leros

The Gamers, Inc.

Tactical Combat Series:

Leros: The Island Prize©1995. The Gamers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Game Design: David A. FriedrichsSeries Design: Dean N. EssigGraphics Design: Dean N. EssigGame Development: Dean N. EssigProduction: Sara EssigPlay Testing and Proofreading: PerryAndrus, Dan Bartlett, Chris Courtiour, DeanN. Essig, Lee Forester, Don Gilbertson,Steve Graham, Kit Heinrichs, Jeff Hill,Steve Hill, Simon Hoare, Dave Powell,Nigel Roberts, Bob Runnicles, BoydSchorzman, Greg UlrichOn-Island Research Team: Amy Chaffeeand Mark Ellinghaus

Dedication (by D. Friedrichs): To DanBartlett, a great friend, a good gamer, andthe guy who originally thought of doing agame on this crazy battle.

IntroductionIn the fall of 1943, Churchill tried to

induce Turkey to participate actively as anally against Germany. British forces landedon several of the Dodecanese Islands (Italianpossessions in the Eastern Aegean),including Kos and Leros. Hitler, fearing airstrikes on the Ploesti oil fields, reactedquickly and generated a disaster for theBritish.

Leros depicts the German invasionof Leros. The battle was the climax ofoperations in the Aegean—a German airand sea invasion against a heavily defendedisland.

1.0 GeneralSpecial Rules1.1 Terrain Notes

1.1a Woods. Woods hexes contain atleast one complete tree within the hex. OnLeros, there are only short scrub trees, sothe woods are only 5 meters high, insteadof the normal series height of 20 meters.

1.1b Building Hexes. Building hexescontain terra-cotta roofed building symbols.Village hexes contain white roofed buildingsymbols.

1.1c Castle Leros. B51.17 is anancient castle and presented a verydefensible position during the battle. Areafires resolved against the Castle hex receivean additional two column shifts to the left.Prepared Defenses are allowed in theCastle’s hex.

1.1d Rugged Terrain. Note that evenOpen terrain is considered to be PartlyProtective for fire combat, sortie, and moralepurposes (but is still considered to be Openfor Spotting Range purposes). There is noterrain with Open combat effects on thesemaps.

1.1e Coast Hexes. Any hex thatcontains both land and sea in the hex is acoastal hex. If the center of the hex is in thesea, treat the elevation of the hex as Zero.Consider units in Pier Hexes to have anelevation of 5 meters.

1.1f Contour Interval. The contourinterval on these maps is 25 meters (asopposed to the usual 20 meters).

Design Note: The terrain on Leros isextremely rugged. A quick look at the mapwill show that there are several areas onthe map that exceed 30o grades (manypoints are vertical). In addition, there areinnumerable rocky areas, areas coveredby low scrub, terraced and folded terrainthat could not be depicted on a wargamemap. Finally, even where the ground isrelatively clear and flat, the local farmerserected low (1 or 2 foot) walls of looserocks along the edges of their fields.

1.1g Illum Scatter. When shootingIllum rounds, roll one die for direction, andanother for distance. Scatter the Illum Shellto the resultant hex. No, it will never hit thehex actually intended.

A Complete Copy of Leros Includes:1x Box1x TCS Series Rulebook (v3.1)1x Game Specific Rulebook2x Dice (one red, one white)3x 22x 34” Map2x 280-counter countersheet2x Charts & Tables Booklets1x Registration Card1x Current Price ListAssorted Advertising Flyers (which our collaterslove to hate...)

If you are missing something, contact us. If you havesomething extra, Merry Christmas!

Page Item1 Introduction

1.0 General Special Rules2 Sea Movement Rules3 2.0 British Special Rules4 3.0 German Special Rules

Parachute Assaults6 4.0 Minor Variants7 5.0 Scenario Notes

Scenario 19-24 Op Sheet Forms25 Scenario 2

Scenario 326 Scenario 427 Scenario 528 Order of Battle

Designer’s Notes29 Developer’s Notes

Player’s NotesHistorical Commentary

31 Annotated Bibliography31-32 Charts & Tables

Leros TCS #8

1.2 Sea MovementBoth the German and Allied players

can use Sea Movement to move units to andfrom Leros.

1.2a Boats. Boats have nocombat ability or modes; theyexist only to carry ground unitsvia Sea Movement. All Boatsmove one box per turn (three

at night) along their Sea Movement Track(provided the weather is not Storm, see1.4d).

1.2b Loading Points. The LoadingPoint Rating of each Boat is given on theBoat’s counter. A Boat can carry a numberof Loading Points up to its Rating. Eachground unit, regardless of type or size,counts as one Loading Point (i.e. one counterequals one Loading Point). Boats cannot beoverloaded.

