Briefing Package for German Supreme Commander

Introduction

Crete 1941 is an umpire-moderated campaign depicting the initial stages of Operation Mercury, the German airborne invasion of the island of Crete in the Eastern Mediterranean. Players assume the roles of commanders on either side. They communicate with each other through umpires, and their orders are carried out on the tactical tabletop (or not, as the case may be) by the respective battalion commanders using Command Decision III miniatures rules.

Special Campaign Rules

1.0 Commander's Role

The Supreme Commander is responsible for the overall direction of the campaign. You will issue orders to subordinate commands, schedule all reserves and reinforcements and control all air and naval units.

You will assume the following multiple roles: General Kurt Student, commander of XI Fliegerkorps, was responsible for the conduct of the land battle; General Wolfram von Richtofen, VIII Fliegerkorps, commanded the air units supporting the invasion; Admiral Shuster, South-East Fleet, commanded German, Italian and captured Greek naval assets in the area.

Additionally, Field Marshal List's 12^th Army contributed three mountain regiments and various heavy units - panzer, flak and artillery - which come under the control of Student's XI Fliegerkorps upon their arrival on Crete.

The complete German Order of Battle and Chain-of-Command is included in this briefing package.

You begin the campaign at your headquarters in Athens, and at any time you may fly into Crete and assume direct command of the battle (see "Visiting the Front" below). Communication between Athens and Crete is by wireless, which is subject to monitoring by the enemy. In turn you may possibly intercept British wireless messages.

2.0 Communications

All commanders down through regimental level will be physically isolated in separate rooms and only allowed to communicate with each other and with battalion commanders via the Liaison Umpire. Battalion commanders are responsible for actually fighting the tactical battle on the game tabletop. The Supreme Commander may choose at any time to communicate directly with battalion commanders, but this circumvents the chain of command and might upset your regimental commanders.

To maintain the spirit of the campaign please do not discuss your plans or the strategic situation with the other German players.

You have complete freedom to issue any orders you deem reasonable, i.e., you don't have to choose from some limited list of options. Before the campaign begins you may wish to coordinate with your subordinates to determine how frequently they should submit situation reports and what information these reports should contain. This will often be the only means by which you will be able to assess the progress of the battle.

2.1 "Visiting the Front"

The Supreme Commander may fly to any captured airfield on Crete in a Ju-52 and take command of the fighting in that area. In exchange for better intelligence and more direct control of the tactical battle in a particular sector you will be out of touch with your HQ in Athens, and of course you run the risk of death or capture.

3.0 Maps

Included in this package is a set of maps to help you keep track of the overall situation: four Tactical Maps on which you may plot the suspected locations of friendly and enemy ground units and one Operational Map to plot the movement of friendly naval convoys and British task forces.

The four "Tactical Areas" for which maps are provided are:

• Maleme
• Galatas-Suda Bay
• Retimo-Georgeopoulis
• Heraklion

4.0 Time Scale

4.1 Campaign Time

The campaign is designed to simulate the initial stage of the battle, from the first landings on the morning of 20 May 1941 through the evening of 23 May 1941. Game time will progress at the same rate for all areas, regardless of how quickly or slowly the players are able to complete their turns. Ideally, one day of game time will be completed each half-day of real time.

Example 1: It is conceivable that during a particular four hour period 6 game turns were completed at Maleme but only 2 at Galatas, because one group of players was significantly more experienced than the other. Obviously the commanders at Maleme will accomplish more - c'est le guerre!.

Also, time will be accelerated when there are significant lulls in the action, with all tactical areas being accelerated the same amount so that none of them "fall behind".

Example 2: Both sides are battered and bloodied and decide to regroup their forces. The umpire might decide that game time may be jumped ahead by one or two hour increments until one side or the other is ready to attack. All four tactical areas will always be jumped ahead to exactly the same time. Once the action resumes in one area, all four areas go back on real time.

4.2 Operational Turns

Each campaign day is divided into three eight-hour Operational Turns (AM, PM, NIGHT). Naval movement/combat and air unit mission allocation takes place during each Operational Turn (see "Luftwaffe" and "Axis Navy" below).

4.3 Night

Keep in mind that the Luftwaffe cannot fly at night. As a result, night is the window of vulnerability for both naval and land forces.

5.0 Victory

The exact victory conditions will not be provided to either side, but as a guide the following German goals are listed in order of significance:

1. Capture airfields or ports. HINT: you probably won't win without capturing at least one.
2. Capture other key geographical features (towns, hills, etc)
3. Destroy British ships
4. Destroy enemy ground units while preserving your own force

Sorry, but that's all the help you get!

