships were damaged or destroyed and the remaining ships had shortages of anti-aircraft ammunition.

Once the assault starts in earnest I realize that the New Zealanders have a full brigade in defense and that their forces are all entrenched. The Fallschirmjäger fight ferociously, get beaten back a few times, but keep returning to the fight in a coordinated fashion. After a couple of hours and with the help of Luftwaffe strafing runs the first enemy companies start to retreat. By that time the engineers of the Gebirgspioniere Bn 95th have arrived in Maleme Airfield. I order them to push through the defenders of Platanias and assault the next town, Ay Marina. Once the engineers join the fight, the pressure is to high for the defenders and most of them decide to retreat east. Fighting remains fierce though and progress is slow. This soon changes when the newly landed mountaintroops of I Gj Bn Gj Regt 100 join the fight. Their target is further east, even past Ay Marina. I am determined to retain the initiative and keep pushing. After much fighting we clear the bottleneck of enemy troops and finally at the end of the day we have Ay Marina in our grasp. The Gebirgsjaeger even even managed to trap the 28th New Zealand Infantry Battalion into a pocket just past Ay Marina.


Fallschirmjäger assault the heavily defended town of Platanias


With the help of the Gebirgsjaeger the Allied lines at Platanias buckle

The Allied attack that I somehow hoped for in Prison Valley didn't materialize. After my western forces link up with the Flieger division I am more confident that the division will be able to withstand a punch from the Allies. So I decide it is time to strike out again. I task the I Fj Bn of the Third Regiment to head south east to stir up some trouble and possibly position themselves for a flanking maneuver on Galatas. While on the move, the battalion gets shelled again by the enemy guns in Marmaras. This impedes their progress severely and they do suffer some casualties. But eventually with night settling in they can reform, find a place to set up camp and plan for the next day.


Operation Mercury at the end of day three, around 22:54h

Day Four - The attack on Galatas

Operation Mercury - Day four

The pocket that formed at Ay Marina is shoddy at best and needs better spacing. So under cover of darkness I tighten my grip on it. Gebirgspioniere Bn 95 keep to the west and the I Gebirgsjaeger Bn Regt 100 spreads out to the south and east. On the hills to the south I also pull up some support weapons and I tuck away I Glider Bn Luftlande in one of the valleys there, just to counter anyone wanting to stab my mountaintroops in the back. In doing so the troops uncover 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade Base. The men at the base start taking pot shots at my MG Luftlande company. In retaliation the MG company starts firing its heavy machine guns and I order my mortars to keep bombarding the base. Due to this superior firepower the base takes heavy losses, breaks and goes off into a full rout.


Tightening the grip on a pocket of New Zealand infantry companies

At 05:10h a squad of three Vickers MkVI tanks moves up the road from the east. They roll right up to my line and try to breach it in order to relieve their comrades. Them coming this close means that my mountaintroops are able to open fire upon them with their AT-guns. In no time two tanks are destroyed and the tanksquad beats a hasty retreat.


A platoon of British tanks tries to break through the lines and free its comrades

At sunset it comes to my attention that a lot of the Allied troops in the town of Galatas are heading northbound, towards to Khania. I also see some movement near Marmaras and decide to let an engineer company scout ahead to get a better vantage point on the two towns. Turns out that there are still plenty of troops near Galatas and the lone Fallschirmpioniere get blasted from all sides.

Knowing that troops are leaving Galatas I plan to immediately cut of one of the roads leading out of the town. I Fj Bn Regt 3 is in a perfect position to do so. It has only had a short rest, but this mission needs doing. The battalion is to seize Platanos, a town that lies in between Galatas and Khania. In doing so I limit the amount of safe roads out of Galatas to just one.

At 08:20h the tank squad of earlier returns and but this time it keeps its distance. By this time two of my at guns are brought forward, yet he wisely remains at long range. I decide to storm the tanks and send in I Glider Bn Luftlande. 3rd company gets in close and finally takes out the last tank at 09:22h.

