| GOTHIC LINE MINIATURES | 12 Jul 2009 3:45 p.m. PST |
What armor and vehicles were available in Crete 1941 and in Leros 1943 |
| Kaoschallenged | 12 Jul 2009 3:56 p.m. PST |
On Crete 9 Matilda IIA tanks from 'B' Squadron, 7th Royal Tank Regiment and 16 Mark VIB Light Tanks from "C" Squadron, 4th Queen's Own Hussars. Robert |
| GOTHIC LINE MINIATURES | 12 Jul 2009 3:58 p.m. PST |
I have a book:"Fallsschrime uber Leros"with interesting pictures of Germans in a mix of tropical/European uniforms entering a landing craft along with a British truck!
These could be traveling from Crete,Main land Greece with captures equipment…
It is always difficult to discover what was there already in the islands and what was brought in for the fight… |
| GOTHIC LINE MINIATURES | 12 Jul 2009 4:06 p.m. PST |
Thanks Robert,for Crete I know Germans had BMW motorcycles and 37mm AT guns along with the old AT rifle.
Other than that what could be carried on the JU52 and the Greek fishermen´s ships,requisitioned on the mainland for the Mercury Op.
I think the British also had Bren Carriers and some Bedford trucks some motorcycles and some staff cars… |
| leidang | 12 Jul 2009 4:14 p.m. PST |
The German's also had recoiless rifles, I think somewhere around 50mm. This was their best AT weapon. |
| Kaoschallenged | 12 Jul 2009 4:17 p.m. PST |
From what I have read the Commonwealth Forces on Crete did have some Univeral Carriers along with some trucks and a few other vehicles. But not much. And from what I understand the major amount of German vehicles and transport did not arrive in time for the operation. Robert |
| Kaoschallenged | 12 Jul 2009 4:27 p.m. PST |
"The German's also had recoiless rifles, I think somewhere around 50mm. This was their best AT weapon." The 7.5 cm Leicht Geschütz 40 recoiless rifle. Robert |
| GOTHIC LINE MINIATURES | 12 Jul 2009 4:54 p.m. PST |
What about camouflage for the British armor?mostly dark green for the tanks and Universal Carriers? |
| Kaoschallenged | 12 Jul 2009 5:42 p.m. PST |
There is a pic of a Universal Carrier in the three tone desert camoflauge here,
"British soldiers receive a blessing from the Bishop of Chania, Crete (December 1940)."
link Robert |
| Kaoschallenged | 12 Jul 2009 6:05 p.m. PST |
THE WITHDRAWAL FROM STILOS — A Bren carrier shelters under a tree from air attack
link New Zealand soldiers alongside their truck which was damaged by a German air attack
link Pushing an abandoned truck over a bank on the retreat to Sfakia
link One of Roy Farran's tanks in Galatas, after being disabled during the battle.
link YMCA van at Battle for Crete
link Robert |
| goragrad | 13 Jul 2009 12:04 a.m. PST |
The Germans also had the 28/20mm squeezebore AT gun. |
| ezza123 | 13 Jul 2009 1:54 a.m. PST |
There have been a couple of Crete scenarios and a Leros scenario for Rapid Fire! which can be found at link that may help you out and give you some gaming ideas. The scenarios are; Maleme Airfield PDF link Battle for Prison Valley PDF link Leros PDF link Ezza |
| GOTHIC LINE MINIATURES | 13 Jul 2009 12:56 p.m. PST |
Fantastic pictures and information!
Thank you guys very much!
I will be posting some pictures too,I found out there was a Pak 75mm on Leros towed by a British truck.
Also there is a great wargame article in Wargames Illustrated no.232:How to invade a small Aegean Island. |
| GOTHIC LINE MINIATURES | 13 Jul 2009 5:14 p.m. PST |
The German landing craft unloading a British truck onto Leros is in my blog Wargames48.blogspot.com
There is some debate as to the truck brand or if it is an Italian Lancia but I think it is British probably captured in the Greek mainland campaign then shipped to Leros.
The German soldiers had a really varied uniform ranging from the tropical light sand to the European field gray,sand Stahlhelms and Feldmutze head wear.
Just out of curiosity pictures also show 3 soldiers with camouflage covers on their helmets these being the Brown Fall leafs and dots type.
On the British side there are soldiers wearing the Malta camouflaged helmet. |
| Kaoschallenged | 13 Jul 2009 5:55 p.m. PST |
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| GOTHIC LINE MINIATURES | 14 Jul 2009 7:29 a.m. PST |
Great news there Robert!I never knew a Panzer IV was involved!
Amazing!until now it was usual for people to think it was very uncommon to have tanks in Leros,and other Islands on that Wargames Illustrated magazine they say"little armor"don´t know what they meant perhaps armored cars or Sdkfz´s 251 half tracks for which there are no pictures.
On that film Cefalonia with Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz they show a 251 mit Pack 40 and a Hetzer,although it aims to be historical correct it is really hard to believe a Hetzer(1944)would be there.
Now a Panzer IV is a big war machine and for wargaming possibilities it make all the difference thanks again! |
| GOTHIC LINE MINIATURES | 14 Jul 2009 11:35 a.m. PST |
AS you can see I will be producing at 36-40mm scale 1/48,hopefully people will want to collect some outside their main 28mm mainstream,what do you use 28mm?
I will be doing some 28s too but on different periods and in some time in order to see if this works first! |