6.0 Luftwaffe

The following air units are available:

6.1 Air Missions

On each Operational Daylight Turn (AM and PM), you will assign available air units to one of the following missions:

Air units may operate anywhere on the map, i.e., you need not worry about their range.

Air units may not operate at Night.

Once assigned, the unit is committed to that type of mission until the next Operational Turn.

When an air unit completes a mission it may be unavailable for an unspecified amount of time, depending on delays at the Greek airfields or how much damage the unit sustained.

The effects of air missions can only be determined by interpreting the reports of subordinate commanders. The unit strengths should serve as a guide to the relative suitability of each aircraft type to a particular mission.

6.2 Naval Search

Recon aircraft are used to search sea zones for British naval activity and may only be assigned to Naval Search/Attack missions. Only one recon unit may be in a sea zone at any one time. Additional bomber and fighter units may be assigned to search sea zones over and above the five that may be searched by Recon planes. Also, bombers or fighters may assist a Recon unit in its search. In this case there is no limit to the amount of bombers and fighters that may operate in a sea zone. These planes will be available for anti-shipping strikes should the search detect British naval units in that sea zone.

Keep in mind that your searches will generally be more effective in sea zones closer to Greece.

In sea zones south of Crete you may encounter British aircraft based in Alexandria.

6.3 Naval Attack

Once British ships are detected, you may order any uncommitted aircraft assigned to Naval Attack missions to attack. You may attack any combination of sea zones or ignore British activity altogether, as you wish.

Fighters and bombers assisting in a search may only attack ships detected in their own sea zone.

7.0 South-East Fleet

The following Axis naval forces are available:

7.1 Naval Movement

During an Operational Turn you may move as many naval units as you wish. Write down the path of each unit and submit it to the umpire.

SLOW units may move only one sea zone per Op Turn.

FAST units may move two sea zones per Op Turn. Entering or leaving a port incurs the same cost as moving through one sea zone.

There is no limit to the number of naval units that may occupy or pass through a sea zone.

7.2 Naval Combat

All naval searches and combat will be resolved by the umpires, who will then communicate all discernable results to you. When enemy naval units are detected you will receive situation updates that will allow you to decide whether or not to commit air units, break contact, etc.

The Italian flotillas are surface combatants and may escort convoys or seek and engage the British Navy. They may also bombard enemy positions near the coast. Move them into a sea zone adjacent to land and inform the umpire of your intentions.

8.0 Reinforcement and Supply

Troops and supplies may be transported by air or by sea.

On the Detailed Order of Battle you will see that each company-sized unit has a number of "Transport Steps". Airfields, ports and anchorages are rated according to how many Transport Steps they can accommodate each Operational Turn. This information is marked on your maps, and should enable you to estimate how quickly you can send supplies and reinforcements to Crete.

8.1 Supply by Air

After the initial paradrops are complete it is assumed that all available transport aircraft will be involved in dropping supplies to the ground troops. The success of these efforts will become apparent only through reports from the field.

8.2 Convoys

Supplies and reinforcements may be delivered to Crete via naval convoy.

The units transported by each convoy are set at the beginning of the game and may not be re-arranged. A convoy may, however, unload its units at Athens, and these units then become available for airlift to Crete.

Once a convoy delivers its initial load to Crete it may be used for the remainder of the campaign to transport supplies between Greece and Crete.

A convoy that arrives safely at Crete may unload at a port, anchorage or beach. These features are marked on your maps. Infantry units (only!) may disembark on a friendly beach or perform an amphibious assault against a defended beach.

Supplies and non-infantry units may only be unloaded at a port or anchorage.

Either Italian Flotilla may be used to transport troops or supplies. Any troops at Athens awaiting airlift may be loaded onto ships.

9.0 Intelligence Briefing

Fuhrer Directive No. 28

25 April 1941

The occupation of the island of Crete (Operation Mercury) is to be prepared in order to have a base for conducting the air war against England in the Eastern Mediterranean ... The transport movements must not lead to any delay in the strategic concentration for Barbarossa.

9.1 German Chain-of-Command

see Orders of Battle

9.2 Tasks of Subordinate Units

Group West

Luftlande Sturm Regiment: Capture the airfield at Maleme.

Detachment Muerbe: Capture the anchorage at Kisamos Kastelli.

Group Center

3^rd Fallschirmjager Regiment and Pioneer Battalion: Drop in the Aiya Valley, attack toward the capital Canea and the port at Suda Bay. Secondary mission is to engage and tie down any enemy reserves in the area.

2^nd Fallschirmjager Regiment: Capture the airfield at Retimo. A detachment will land at Georgeopoulis to cut enemy communications between Suda and Retimo.