A couple of hours pass and finally something starts to stir in Prison Valley. A couple of British and Greek companies are moving out of Marmaras and going to the northwest. They are assaulting the lone engineer company that I had sent out to scout them. It is retreating, but under heavy fire. This is the move I have been waiting for and I set in motion a plan that will hopefully let me take Prison Valley and Galatas in one fell swoop. Time is of the essence and I start preparing my forces.


Allies swarm out of Malamas to the south, I Fj Bn Flieger Div 7 attack a town to the east and a pocket of New Zealanders gets crushed north

In preparation I start bombarding the assaulting Allied troops. This blunts their assault and finally they stall after also being fired upon by my support companies strategically positioned in the crevices of the hillsides. II GJ Bn Regt 100 is in an excellent position to counter the incoming assault and at 12:30h they start their assault of their own (2). Both forces meet halfway down the slope, but mine are in better shape and start pushing away the Allies.


Axis counterattack from the west, Marmaras and Galatas are targetted

Meanwhile the pocket east of Ay Marina is destroyed and all of my participating units are freed up. The I GJ Bn Regt 100 is tasked to go straight to Galatas from the northeast (3). It is followed by III Fj Bn Luftlande, who takes just about the same route (4). Both battalions go in guns blazing and encounter fierce resistance from the New Zealanders. Probably because three brigade bases are stationed in the town. While all of this is going on, I've already ordered Fj Regt 3 a couple hours ago to organise themselves past Lake Aghye and keep themselves ready for an assault through Prison Valley. First though II Fj Bn Luftlande makes a stab at the back (5) from the south towards Marmaras at about 17:20h. Fifteen minutes later Fj Regt 3 springs into action (6) and charge ahead. The troops at Marmaras and Galanas are to preoccupied to do anything against the impending assault of 3rd Regiment. Without much resistance they bridge the gap and start fighting in the outskirts of Marmaras.

I Glider Bn Luftlande is next up for an assault. At 17:30h They position themselves on a ridge to the west of Galatas and charge into the chaos down in the valley. Up to this point most of the defending Allied units have been remarkably staunch. Appart from some, most stay their ground and fight. Lastly In send the Geb Pnr Bn 95 on a route to the north of Galatas and let them assault the town from the northwest (8). By now Prison Valley, Marmaras, Galatas and Platanos are ungulfed in one big brawl. Paratroops fighting side by side mountaintroops, mortar platoons working overtime, support companies firing indiscriminately, … Pure anarchy. Yet my troops are surrounding the Allies slowly and are effectively braking their will. As an afterthought, at 19:50h the newly arrived Krad Bn 55 joins the fight and swoops in with their bikes from the south (9).

Fallschirmjäger entering Khania

At about 20:20h an Allied battalion comes in from the east and sees 95th Pioniere's HQ all alone and undefended. In short order it assaults the unit and I'm forced to let the whole battalion retreat and take up a better position. In my overconfidence I have used just about all of my available units in this one huge fight for Galatas. Hopefully the HQ will make it out in one piece.


Operation Mercury, end of day four at about 20:30h

At the end of the day things still hang in the balance and none of the towns have fallen yet. The effort of the I Fj Bn Regt 3 has been tremendous. All day long both forces are embroiled in a tug of war for control of Platanos. In the end it hasn't been able to take the town yet, but they have been able to keep two Greek battalions and a whole slew of reinforcements busy at the eastern flank (1). Forces in Marmaras are holding firm, mostly because of the backup of one Vickers tank squad. My troops even have back off a bit and have formed a line at the Prison itself. The Galatas front is in the best shape. Quite a bit of enemy companies have been pushed out of the town and my troops are poised to take control of the town. Things have been quite a busy today, let's see what the Allies have planned for tomorrow.

