MMP's Operation Mercury - The Invasion of Crete

This arrived yesterday.  I had it on preorder from Milsims from back in July and ended up paying $250 for it (that's okay - my partner doesn't follow my blog, she just wants to take it away and give it to me at Xmas).  Milsims, now under new management, did a great job of packaging it and it arrived in perfect condition.  The only challenge I had is that the new trader goes under the name "Joe Dodgy's Dice and Games".

Even though it will be put away till the New Year, I checked the contents were all there. 

All present and correct!

Based on  A Wargaming Odyssey blog post I read recently about books on Greece and Crete, I checked the Abbreviated Bibliography and I have copied it into this post for reference:

In the Designer's Notes, which I've now read, Joseph Chacon, the designer, mentions the NZ official history by D M Davin, a copy of which I have, but I'm yet to read.  He also noted that it is available on-line here: http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Cret.html

Interestingly he also mentions that the war diaries of the Australian battalions involved in the battle are available on line.  And after a bit of googling I found this

It can be found here  https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1362721  There is a PDF to download which is scans of the various reports made during this period.  Looks fascinating.

Sadly this will all have to wait till the New Year, not because she says, but because I am too overloaded with other boardgames and miniatures at the moment.

I don't need to do a review of the game as MMP have all the detail here.  And there is always Boardgame Geek to check out.

Best of all for me there is a Vassal module.

Operation Mercury

I took the allies and Richard took the axis side in this boardgame which took us some twenty hours or so to complete in about four or five sessions, not counting set up which Richard did.

After playing the boardgame solo last year, I took the position that the allies could not hold the island and made plans to evacuate from very early on.  Perhaps I could have done more at Maleme, but felt constrained by the need to hold back the Suda force.  At Retimo we wiped out the paratroops and we put up a hard fight at Heraklion, before withdrawing across the length of the island to Sfakia where the rest of the army gathered to withdraw.

I was about a day ahead of schedule.  The Royal Navy had done some excellent shore bombardment supporting the defence of the airfields and also intercepted some German convoys before they caught the attention of the Luftwaffe.  It was tricky going and a number of destroyers were lost and many ships ran out of ammo.

Finally it came time to embark and the main Task Force with the transports had done well to position itself, but the Luftwaffe found them and did dreadful damage, sinking them all bar one which was left damaged.  Luckily there was enough capacity on the remaining destroyers and cruisers to pick up the army and get them to safety.

A final dash was made for the remaining troops and while the Luftwaffe put everything into it.  However, the arrival of additional capital ships including an aircraft carrier and the fact that the Royal Navy was acting in waters that the RAF could at least provide some air cover meant they were unsuccessful (as well Richard threw a series of tens which meant fleets went undetected, attacks were uncoordinated and the few planes that got through missed their targets).  Only two companies of infantry were left behind and they took to the mountains.

In the end, it was the loss of the transports that gave the Germans their substantive victory.  The loss amongst the paratroops had been very high.

Operation Mercury - Final Installment

25 May

After finding an Allied Task Force in Candia Bay the Luftwaffe make a poorly coordinated attack but still manage to sink the DD Kelvin.

The Germans air land more troops at Maleme.  They also finally capture the Retimo airfield as the Allies start to retreat.

In the afternoon the Luftwaffe make another determined effort against the Royal Navy and catch Task Force A returning to base low on ammunition.  They sink the DDs Greythorn and Griffin and damage DD Vendetta.

The Germans air land troops at Heraklion.  The Allied retreat is going well as their rearguard puts up a tenacious defence.

26 May

The Retimo sector has now been vacated and troops are evacuating at Sfakia and Tymbakion.  A devastating attack by the Luftwaffe at Sfakia sinks the CL Dido and DD Kimberly and damages the CL Ajax.  The afternoon sees the Royal Navy move back out to sea, but the Luftwaffe continue their success and sink the Ajax and damage the DD Janus.

During the night the Allies complete their evacuation.

27 May

The convoys ferrying survivors to Alexandria are attacked mercilessly.  The DDs Imperial and Isis are sunk and the DD Janus, Kingston, CL Abele and Carlisle all damaged.  The Luftwaffe return for the kill in the afternoon, but are largely driven off by allied naval AA.  The transport Glenroy is damaged however.