1.2c Heavy Loading Points. SomeGerman ground units require booms for

loading and unloading—theseunit counters are HeavyLoading Points. There are noBritish Heavy Loading Pointunits requiring Sea Movement.

Heavy Loading Point counters are the120mm Mortars, the 88mm AT Guns, theHalftrack Mounted AA Guns, and theArtillery Howitzers.

A) Heavy Loading Points can onlybe carried by Boats with the Two TriangleHeavy Loading Point indicator symbol.

B) Heavy Loading Point counterscan only be unloaded in a friendly occupiedPier hex. Such units cannot be unloadedduring Storm turns. Heavy Loading Pointunits cannot move in the turn they unload,but are subject to Overwatch fires at themoment of unloading. Should the Boatarrive at its Landing Zone only to find thepier to be held by the enemy, the boatautomatically aborts (no step losses) andreturns to its holding box.

Play Note: Landing Zones containing piersare identified on the Sea Movement Tracksby the Red Boxes.

C) Heavy and regular Loading Pointunits can be freely mixed on a Boat.

1.2d The Movement Tracks. Eachplayer has a Sea Movement Track to carryBoats (and their loads) to or from theirHolding Box to Leros. A Boat can onlyremain in place in the side’s Holding BoxOR if it fails the Storm die roll (1.4d),otherwise, Boats must continue to move.Boats cannot reverse course after they leavethe Holding Box—unless they either unloador get an Abort result. Any number ofBoats can occupy a given Sea MovementBox.

1.2e Embarkation & Trip Initialization.Boats in the Holding Box are ready for atrip. They may remain in the Holding Boxwithout a trip assignment indefinitely.

During any friendly Action Phase, aplayer can begin a trip by assigning a unitload to a Boat in the Holding Box. Place theBoat counter on top of its load and note thetrip’s Landing Zone on a scrap of paper.There are 16 Landing Zones which dividethe coast of Leros into limited beaches. Theplayer can choose any Landing Zone whenassigning a Boat’s trip, but he cannot changeit later. Once a Boat is assigned a Load anda Landing Zone, it must immediately beginto Move toward that Landing Zone,advancing into the first box of the SeaMovement Track in that Action Phase.

1.2f Landing Zone Arrival. Continuethe movement of the Boat and its contentson each succeeding Action Phase until theBoat reaches the Sea Movement Track Boxadjacent to the number of its Landing Zone.At the beginning of the Action Phase afterthe Boat makes it to this last Track Box,shift them to the Approach Box, and executeItalian Coastal Gunfire (1.2g). Then placethe units in any coastal hex of their assignedLanding Zone. These units begin in MoveMode and may move normally in thatAction Phase. (See also the restrictions onHeavy Loading Points, 1.2c). The Boatsthemselves remain in the Approach Boxthat turn and begin their return trip in thefollowing turn. Other than the ItalianCoastal Gunfire, there is no fire combatagainst or from Boats.

Units always land with animplemented Op Sheet, which must bedrawn up before the force leaves theHolding Box or when the game begins (if aforce starts a scenario at sea). The Op Sheetcan be of any type except Prepared Defenseand is automatically implemented beforethe landing takes place—so ignore theaccumulation of weighted turns associatedwith the regular implementation cycle.

1.2g Italian Coastal Gunfire. ItalianCoastal Guns only attack German Boats.Each coastal battery is identified on themap as a terrain feature and has a FireValue. The Battery Summary gives theFire Values and Landing Zones covered byeach battery. A given battery can only fireinto one Landing Zone in a single turn.

A roll is ONLY made on the CoastalGunfire Table if the total Fire Valuedirected at a Landing Zone is greaterthan zero.

If a battery’s hex is occupied by anenemy unit at any time (including ParachuteAssaults), the battery is destroyed. Batteriescannot be repaired by either side.

The Italian Coastal Guns cannotaffect (and are not affected by) air or groundcombat (other than by being occupied).

Each Landing Zone can be fired onby a fixed number of batteries (see theBattery Summary). Each battery can fireinto any number of Landing Zones in agiven turn. Determine the total Fire Valueapplied against the Landing Zone and rollon the Coastal Gunfire Table once for eachBoat being fired on.

If a Boat is sunk, the Boat and itsLoad are destroyed. If the result is an Abort,kill one step from each Platoon-sized uniton the Boat and they cannot land. AbortedBoats must return to the Kos Box (see1.2h). On any other result, there is no effectand the landing proceeds normally.

Design Note: The Italians had emplacedover 90 guns on Leros of various calibers(Russian 76, 107 and 152mm). They wereplaced for the most part on many of the hilltops around the island.