Day Five - Bridging the gap to Khania

Operation Mercury - Day five

Day four has been largely successful. I didn't reach my objectives per se, yet I'm not far off. I let most of my troops have their rest, yet task one battalion to continue going for Galatas. III Fj Bn Luftlande forgoes sleeping during the night and slowly proceed deeper into the town. Minor skirmishes erupt, but the demoralized New Zealanders keep withdrawing eastwards. At 01:37h the town is under our control. With only some infantry companies still lurking in the outskirts.


After a day of heavy combat Galatas is ours

By now there is still one single enemy unit in Prison Valley. It is the 3rd squadron Hussars tanksquad. Though it valiantly defended Marmaras and gave a couple of infantry units time to retreat it is now totally surrounded. By 03:00h the squad tries to make a run for it and heads north only to get shot at by one of my AT companies. Without any tanks the men try to head to safety but ultimately get caught by my frontline.

Lieutenant Farran stopped and spoke to me and I told him to go into the village and see what was there. He clattered off in the tanks and we could hear him firing briskly, when two more companies of the Twenty-third arrived … each about eighty strong. They halted on the road near me. The men looked tired, but fit to fight and resolute… . I told the two company commanders they would have to retake Galatos with the help of the two tanks… . The men fixed bayonets and waited grimly.
                        Colonel Howard Kippenberger, Commander of the 20th New Zealand Battalion

In the morning I let most of my paratroopers rest. They've done most of the fighting up to now and I want them back in fighting shape for the Assault into Khania. I do order the mountaintroops to keep up the pressure. All three available Gebirgsjaeger battalions are sent east. Fighting start at about 06:30h in the outskirts of Galatas. With daylight it also comes to my attention that 4th NZ Brigade Base lies undefended and within reach of an assault. Companies Osius and Braun are tasked with the assault on the base. Soon they dash across the hills of Karatsos and initiate the attack. They gain total surprise and the base is destroyed in a mater of hours. In doing so, they have also basically cut off a couple of Allied companies and created a pocket at Karatsos.


Companies Braun and Osius assault a brigade base, while another pocket is slowly forming at Karatsos

The mountaintroops slowly creep up and also start engaging entrenched units in Platanos. Before long this town is also being surrounded. Allied units soon notice though and some of the units start retreating to the northeast. Good thing the Krad Bn 55 had already slung itself to the east as I was planning to harry the Allies' flanks with them. They are in a prime position to strike and I immediately send in 2nd Company Krad to harras the fleeing units.


A motorcycle company is positioning itself on the escape route out of Platanos just as Allied forces are being pushed out of the town

By now the newly airlifted Gj Regt 85 is nearing the frontline and is ordered to keep things going on the coastal road west of Khania. By the end of the day they should be at the edge of the city. Both battalions of the Gj Regt 100 are reattached to their regimental HQ will now to take the southern roads towards Souda. All the while the Allies launch weak and uncoordinated attacks at Platanos. They are not effective and get repelled with ease.


Operation Mercury - Day five around 21:01h

Before nightfall I reorganize my paratroopers and group them around their regimantal HQ's. After a tally Luftlande Sturm Regiment is in surprisingly good shape. Fj Regt 3 of Flieger Div 7 on the other hand is seriously beaten. This is still because of the bad drops from the start and the stiff resistance in Galatas. I decide to attach the division's engineer battalion to the regiment to give them some added strength. Either way the regiment will only be used in a backup role from here on.

Day Six - The attack on Khania and Souda

Operation Mercury - Day six

As expected Gj Regt 85 reaches the outskirts of Khania at about 03:00h. Small skirmishes erupt and eventually the 85th halts to take a breather. By now the frontline stretches from the northern coastline at Khania to the southern mountain range past Souda. The Gebirgsjaeger are the ones manning the whole front-line.

At 04:00h I send word out to the Luftlande Sturm Regiment's HQ to make preparations for a regimental attack on Khania. The regiment will leave Galatas, form up at the town of Platanos, fan out and storm the city from the southwest. In the meantime the Gebirgsjaeger will keep watch on the frontline to prevent any Allied incursions.