Only eighteen Allied units escaped.  Sixteen ships had been sunk.  However, the German losses amongst their elite paratroops were very heavy.  The final victory points came in as 215 to 327 which gives the Germans a substantive victory.

Summary

An excellent simulation and a good game well suited to solitaire play.  While not complex, I did make a few mistakes, but nothing that couldn’t be accounted for by die rolls.  I could have handled the German land attacks better and also the Royal Navy.  I was satisfied using the Luftwaffe for interdiction on land and sea, while it requires good luck, there is no risk to the Luftwaffe so it gets to keep on attacking and eventually it will get through.

Operation Mercury - Part 6

24 May

The Allies are starting to run short on supplies.  The Germans are faced with low supply in the Retimo and Heraklion sectors and are buoyed by the Luftwaffe’s continued interdiction to slow the Allies down.

The main Luftwaffe force goes after the Royal Navy and in Almivos Bay and the DD Kipling is sunk.  Two German convoys are headed for Retimo and in the early morning one gets through unscathed while the other is shot up losing a lot of its heavy equipment.  The amphibious landing is successful and the Germans at Retimo now have significant reinforcements and the battle for the airfield continues.

At Heraklion the Germans succeed in air landing some reinforcements as well.  The subsequent fighting is not so successful, but things have tipped in their favour. 

At Suda the Allies continue a fighting withdrawal to avoid being outflanked.

In the afternoon, the Allies, short on supply and even low in some sectors (except Suda which has its own problems), with the Germans holding Maleme airfield, a strong grasp on the Heraklion airfield and fighting for the last airfield at Retimo, having suffered excessive losses (well over 70 steps) beginning thinking of evacuation.

The Luftwaffe launch a massive attack on the RN as it attempts to interfere with the German naval landing in Almivos Bay, but are driven off by heavy AA fire.  The RN sink the German convoys, but it is too late as the bulk of the German reinforcements were already ashore.

The Germans drop some more reinforcements into Heraklion and airland troops at Maleme.

The Allies start to withdraw.  During the night the Germans start to follow up, but the Allied retreat has now commenced.

Operation Mercury - Part 5

23 May

The Germans are now short on supply in the Retimo and Heraklion sectors, but the Luftwaffe do their best to pin down the allies in these areas. The Luftwaffe’s main focus is the Royal Navy, but they were unlucky in attacking a RN task force in Almivos Bay.  However a German convoy was able to elude the RN and land troops in Candida Bay near the contested airfield.  These fresh troops drive the allies from the remaining parts of the airfield. (It is at this stage that I realise I have been conducting attacks with more than six stacking points, but I’m not sure it would have made a big difference and so decide to continue).

The Germans are closing in for a kill at Retimo, while at Suda they decide to work around the allies left flank, but it is slow going.

In the afternoon the Luftwaffe return and this time in Candida Bay the Stukas brave a lot of AA and sink the Calcutta and damage the Coventry and Jarvis. There is then a surface battle in which all the Italian forces are sunk, but with another RN ship going down, the Jaguar.

The Germans fight desperately to clear the area around the Heraklion airfield.  At Retimo their attacks go nowhere and the Australian counter attack is as equally ineffective as is a British attack at Heraklion.  The war of attrition at Suda goes in favour of the Germans.

German night attacks fail to make any progress and are driven off with heavy losses at both Retimo and Heraklion.   But at Suda the Germans are able to swing round the allied left.

An uncoordinated attack by the newly arrive Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders suffers heavy losses at Heraklion, but at Retimo the Australians break through and reunite with the troops holding the airfield.  The allies start to withdraw from Suda.

Operation Mercury - Part 4

22 May

The Germans find themselves short of supply and unable to reinforce Heraklion as they only hold half the airfield.  They successfully interdict in the Maleme and Hearklion sectors and the Luftwaffe goes after the Royal Navy in Candia Bay sinking the Naiad. An uncoordinated attack on Hearklion airfield is easily beaten off by the Allies and there is a bloody stalemate at Retimo as the Germans get desperate.  A war of attrition is also occurring on the way to Suda bay. 

In the afternoon the Luftwaffe keeps up its attacks, sinking the Kandahar in a massed attack in Almivos Bay.

The German convoys set sail. 