One might ask why the Luftwaffecannot be used to take out these guns.Historically, the Luftwaffe spent weekspreparing the island for the invasion andwere unable to make a dent in the Coastaldefenses. Furthermore, much of theLuftwaffe support during the game is stilldevoted to that effort (sorties the playernever sees)—all with the same lack of effect.

1.2h Boat Returns. An empty oraborting Boat in a Approach Box mustmove back to its Holding Box. Thismovement must begin the turn after theBoat is unloaded or Aborts.

1.2i Gilligan’s Island. (Optional)Players are highly encouraged to listen tothe Gilligan’s Island theme song whenconducting these Sea Movementfunctions—especially when a Storm occurs.The adventurous can sing aloud whileplaying. Humming is acceptable.

1.3 SurrenderSurrender only applies to campaign

games. At any point on or after 0100 Nov13, a player may demand the enemy’ssurrender. Each player can make TWOsuch demands. Roll one die. If the result isless than 6, the checking side surrenders.

Add ONE to the roll for every 10counters (of any type or size) the checkingside has in play on Leros at that moment.Round this modifier normally. ItalianCoastal Gun positions do not count.

For example, the Germans call forsurrender. The British have 29 units left onthe island. The roll is modified by +3. If theresult is 3 or more, the fight goes on, if 2 or

Barge #1

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I Boat #1

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less; the British surrender.If both demands are unsuccessful,

the enemy will not surrender. If both sidessurrender on the same turn, make a secondroll to determine who surrenders first; if 1-3, the British do, if 4-6, its the Germans.

No scenario begins with anySurrender demands used.

1.4 WeatherWeather limits Sea & Air Movement

and Visibility. Air Movement only occursin Normal weather. If the weather changessuch that Air Movement is not possible,Air Movement in progress must abort andreturn to Athens.

In addition, Weather has thefollowing effects:

1.4a Normal. Air sorties occurnormally and there are no additionalvisibility limits.

1.4b Wind. Air sorties occur normallyand there are no additional visibility limits.

1.4c Gale. No Air Sorties are allowed.Sea Movement continues normally.Visibility is limited as shown on the WeatherTrack. Smoke and Illum markers cannot beplaced, and artillery Attack Zones do notblock line of sight.

1.4d Storm. No Air Sorties areallowed. Visibility is limited as shown onthe Weather Track. Smoke and Illum cannotbe placed, and artillery Attack Zones donot block line of sight.

Boats no longer automaticallyadvance along the Sea Movement Trackduring a Storm. The player must roll onedie per Boat and the Boat only advances ifthe die roll is 5 or more. Otherwise, theBoat remains in place for the turn.

1.5 MinefieldsThere are no minefields in this game.

1.6 AutomaticTransportation

The heavy AT guns (88mm), heavymortars (120mm), heavy AA guns (Bofors),the British 2 Lbr AT Guns (due to theirheavy base plate mounting), and on-mapartillery of both sides are transportedautomatically by nominal trucks while inMove Mode. These units move with 12MPs which are Vehicle MPs for terrainmovement costs and Vehicles for SpottingRange purposes.

1.7 Assault BenefitsCertain units are better equipped and

trained to handle assault-style combats.These are all the Engineer (Pio Company),Küstenjäger (Küst Company), Long RangeDesert Group (LRDG), and Special BoatService (SBS) units.

When these units participate inAssault-style combat (as attacker ordefender), their fires receive a +1 shift onthe Area Fire Table and, if they are the unitchecking morale for their side in the combat,do not double their morale value for theMorale Table—use the regular value.

2.0 BritishSpecial Rules2.1 Command andControl

2.1a British Commander’s Intent. TheBritish commander must hold Leros.

2.1b OP Sheet Limits. The Britishplayer is limited to 6 Implemented OpSheets at any one time. In one-mapscenarios, the British player can only havetwo Implemented Op Sheets at any onetime.

2.1c Command Prep Rating. TheBritish Command Prep Rating is 5.

2.1d Battalion Staff Modifier. TheBritish do not receive the Staff modifier.

2.1e LRDG and SBS. The Long RangeDesert Group and the Special Boat Serviceare independent units and are free to operatein any manner they wish (without OpSheets). However, they must be part of anImplemented Prepared Defense Op Sheetto be Dug In. Even when not on an OpSheet, these units can fire SFAs. Theseunits are also Section sized—so don’t forgetthey have only two steps per counter!

2.2 British ArtilleryThere is only one battery (18/25 lb

guns) of British artillery (9 FA). There is noammo resupply available.

2.3 British Air SupportIn historical scenarios, there are no

British aircraft. Only when playing the“Increased RAF Support” variant do thefollowing apply.

2.3a Aircraft Type and Options. Theonly aircraft type available is theBeaufighter. See the back of each Sortie’scounter for its attack ratings.