Luftlande Sturm Regiment fans out and prepares to assault Khania

Meanwhile 1st Coy Krad Bn 55, still under cover of darkness, is tasked to scout a AA battery that has been set up at Koubes. It lies on a strategic position near the bottom of the valley between Khania and Souda. It has been shelling my troops from afar and has generally been a nuisance. This battery needs to go in order for me to make later advances. After a short but fierce engagement the motorcycle company succeeds in dislodging the AA company, letting it retreat to the north. They themselves have taken quite some casualties as well and also have to retreat though. In its flight, and with the first light of the day, it stumbles across a nearby New Zealand infantry company. It wakes from its slumber and wastes no time in engaging my bikers, resulting in even more casualties. After this ordeal the bikers turn tail and find their way back to our lines.

British soldiers retreating from the frontlines. Seeing that the battle is lost, General Wavell ordered an evacuation of the island, letting the Allies withdraw to the south coast.

Morning comes and the troops from both sides gradually wake up. The day starts slow with some light far range shelling from infantry guns on both sides. Noticing the Allied forces that have amassed near Souda bay west I decide to turn up the heat and begin bombarding them with most of my artillery. All available airstrikes are also directed towards that region and in no time their lines are in disarray. My plan is to keep those troops occupied and cohesion less as I don't want them to reinforce the defender in Khania. Continual bombardments and light probes keep them rooted in place.


Artillery bombardements and air strikes are targetting Allied units in Souda bay west

At 16:52h and frankly after much dawdling Luftlande Sturm Regiment finally is primed for its attack. During its organization a couple of lone enemy mortar crews have been shelling the regiment from their positions high in the southern mountains. This caused the headquarters to keep delaying its attack. Finally, once the regiment comes into action all of its battalions surge forward in a coordinated fashion, effectively pushing away the first line of defense in the outskirts of west Khania. Initially then they make good progress, but soon the attack stalls as they get deeper into the city. Ultimately my troops halt and the HQ has to rethink its approach. It heads back to the western portion of the city and reorganizes itself for a next assault.


Luftlande Sturm Regiment entering Khania

Meanwhile the mountaintroops to the south have been advancing eastward to keep the pressure on the Allies. This advance is slow at first but soon my overconfidence takes hold of me again and I let my battalions advance across the valley between Khania and Souda. Once on the valley floor my troops spot a higher number of enemy units than anticipated. My units get fired upon from all sides of the far end of the valley and get pummeled heavily. Even with heavy losses they keep their nerve and hold the line.


A growing number of units amass in the valley between Khania and Souda

As Axis troops drew nearer to Khania and Souda. Luftwaffe ramped up ehir bombardements on ships stationed in Souda bay.

Far south Gj Regt 100 and Gebirgs Recon 95 have been advancing eastward throughout the day. Their objective is to capture Souda by the end of the day. The recon bicycle companies of the 95th are first to arrive and spot only two units in the harbour. By the evening the 100th storms Souda and eventually takes control at 21:46h. An hour later the mountaintroops get assaulted by a couple of British Commando companies from the east. They have snuck up of my troops and achieved complete surprise. The mountaintroops retreat to the west, relinquishing control of Souda. They however keep contact with the attacking troops and a bloody fight ensues for control of the harbour.


Souda falling under Axis control

At the end of the day hardly any progress has been made in Khania. My battalions are still stuck in the outskirts to the southwest of the city. In Souda there is heavy fighting in the harbour and more enemy units seem to be arriving. And in the valley between Khania and Souda things turned into a meatgrinder. My forces are finally feeling the strain of the past days of combat and are slowly being worn down. The only upside with the developments today is that my troops control the roads between Khania and Souda. This means that the only escape route out of Khania toward the rest of the island has been cut off. If I can keep control I will be able to contain them on the peninsula to the northeast of Khania.