There is further desperate fighting at Heraklion, but the Allies hold out.  Things are different at Retimo as the Allies find themselves surrounded and starting to run out of troops to defend the airfield.  An attempt by the Australians to breakthrough during the night is defeated.

Meanwhile on the approaches to Suda the German attacks are not well coordinated, but the recently arrived Mountain Division troops are starting to work around the allied southern flank.

The Royal Navy pounds the Germans around Retimo and Heraklion

Operation Mercury - Part 3

21 May

Luftwaffe interdictions were not so absolute over Maleme and Heraklion and a morning strike against the Royal Navy in Candia Bay was easily driven off.  The Germans attacked the retreating New Zelanders around Palatanus and vicious fighting occurred around Galatas as the Germans attempted to cut off the NZ retreat.

Fighting at Heraklion airfield saw the Royal Navy successfully bombard the Germans, but in the afternoon the Luftwaffe returned and sunk the Gloucester and damaged the Fiji.  The Germans renewed their attack and captured half of the Heraklion airfield.

The Germans made no progress at Retimo and their attack on Galatas was bloodily repulsed, but they did destroy the Maori battalion which was positioned close by.

The British launched a counterattack at Heraklion even using armour.  However their attack was uncoordinated.  The fighting was desperate and the Germans were very badly mauled, but just managed to hang on.

More bloody fighting at Galatas, but the New Zealanders were able to slip away to regroup at Suda Bay.  Meanwhile the Australians commenced to counterattack at Retimo. 

The plan for 22 May is for the German’s to reinforce Heraklion as the situation is dire.

Operation Mercury - Part 2

20 May PM and Night

On the afternoon of 20 May the Luftwaffe very successfully heavily interdicted all sectors.  The drop on Retimo saw the loss of three companies with the bulk of the rest of the paratroops dispersed.  The Germans captured the Maleme airfield after eliminating the supporting NZ troops in the vicinity.  Their attacks elsewhere in the sector were halted or ineffectual, while at Heraklion the Germans didn’t even try to attack.

The remaining NZ troops started to pull back towards Suda and during the night the Germans press home more attacks inflicting heavy casualties as on the NZ force around Galatas.  The Australians start to hurry towards Retimo, but too late to save the 11^th Australian Battalion which is wiped out in a vicious night attack by the Germans.

At Heraklion the Germans launch a night attack that captures a hill overlooking the airfield.  However the Allies fight back and wipe out two companies of paratroops that had been surrounded in the morning.

The Royal Navy had tried twice to bombard the Germans moving into engage them in all sectors but with no luck.

The maps are the situation as dawn breaks on 21 May, Maleme, Retimo and Hearklion sectors in that order and the naval situation map.

The Germans plan to drop some more paratroops around Retimo, air land troops at Maleme while trying to cut off the NZ forces from Suda, send the Luftwaffe after the Royal Navy and hang on around Heraklion.

Operation Mercury - Part 1

I so enjoyed our game last week and having borrowed it from Richard to read the rules through in more detail, I couldn't resist the urge to set it up and play it solitaire.

This is the map and set up before the invasion.

20 May AM

Luftwaffe successfully flies interdiction mission over Maleme, but fails in the Heraklion area.  An air attack against a British task force in the Kythia Strait is driven off.  German air bombardment in Maleme sector meets with some success and the parachute drops go in without too much trouble although half the German artillery is lost and Sturm HQ is mauled.  A group of paratroops is surrounded outside Heraklion.  Fierce fighting took place around Galatas with the Germans starting to consolidate their position.  The heavy interdiction in the Maleme sector stopped the Allies from counterattacking.  The Australians were bloodily repulsed in an uncoordinated attack made against the surrounded paratroops near Heraklion who were desperately fighting for their lives.

These are the situations in the Maleme, Galatas and Suda sector and the Heraklion sector:

Operation Mercury - boardgame by GMT

A campaign theatre I’ve always been very interested in, so I couldn’t resist a chance to try this game out on the Axis invasion of Crete in 1941.  We just played the Maleme scenario through twice – got different results each time, but it was more learning the rules.  Also tried the naval scenario, which was really just an introduction to the air/naval system.  Operation Mercury looks promising and worth finding the time to commit to the full campaign game.

http://www.gmtgames.com/opom/gmtopom0.htm

I should say that the game is from Richard's collection and rather new to me.  I have the old SPI mini game on Crete.