Part 1: Turn 0: <0700 20th May

Game Turn 0: Early Morning, 20th May 1941

The Allies, thanks to ULTRA, were fully forewarned of the imminent invasion of Crete, but failed to capitalise fully on this crucial intelligence advantage. Instead of strongly defending the airfields, troops were arrayed primarily to contest a seaborne invasion, meaning that only a few battalions were left to defend the crucial Maleme Airfield.

Troop Dispositions (West to East)

Kastelli Sector



A small force of Greeks from the 1st Infantry Regiment, along with police forces, defends Kastelli, commanded by Major Bedding. Not much combat is expected in this sector, as the only objective is the small port of Kastelli. East of this sector is the much more important Maleme airfield.

Maleme and Canea Sector



Canea had been recently made the new seat of the Greek government after the evacuation of the mainland. Maleme and the road towards Canea are mostly defended by the 2nd NZ Division, with CREFORCE troops further west. Elements of the 5th NZ Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Hargest hold the airfield itself and the locations around the towns of Pirgos, Kontomari and Modion, with Maori Battalions in defensive positions to the East. The 2nd NZ Division has had time to prepare, and most of its position have had some defensive improvements, ready for the coming Germans.



Holding some high ground between Canea and Maleme, we have elements of the 10th NZ Brigade, led by Lt. Col. Kippenberger, which are mostly made up of rear-echelon units. Further south, the Greek 8th Infantry Brigade holds the high ground overlooking the road.





Directly west of Canea, the 4th NZ Brigade holds the approaches to the city, commanded by Brigadier Inglis, along with the Greek 6th Brigade. Further east, the Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation (MNBDO), commanded by Major-General Weston, is in charge of both the defence of Canea and the port of Suda, to the East. It is a formation mostly consisting of elements from the Australian Brigade, Royal Marines and other assorted units. The Greek 2nd Infantry Brigade hold position directly south, on high ground.





Since the expectation was for a naval invasion, most Greek units are held away from the coast as a reserve. More MNBDO forces are arrayed east of Suda, especially parts of the Australian Brigades, which make the core of defences on the road to Georgeoupolis.



Georgeoupolis Sector

Georgeoupolis itself is held by the 19th Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Vasey. The town itself is located to the east and south of Suda, as the coast takes a sharp turn south after Suda Bay ends. These troops are largely kept as a reserve to help either the forces in Rethymnon or the ones around Suda/Canea, depending on how successful the Germans would be.



NB: Rethymnon and Heraklion sectors only become available at 1500 and 1700 hours (respectively). Fighting had already begun in Maleme at that time, so these are the positions for those times, with greater emphasis on protecting the airfields from likely earlier dispositions.

Rethymnon Sector

Further east, we have Rethymnon and its airfield, protected by elements of the 19th Infantry Brigade under Lt. Col. Campbell. Greek police and gendarmerie holds the city itself, and Greek 4th Infantry Brigade is present as well, nearer to the airfield.



Heraklion Sector

Finally, the 14th Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Chapel, protects the airfield near Heraklion, the largest city in Crete, and Nea-Alikarnassos, along with the Greek 3rd Infantry Brigade that holds the city itself. Heraklion is quite a way east compared to the other sectors, and transfer of troops from there would take time, although the Allies have some light inter-port shipping available.



Every soldier on the island awaits for the coming storm.