Operation Mercury - end of day six at about 21:35h

Victory certainly seems attainable at this point, but at what cost?

Day Seven - Consolidating the frontline

Operation Mercury - Day seven

During the night an ever increasing amount of British units arrive in Souda. They continuously advance on my two battalions of mountaintroops. The battalions of Gebirgsjaeger Regiment 100 remain defensive and considering the pressure put on them they hold their ground well. To contain the problem I pull both recon battalions of the Gebirgsjaeger Division 5 closer to Souda. I use them to go to the far side of Souda and cut off the units on the east. Meanwhile it becomes clear that the opposing forces in the harbour are the Commandos of Layforce. These men have used the cover of darkness to come into the harbour with ships, disembark and launch their raid on my forces. For many hours the battle rages on between the mountaintroops and the Commandos.


Luftlande is fighting from street to street in Khania, British Commandos retake Souda and the Allied units in the valley between hold firm


The tired and battered British Commandos get surrounded by Gebirgsjaeger companies

Morning turns to noon. In Khania Luftlande Sturm Regiment has finally pierced through the enemy defenses and finds itself in the center of the city. After the failed assault from the southwest yesterday the HQ opted for a second assault from the southeast. This proves more successful and Allied troops flee to the northern parts of the city. They ultimately get stuck as a pocket forms around them. Fighting continues though and the Fallschirmjäger do have their work cut out for them. Khania is still not totally under control, but it is not far off.


By noon on day seven Khania is mostly under our control. Pockets of resistance form in the northern parts

Back in Souda the fight continues well into the afternoon. My Gebirgsjaeger are tired and battle worn from the past day’s fighting, but continue none the less. Just past noon our forces do manage to regain control of Souda and have surrounded the whole harbour. But this doesn’t mean that the British Commandos have given up fighting. They are bitterly resisting, even in the face of total destruction. One by one the enemy companies are destroyed and finally at 15:10h none are left. I immeditaley redress the lines and put I Gj Bn Regt 100 on the west side of Souda, while II Gj Bn takes the east side. Regimental HQ takes up position in the reclaimed harbour.

All throughout the day intel trickles down to me of troop movement down south, heading westward. As far as I can tell it is a New Zealand infantry company of about eighty men. At about noon it went past my divisional HQ’s of Flieger Division 7 and Gebirgsjaeger Division 5. At that moment I come to the conclusion that its target will be Maleme Airfield. At that time only XI Fliegerkorps HQ and its base are located there. Luckily the very last airlift of the operation arrives in Maleme airfield, delivering an infantry gun company of Gj Div 5. I task the unit to take position near Point 107, as I imagine this would be a primary target. Soon afterward the New Zealand company indeed surfaces near Point 107 and gets shot at by the infantry gun company and gets bombarded by my long range artillery stationed in Galatas. This spurs the enemy to beat a hasty retreat.

General Bernard Freyberg, Commander of Creforce, takes up defensive positions in Khania.

In trying to solidify my grasp on Khania I task my forces to expand to the eastern side of the city. In doing so my forces come across Creforce HQ, the headquarters of General Bernard Freyberg. Realizing that such a high value target is near I redirect my forces towards it and start bombarding the HQ. Fearing direct combat the HQ routs towards the northeast. Following this the Allies try to puncture my front-line at my most northern units. This attempt to relieve the beleaguered defenders all ultimately fail. At the end of the day I Fj Bn Flieger are brought to Khania and are planned to enter the pocket near midnight. Just as the battalion enters the city Khania falls under our control.


Creforce HQ under direct attack

As day seven comes to a close Khania and Souda are finally under my control. This means that all of my primary objectives have been met. My forces are also still in control of Galatas and Point 107. This means that my only remaining objective is to exit forces off of the map towards the east. My units closest to the edge of the map are Gj Regt 100 at Souda. They are more than twelve kilometer removed from the exit zone though and I doubt that I’ll still make it in time before the scenario ends. Yet one still has to try…


Operation Mercury - the end of day seven at about 20:25h

Day Eight - East to Rethymnon

Operation Mercury - Day eight

Day eight, the last full day of the operation. Let’s make it count!