Group East

1^st Fallschirmjager Regiment: Capture the port and airfield at Heraklion.

Reserve

5^th Gebirgsjager Division, 141 Regiment of 6^th Gebirgsjager Division and heavy elements of 12 Army: Force reserve. Beginning on Day 2, stage into a captured airfield or port. One battalion of 5^th GJ Div will embark on each of the Light Convoys, remainder to be airlifted. 12^th Army units will arrive via convoy, except for 55 Krad Battalion which is available for airlift. Composition of each convoy is listed in the Order of Battle. Convoys are composed of Greek caiques, 7 transports. Italian destroyers will escort. Convoys should be scheduled to arrive at Crete in daylight to take advantage of air cover. The shoreline between Maleme and Platanias has been identified as a suitable location for disembarking infantry if a port facility is not available. Ports, anchorages and beaches are marked on your tactical map.

South-East Fleet

Transport seaborne reinforcements to Crete and protect them from the British navy.

VIII Fliegerkorps

Support the ground forces. Aggressively defend air and sea communications between the mainland and Crete. Italian motor torpedo boats are also active in the area and the bulk of the Italian Med Fleet might be persuaded to sortie.

9.3 Timetable

20 May 1941

0600 - VII Fliegerkorps bombs suspected enemy positions near drop zones. Attacks on runways and port facilities are strictly prohibited.

0720 - Glider-borne troops of I Battalion/Sturm Regiment land. Objectives are bridge over Tavronitis River, AA defenses at Maleme airfield, Aiya Prison valley and Akrotiri Peninsula.

0740 - Sturm Regiment and 3 Fallschirmjager Regiment paradrop around Maleme, Kastelli and Prison Valley.

1300 - Remainder of XI Fliegerkorps dropped on Retimo, Georgeopoulis and Heraklion. Fliegerkorps VIII units will be redirected to cover these drops.

Expect to capture Maleme airfield and city of Khania by 1200, Heraklion airfield and port and Retimo airfield by 1900.

21 May 1941

1300+ - elements of 85^th and 100^th Gebirgsjager Regiments arrive via airlift at a captured airfield. Balance of 5^th Gebirgsjager Div and 12^th Army troops arrive by sea at a captured port.

22-25 May 1941

Consolidation and mop-up.

25 May 1941

VIII Fliegerkorps must redeploy to prepare for Barbarossa.

9.4 Terrain and Climate

Western Crete is dominated by the White Mountains, which rise gradually from the northern coast, reach their maximum height in the center of the island and drop away precipitously on the southern coast. All objectives are located along the northern coast. A series of ridges and gullies run perpendicular to the coast.

Roads are primitive at best. The northern coast road has a metalled surface which is inferior by European standards but will accommodate motor transport. Secondary roads are merely tracks or goat paths.

Numerous olive groves and vineyards dot the countryside, surrounded by bamboo wind breaks. These groves will provide good cover. In certain areas will be found irrigation canals which are no more than ditches 4'-6' deep.

The climate is predicted to remain dry and hot, daylight temperatures reaching 40 C. Extra water will be airlifted to a captured airfield ASAP. Temperatures are much lower at night, especially in the higher altitudes.

No precipitation is forecast and winds will be light out of the West or Northwest.

9.5 Enemy Situation

Land

Enemy forces on Crete estimated as two brigade groups with 12000 effectives. Greatest concentration in area Maleme/Suda; 800 at Heraklion. Enemy is entirely British regular army. New Zealand and Australian units were evacuated from Greece directly to Egypt. No Greek Army troops are present on Crete.

Garrison is devoid of heavy weapons, armor and motor transport due to losses suffered in Greek campaign.

Suspected enemy positions have been identified on your tactical maps.

Air

Enemy air force operates from Maleme and Heraklion aerodromes, 2 fighter squadrons equipped with Hurricanes and a Coastal Command squadron with Fulmars and American Buffaloes. Very strong AA defenses around airfields, Suda Bay and Heraklion port. The cruiser York is bottomed in Suda Bay and the enemy is continuing to use it as a Flak platform.

Enemy air force based in Alexandria active south of Crete. British bombers have sufficient range to reach mainland from Egypt.

Naval

British Mediterranean Fleet is based in Alexandria. One aircraft carrier, three battleships, numerous light cruisers, destroyers and light craft.

9.6 Attitude of Civilian Population

Population of Crete enthusiastically pro-German. Significant 5^th-column aid expected from this quarter. Friendly partisan forces will be identified by password "BOCK" in response to the challenge "OBERST".