Set up quick
Game time quick (30 minutes)
Historical Background:
At 08:00 on May 20, 1941, German Fallschirmjägers jumped over Crete in the first major airborne invasion of the War, landing near Maleme airfield with the goal of securing the runways to facilitate a larger glider-borne invasion. But three New Zealand Battalions defended the airfield and its direct surrounding area, mauling the invaders within hours of their landing. Many of the gliders that followed were hit by mortar fire within seconds of landing and wiped out almost to a man.
As is common with airdrops however, a number of German forces landed off-site, setting up defensive positions to the west of Maleme airfield. After regrouping, they quickly captured the bridge over the dried-up Sfakoriako River and pressed forward toward the airfield. Positioned on Hill 107 and overlooking the airfield, the New Zealander battalions enfiladed them to devastating effect. Despite the terrible losses, GeneralMajor Meindl, the German commander, ordered what remained of his troops forward toward the slopes of Hill 107. The invasion of Crete had begun poorly for the Germans, but maybe things would change…
Briefing:
Axis 5 cards, move first; Allied 5 cards.
Conditions of Victory:
6 Medals.
The Airfield is a Temporary Medal Objective for the Axis Forces.
The road hex with an Exit marker on the Allied player’s baseline is an Exit hex for the Axis forces.
The group of 5 Hill hexes that form Hill 107 is a Temporary Majority Medal Objective. The Victory Medal for this group of objective hexes goes to the side that has units in an absolute majority of these hexes.
Special Rules:
British Commonwealth Forces Command rules (Nations 5).
British Armour unit only has 2 figures and only moves 2 hexes.
Axis infantry units are Para Special Forces (Troops 2).
Axis have Air Superiority. When an Air Power card is played, the Axis rolls 2 dice, the Allied 1 die.
The river is a dry river bed and plays like a Ravine (Terrain 50).
Report:
Another quick and interesting scenario from Crete, similar to Galatos and Airdrop over Heraklion.
Sorry, no photos this time (camera malfunction…), but it was great to use my Revell German paras and newly acquired (and highly rated) ANZAC infantry.
What looked like being a quick German victory became very tight. My opponent (Axis) was seduced by the chance of medals via the Exit token, taking two units that way (and destroying my tanks in the process) for a 5-2 lead, but in doing so left his left flank vulnerable and I quickly fought back to 5-5. A lucky dice throw gave him victory just as I was poised to win!
Highly recommended scenario for a quick, fun game.