Just past midnight I Fj Bn Flieger storms into the pocket in north Khania. The resting Allied forces are taken by surprise, but still put up a decent fight. Having planned ahead I also prepared the engineers of Fallschirm Pioniere Bn 7 to make an insertion from the west. The gloomy streets of Khania soon are iluminated by the engineer’s flamethrowers. Fighting quickly dies down as most of the defenders surrender to the paratroopers. The whole of the city is now completely under our control and I‘m fairly confident it will stay that way.

With Khania out of the way I can now focus on heading eastward towards Rethymnon. As said earlier, my troops have to bridge more than twelve kilometers through unscouted and uncleared terrain. It is also imperative that I keep a sizable force around Khania and at the entrance to the Akrotiri peninsula to keep the Allies at bay. So I decide to keep all my my Fallschirmjäger around Khania and back them up by Gj Regt 85. The rest will make its way to the exit objective.

As time is now of the essence I wake both of my recon battalions, the Gebirgs Recon Battalion 95 and Krad Battalion 55, and send them to the east. At 02:05h the bicycles of the 95th are the first ones to leave, biking in the deep hours of the night. Soon afterwards Gj Regt 100 redies itself to move out as well. If any resistance is met, the 100th will surely clear the way.


Geb Recon Bn 95 rides out eastward into the darkness

My gaze turns to 2nd Glider Coy I Bn Luftlande. It is still keeping overwatch on the far side of Souda bay. This company has been exemplary throughout the operation, operating deep into enemy territory, and I think it is time to bring these men home. Having been laying low close to two days, the Allies are totally surprised to see the company assault their backside. The Fallschirmjäger assault three resting enemy companies and send them fleeing. They immediately force their way past these companies and bump into their mates of the Fallschirm Pioniere Bn 7. Both units are jubilant and the glider boys are welcomed back with open arms.

By day seven the Wehrmacht requests the Italian Army to send troops to Crete. In the afternoon on day eight a division leaves Rhodos and makes its way to the western portion of Crete. They eventually come ashore at 17:20h on day nine.

Most of Khania remains quiet for the rest of the night. Early morning my troops start to organize themselves to form a stronger front towards the Akrotiri peninsula. Intel shows that there still are quiet a bit of enemy units there. And I imagine that Creforce HQ is among them. All of my Fallschirmjäger are tasked to form this line. The near full strength Gj Regt 85 also stays in defense as Luftlande Sturm Regiment and Flieger Division 7 are both quite battleworn and do deserve some lighter tasks. The men grumble as I wake them up early morning and order them to take up better defensive positions. Chin up men, we're almost there.

With things coming into motion east of Souda I let Gebirgsjaeger Div 5 HQ and its divisional units advance. They set up their command post in Souda, to better direct the advance towards the east. Meanwhile Gj Regt 141 has also moved up and is already past Souda.


GebrigsJaeger moving out of Khania in a bid to clear a path to the east

In the morning my scouts bump into the first resistance past Souda. Unsurprisingly they are dug in and are hindering my advance. The 19th Australian Infantry Brigade defends Beritiana and is soon getting reinforcements from the south. Gj Regt 100 bashes into the defenders and a violent firefight erupts. While the Asutralians curb my advance I notice that to the south there is lots of troops movement. It seems that not all of those troops head north to help with the defense. Some are also heading west! This means they might want to cross the mountains and stab into the soft underbelly of my forces. III Gj Bn Gj Regt 85 is immediately ordered out of the frontline at Khania and has to move to Mournies. There is will take up position for any rearguard action.


