Part 18: Turn 14: 1700 21st May

Game Turn 14: 1700, 21st of May

After almost two days of fighting, the shots near the Maleme airfield finally dies down. Many of the captured Maoris are under armed guard near the airfield, where the last counter-attack by 5th NZ Brigade almost pushed off the LLSR from their objective. The men of the Luftlander Sturm Regiment can finally catch a breather.

Right on schedule, the 5th Gebirs Division, commanded by General Ringel, arrives at the airfield. First out of the transports is Gebirs Jager Regiment 100, commanded by Oberst Utz. The only Allied fire incoming is from the two stranded Matildas: somehow, one of them manages to catch the tail of a landing Ju-52, but the damage is minimal.



5th Brigade keeps pulling back, needing to deal with the paratroopers to their rear while forming a more defensive line. Their artillery park is disbanded and the artillery is limbered to trucks for the forthcoming move. One last volley is fired at the massed infantry on the airfield, but apart from making some Germans duck, it does not do much.



4th and the remnants of 10th Brigade move towards Maleme: both to rescue their comrades in 5th Brigade and also see if it is possible for them to push and retake the airfield. What remains of 3FJR is subjected to more mortar fire: there's scant few paratroopers left to be able to defend the small guns, as the paratroopers that did that daring charge against the 10th Brigade are finally dispersed.



MNDBO forces start replacing the 4th NZ Brigade forces on the Prison Valley pocket, while the 19th Australian Brigade continues the march that they have been doing all day, heading towards Maleme now and hoping to save their Kiwi comrades.



Over in Rethymnon, the day-long fire takes its toll, and the final remnants of several 1FJR companies are finally rounded up by the Australian forces. The only major threat remaining are to the east, since few Germany infantry remains to the west.



Heraklion is relatively quiet, with Light Mortars finally taking out one of the enemy companies that was hunkered down in the city proper.

The noose around 3 FJR also continues to tighten.



Finally approaching the enemy, the lead elements of the 19th Aus Brigade column start to form into combat formation.



The rest of 19th Brigade in the Rethymnon sector repositions, straightening both the east and west to clear the remaining paratroopers in the area.



A Greek sniper catches Oberst Brauer, of 1 FJR, in the open, and does not miss, one of the many German officers killed during the last few days of combat.