________[size=200]THE INVASION OF CRETE -MAY 1941 THE SOGG BIG GAME[/size]_____
___________[size=150]Prison Valley ,Galatos,Hania and Suda Bay[/size]
_____________________________[size=200]The Battle[/size]___________________________
_______________________________[size=200]DAY 1[/size]_____________________________
Part of the pre game bombardment was centred on the road hub of HANIA although this had its fruits as we also dive bombed the larg town church ..........the headqurters of Major General Bernard Freyberg, overall Commonwealth Commander who happend to get killed in the attack :cry:
:grin: .
Fallchirmjager 1st Battalion 3rd regiment(HQ Regiment 3 attached) landing with a few casualties who hit walls but pretty well intact and immediatley searched out there cannisters and headed for the prison,they spent the rest of the day in this position using HQ spotters to look across the valley and bring down harrassing 50mm and 81mm mortar fire especially on the AA Lewis position amongs the New Zealanders causing a re-crew que ,unfortunately this wasnt enough to stop `Stuka Boy`(Tim) from plying his trade and downing some of our aircraft,closely followed by` Stuka Boy 2`( Terry ) , soon to be rememberd as the Stuka Twins on our table..........(bastards). 8-)
Fallchirmjager Machine Gun Battalion 7 falling just outside 10th Brigades positions had a hot time of it and was decimated even after managing to collect there heavy weapons and reach the cover of the draw.
Fallchirmjager 2nd Battalion 3rd regiment landing smack ontop of Major Lewis`s' New Zealand Composite Battalion. With no chance to reach all there canisters the battalion infantry markers were replaced immediately with figures and faught close quarter hand to hand with pistols and grenades.
7th Flieger Division HQ and 1st Battalion/Luftlande Sturm Regiment (2 Companies)landed around Stalos on the coast road to Maleme with the hope of becoming a blocking force.
Fallchirmjager 3rd Battalion 3rd regiment landing as the largest battalion between Perivolia and Mournies although isolated landed again almost intact and after marshaling up all the heavy weapons started to fan out only to become entangled with (Terry/Tim/Dave give me the ozzie/greek unit names for this area)they picked away at any unit that tried to advance on them but otherwise were stuck between a rock and a hard place so stayed pretty static throughout the game,one of there major contributions was the two 75mm infantry guns that were busy most of the time under direction from Regimental HQ at the prison.
Fallchirmjager Pioneer Battalion 7 having been screened by the luckless Machine Gun Battalion 7 now took stock and headed towards Alikianou to link up with 1st Battalion at the prison,one small snag,a Greek battalion blocking there path.
Meanwhile back on Pink Hill survivors of 2nd Battalion who were still passing there morale throws were still moving through the rear areas of the New Zealanders and causing mayhem
With Force Reserve behind them the New Zealander new they would allways get the upper hand in this battle of the hills.
The last dug in troops in the foreground and allthough tantalisingly close to breaking through to there own lines this was a trench to many and having taken out 2 Companies of infantry /a Bofors battery/a mortar battery/Battalion Command and driven of Brigade Command the tired and dispirted paratroops surrenderd.
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Back at Alikianou the pioneers hadn`t brought there barbecue with them for nothing :twisted:
from one position to another the Greeks were sent running in fear of the flame throwers.
By nightfall the village was totally on fire but not without cost,the paratroops were down to half strength and hanging on to one half of a destroyed village while what was left of the Greeks held the other half.In the night it was decided to retreat back into the hills ,this was a bitter pill for the paratroops who had fought hard to complete there mission,grumbling and lifting there empty fuel containers they quitely moved out....................
_______________________________[size=200]DAY2[/size]_____________________________
Still struggling to get orders(crap dice from george because until now he was under mortar fire for most of the day)the New Zealanders only now pushed into Stalos on the road to Maleme,in an effort to slow this push and the continual probing of the Vickers Light Tank Troop the German Paratroops continually called in Stuka dive bomb attacks.
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With the paratroops around Stalos suffering heavy casualties Divisional HQ escaped from the village and headed back into the hills to eventually link up with the remanents of Pioneer Battalion 7 where upon they dug in as best as possible to wait it out and hope for reinforcements.
The road to Meleme was now open and Force Reserve was on the move!!!!!!
Day two for the greeks still hanging on to part of Alikianou started with the realization that the paratroops had moved out in the night there elation was soon dashed though as two companies of paratroops advanced on them from the prison hoping to link up with the now retreating pioneers,there attack was swift and brutal only slowing down to allow a Stuka Dive Bomber to help finish the job............two Greeks finally escaped through the olive grove to bear witness to the heroic fight there comrades had put up.
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The New Zealanders and greeks battalions across the valley now started there attack on the prison supported by a Vickers troop ,the paratroops blooded the noses of the closest company but new what the inevitable outcome of staying there would be.
Two paratroop companies and the regimental HQ retreated into the hills and dug in suffering no losses in there escape.
The Vickers Troop sensing victory raced on ahead of the infantry as the broke into the prison,the Fallschirmjager after watching a failed Stuka attack on the Vickers ,made sure of it thereselves showing that they were still prickly and should be showed respect by knocking out the front Vickers with an anti tank rifle.................almost one of there parting gifts as day two started to end.
Last few pics showing some final advances and positions,hope you enjoyed my little write up.
AL
Two images removed.