Axis forces closing in on the town of Beritiana

Though there is some fighting in Khania, most of it can be considered as light skirmishes. Some troops have been probing the south edge of my frontline, but they are all stopped by the staunch 2nd Glider Company Luftlande. Others attempts have been made to the far north near Skiadi. I decide to put a swift end to these attacks and storm the little town in the outskirts with II Bn and III Bn Luftlande. That quickly makes an end to all hostilities near Khania for the day.

The Lupo, an Italian torpedo boat, entering Khania Harbour after operating in the Cretan Sea for the past days. It engaged and received fire from the Royal Navy and made it out without to much damage, gaining its nickname "The luckiest ship in the fleet"

Back in the east, Gj Regt 100 and Gj Regt 141 are making steady progress toward the south. In the afternoon Beritiana has been overrun and some companies have even made it to the bridge linking Provarma and Neon Khorion. With the Australians busy I order Geb Recon Bn 95, Krad Bn 55, Geb Pnr Bn 95 and II Gj Bn Regt 100 to move to continue following the road to the east. They are joined by the light tanks of the 31st. The plucky PzKpfw II's have been surprisingly usefull during the campaign. Though lacking in numbers, as they only have five tanks, they excel in supporting infantry attacks. Often helping in breaking tough lines outside of artillery range.

The advance to the exit objective is slightly hindered by a roadblock of some companies of the 7th and 8th Australian Infantry Battalions. They are quickly pushed aside though and at the end of the day my forces are poised to leave the map. The five light tanks of the 31st take the honours and quickly scurry past Gava. During the night and into day nine the rest follows. Ultimately all of the appointed battalions leave the map. Minus one heavy company of the II Bn Regt 100 which stranded just short of Gava before the end of the scenario at 03:00h.


Racing a last couple of units to the exit objective

And so the scenario ends. Generaloberst Löhr informs me of my victory. Though only a marginal victory, I'm generally pleased the way things have unfolded. The Allied troops have put up quite a fight, but have honestly always been fighting a losing battle. Debriefing and analysis still coming up...


End of Operation Mercury in the Maleme and Khania sector

End of the operation

Debriefing:

Operation Mercury - Debriefing

Aftermath:

Operation Mercury - Aftermath

            Troops participating in this operation recieved the "Kreta" cuff title

Closing thoughts:

Right, this is the end of my playthrough of „Maleme Histroical Scenario“. It has been a fun and informative game. This is my third AAR and I'm still honing my skills. I'm hoping to do some more in the future. Maybe I'll let the longer scenarios be for a while and concentrate on shorter more focused ones.

I'm pleased to see that the actual execution of the operation is closer to the original plan than any of my previous playthroughs. I went into this game blind as not to spoil anything and formulated my own plan. Appart from some minor mishaps everything went quite smooth and to the letter.

This game is the first time I actually play with the Germans. It's also a while ago that I played the game and written an AAR. So in the beginning things were a bit rusty but after a while things started clicking and off I went. Anyway, thanks for anyone sticking around and reading this, I hope it has been fun.

[paulelton007]

do you have a PDF version of this great resource please?

[Bie]

I've used paint.net and a whole lot of cutting and pasting :)

[Tactical Wargamer (Richard)]

Wow, nice job! What program did you use for the pics? I love the OOBs! - Award given for sure!

[Kirito031]

Why does reading this seem more fun than playing the game itself

[Big Eyed Beans]

How F'in good are Bie's AAR and workshop scenarios!?

[DreamsDefined]

Wonderful AAR, well done.

[Wenzel]

This looks awesome. I've not given me the chance to read it yet, as I'm currently working on my own AAR and also, I want to delve into it in detail and read through it in one shift, so I need more time at my hands. :) Looking forward to it!

[LineOfDeparture]

I highly recommend this AAR. Great visual representation that gets everything across. Wonderful write-up and enough info to get everyone started on this scenario. Also: Respect to the scenario designer who did great.

Cheers