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 The battle for Crete continues. We've made it on the island, but with limited supplies and the possibility of reaction from the enemy, we don't have much time.  Greek and British resistance is stiff, but we are wearing them down. The main force just needs to keep pushing eastward along the island. It may be possible to land some forces along the southern edge and move them northward to support the attack on Herakleion. Also, as a note about the map: I had said the Allied airbases were invented to be on the map. They're actually labeled as being at Alexandria. It's just that the map makes that a lot closer than it would be in real life, to avoid making the map overlarge. Axis Turn 7: May 26, 1941 Clear(dry)  While Canea is exposed to multiple attacks and is wearing down quickly, the narrow approach to Suda makes for slow progress.  The paratroops arrive and are able to find the guns of the city apparently vulnerable to attack. But once they go in, the crews are in a much better position than expected, and the element of surprise has been lost. The initial assault on Herakleion is a failure. Allied Turn 7: May 26, 1941  Casualties are heavy at Retimo. Axis Turn 8: May 27, 1941 Clear(dry)  Intense fighting finally dislodges some of the guns at Herakleion. However, tanks are rapidly moving in from the east end of the island.  Airborne troops move into position near Suda. The British guns turn to counter the threat. It is just the opportunity our tanks needed. They strike quickly, and the guns are totally overrun.  Suda is in our hands. We are moving quite well from the western side of the island, but need to take control of the whole of it within the next five days. Allied Turn 8: May 27, 1941  The entire operation is thrown into peril as the British Matildas arrive to hit the ground troops at Herakleion. Axis Turn 9: May 28, 1941 Clear(dry)  Concentrated air attacks soften up Retimo before our ground forces arrive.  The paratroopers make one last attempt to breach Herakleion's defenses. All of the men in the charge are lost. Allied Turn 9: May 28, 1941  The brave men remaining outside Herakleion pull together and make a stand. The British tanks are finally stopped. Axis Turn 10: May 29, 1941 Clear (dry)  A second drop in the hills south of Herakleion promises to put more pressure on the town, but the success of the operation is in doubt if we cannot reach it with our other forces.  Potatomanjack is embarrassed in a fight with some Matildas, and withdraws from the battle.  The rest of our armored force pushes in right to the edge of Retimo. Allied Turn 10: May 29, 1941  The surrounded paratroops hold off more tank assaults. They cannot hold out for much longer. Axis Turn 11: May 30, 1941 Clear(dry)  Once the tanks arrive, Retimo surrenders after only a brief fight. We roll through the town, and gain complete control of the western half of Crete.  The British 6" guns feel confident that they can hold off more of our airborne infantry. But days of fighting has left them disorganized, and reports from the previous attacks revealed the weaknesses in their line. The 19th eliminate the guns and make their way toward the heart of the town. Allied Turn 11: May 30, 1941  The first wave of troops that landed around Herakleion is finally rounded up and captured by the enemy.  The 19th take heavy losses from the remaining artillery, and the troops in the city begin to reduce them. Another group that was preparing to land takes hits from flak guns. Axis Turn 12: May 31, 1941 Raining(Dry) The one hope we had was that we could rely on intensive air attacks to let us take Herakleion. The weather turns suddenly and the chance of that happening is gone.  Just as things are looking quite dark, the rest of our forces arrive and knock out two units of guns on the edges of Herakleion.  It may be too late to save the 19th, but they still do what they can to reduce the number of British soldiers remaining around the town. Allied Turn 12: May 31, 1941  In a brilliant last stand, the 19th FJ's dig in. It is a short day of fighting as the rain blows down. They repel the British engineers. No one else attacks them, and as the morning comes they realize they have survived. Axis Turn 13: June 1, 1941 Overcast(Dry)  Our guns have rolled into range, and begin firing as the day begins. A path to the city is opened up.  At just about the last moment for us, we have won the battle for Crete! Considering I've never played this as in a campaign (and only once before as a stand-alone), this ended up being a pretty good result. Though I think I chose the obviously wrong naval units to focus on -- it'd be a lot easier to clear the way to the north side of island and land there. The semi-cheating way to win would also be to spawn a bunch of aux tanks & guns right near Herakleion once the paratroops captured those towns. Next up is our next one-off, the fight through the Caucasus. Result: Major Victory Ending Prestige: 2286 
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| ← # ? Sep 28, 2015 00:03 |
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