Part 2: Turn 1: 0700 20th May (Part 1)

Game Turn 1: 0700, 20th of May (Part 1)

The first sign of any action is the arrival of the Luftwaffe, who begins attacking the Anti-Air emplacements in and around Maleme Airfield. The intention is to damage or suppress the emplacements, so that the airborne and gliderborne troops will have an easier time coming in.



The air strikes are relatively effective. The larger AA emplacement on the west of the airfield has some light casualties, while the smaller emplacement on the east side is left relatively unscathed. The small heavy AA emplacement on Hill 107, south of the Airfield, is left completely devasted, however: the first casualty of the day, and a good blow for the Germans.



The Luftlander Sturm Regiment gliderborne troops are first to the scene, but the AA guns are still active, and 3rd Company, 1st Battalion is shot out of the sky, with no survivors as their gliders crash into the ground (Hex 07.04). Other elements of the 1st Battalion, most notably a mortar company, manage to touch down south of the airfield with little issue, now that the heavy AA on the hill has been silenced. 2nd Battalion manages to touch down near the town of Ropaniana with no issue, along with the Divisional guns that are parachuted slightly east of them. The real issue is with the landings of the 3rd Battalion, which drop right in the middle of the 2nd New Zealand division. 9th Company takes heavy casualties from the AA on the east of the airfield, while 11th Company drops just west of Kontomari, and right in the midst of the 21st Battalion, which captures the stranded Germans easily (Hex 12.08). 12th and 10th Company are unscathed, but they are dangerously out of position and in the middle of an enemy formation.



The 3rd Fallschirmjager Regiment also has mixed fortunes. The large part of their landings go well, mostly concentrating around the Aghya prison, but yet again, some of the drops are in the middle of Commonwealth troops. The 9th Company, 3rd Battalion, lands in the midst of British and Greek troops, and are shot down or captured, whilst the 10th Company, 3rd Battalion lands nearer to the coast, and takes heavy casualties on the way down. The pioneer companies near Ajia also touch down without issues, but the gliderborne troops of Detachment Gentz, landing south of Canea, take heavy casualties on the way down, the AA battery just south of them providing accurate fire. Detachment Altmann, also using gliders, attempts a landing on the Akrotiri peninsula, but the multiple heavy AA emplacements make short work of the gliders: no one survives.



Considering the situation, the 7th and 5th Company of the LLSR are formed into column formation, and rushed towards the airfield.



The germans have lost 13 steps from just attempting to land. That's almost two whole battalions.