Scenario: The Battle for Maleme Airfield

I've recently begun reading Antony Beevor's "Crete" and as usual it's an endless source of inspiration for bolt action games and units.

 

The source of inspiration!

During the course of the battle the German capture of the Maleme Airfield can be considered one of the, if not the, decisive moments of the battle. Defended by ANZAC troops the airfield was crucial for the Germans to bring in much needed supplies and support the Fallschirmjager in capturing the island. I thought it would be fun to replay this key battle and see if we could rewrite history and pull of an allied victory. It was also a great opportunity to field some ANZACs on the table (yeah the boys). 

Maleme Airfield, Crete — 20 May 1941

The battle map for the assault on Maleme Airfield

SCENARIO

At dawn on 20 May 1941, German Fallschirmjäger descended onto Crete in history’s first large-scale airborne invasion. At Maleme Airfield, scattered paratroopers landed under fire, isolated and short of heavy weapons. Opposing them, exhausted but determined ANZAC troops held the high ground overlooking the runway. Control of Maleme would decide the battle for Crete.

This scenario represents the chaotic opening phase of the battle, with German airborne forces attempting to seize the airfield before ANZAC defenders can reinforce and stabilise their lines.

SET-UP

The table should include the following: Maleme Airfield runs across the centre of the table (12–16” wide), consisting mostly of open ground. One Control Tower / Administration Building on the airfield. One Hangar or Supply Building on the airfield. Low hills or ridgelines near the airfield 
Scattered olive groves, stone walls and sandbags.

ANZAC (Defender):

May deploy half of their units anywhere outside the airfield, up to 12” from the centre line. The rest are held in reserve.

German Fallschirmjäger (Attacker):

No units deploy at the start of the game. All German units arrive using the Scattered Drop special rule. Up to half of the units arrive in the first turn. The rest are kept in reserve. ANZAC troops enter the battlefield from a random table edge.

OBJECTIVE
Primary Objective – Control the Airfield

At the end of the game, a side controls the airfield if it has more infantry units wholly within the airfield zone than the enemy. Worth 2 Victory Points

Secondary Objectives

At the end of the game a side controls the Control Tower or Supply Building if, one side has at least one infantry unit in or within 2" of it and the enemy has none.

FIRST TURN

The German Fallschirmjäger take the first turn.

All German units arrive on Turn 1 using the Scattered Drop special rule (See below).

GAME DURATION

The game lasts 6 turns. At the end of Turn 6, roll a D6: On a 4+, play a Turn 7 otherwise, the game ends

SPECIAL RULES

GERMAN:

Scattered Drop
When a German unit arrives it enters in the centre of a random table quarter, roll a D6:

1–2: Scatter D6+6” in a random direction

3–6: Scatter D6” as normal

If the unit scatters into impassable terrain or enemy units, it suffers D3 pin markers and is placed as close as possible.

Mission Focused
Fallschirmjäger infantry units ignore the first pin marker they receive while within the airfield zone.

ANZACS:

Stubborn Defence
ANZAC infantry units may re-roll failed Morale tests while within 12” of an objective. 

Command Confusion
From Turn 4 onwards, at the start of each ANZAC turn, roll a D6. On a roll of 1, one randomly selected ANZAC unit automatically receives a Down order this turn.

VICTORY:

At the end of the game calculate victory points as follows:

A player scores 2 victory points for controlling the airfield. A player also scores 1 victory point for controlling the Supply Building or Control Tower.

The side with the most victory points wins the battle