2.3b Availability. If the German SortieAvailability roll result is no aircraft, thenthe British player rolls on the British SortieAvailability Table. If the Germans get oneor more sorties, there will be no Britishsorties.

2.4 Battalion AssetsEach British battalion has a number

of units typically called the “HQ Company”but for simplicity are here referred to withonly their battalion designation.

2.5 British Naval GunFire

The Royal Navy can bombard Leros.On each 1200 turn the British player canindicate two hexes for bombardment.Secretly note these hexes. Execute the attackduring the following 2400 turn. Roll onedie on that turn. On a 1 or 2, the attack iscanceled, otherwise the attack proceeds.Conduct each attack as a 100mm Battalionartillery fire mission. Use the 4-6 hexAdjustment Table row, but no actual spotteris needed. The Royal Navy cannot fireIllum or Smoke; they can only fire HE.

Solitaire Play Note: The above rule mightcause solitaire players a few problems, sothose who actually want to be able to firethese missions should jot down five potentialtarget hexes on separate scraps of paperduring the 1200 turn and pull two of themrandomly on the 2400 turn before rollingthe cancellation die. Then proceed as abovewith the randomly chosen target hexes.

2.6 3-inch MortarsWhile not technically the 80mm or

larger called for in the series rules, British3-inch Mortars can fire Smoke and Illum.2-inch mortars cannot do so.

2.7 Historical vs. FreeSet Up

Normally, scenario 1 is played witha free set up for the British. Players can alsouse the historical set up. The free set upallows the British at-start forces to set up asdesired with the Op Sheets of their choice.Planned properly, the free set up can turnwhat might have been a confusing andfrustrating first day of the battle into adelicious rat fight.

Shift the final victory one level in thefavor of the British if the historical set up isused.

Leros TCS #8

3.0 GermanSpecial Rules3.1 German Commandand Control

3.1a German Commander’s Intent.The German commander must take Leros.

3.1b Available Op Sheets. TheGerman player can have no more than 8Implemented Op Sheets at any one time.In one-map scenarios, the German playercan have up to three Implemented OpSheets at any one time.

3.1c Command Prep Rating. TheGerman Command Prep rating is 3.

3.2 German ArtilleryStatus

3.2a Availability. The Germans havetwo batteries of 105mm artillery (3-Artyand 4-Arty). These batteries cannot fireuntil they land on the island.

3.2b Artillery Ammunition Levels. TheGermans have no artillery ammunition atthe beginning of any scenario. As each gunlands on Leros, increase the current Ammopool by 8 HE, 2 Smoke and 1 Illum rounds.

3.3 German Air Sorties3.3a Aircraft Types and

Characteristics. There are three types ofGerman aircraft: Me-109, Stuka, and Ju-88. See the back of each Sortie’s counterfor its attack ratings.

3.3b Availability. Roll for the numberof Sorties during each Command Phase ofNormal Weather DAYLIGHT turns. Rollone die on the German Sortie AvailabilityTable.

Design Note: During the Battle of Leros,the Germans possessed complete airsuperiority and had superb coordinationbetween the Luftwaffe and the groundforces. Reports vary, but on some days, theLuftwaffe flew over 500 sorties. Mostanalyses cite this factor as being the key tothe success of the German invasion.

3.4 Battalion/Regimental Assets

Companies 4, 8, and 12 are theweapons companies for their respectiveinfantry battalions. 13 and 14 companiesare the Regimental weapons companies.

3.5 Army Group EReserves (Campaignscenarios only.)

Starting on 1800 November 12, theGerman player can request the release ofthe Brandenburg Division’s troops. Oncethe request is made, roll one die each hourturn. On a 6, the first reserve group isreleased and added to the German off-island forces. (The Para Co appears in theAthens Box; the rest appear in the KosBox.)

After a release, further Reservescannot be requested until 24 hours havepassed since the last release. For example,say the German player requestsreinforcements on turn 1800 Nov 12 and a6 is rolled. The Para Co and 9-III-Brg arereleased. The next time that the Germanplayer can request reinforcements wouldbe 1800 Nov 13.

The release order is:1) Para Co and 9-III-Brg2) 10, 11-III-Brg3) 5, 6, 7-II-Brg

When the second group (10, 11-III-Brg) is committed, the German player mustforce a British surrender in 72 hours or less.When the II-Brg is committed, the Germansmust force a British surrender within 24hours. In either case, the Germans lose thegame if they fail to force a surrender intime.

Play Note: In scenarios where some of theGroup E Reserves have been released, theplayer can roll for future releases beginningon the first turn of the scenario (providedSea and Air Movement is in effect). In thosescenarios, when played as campaigns,ignore the surrender time requirementsabove—they only apply to Scenario 1 whenplayed as a campaign.

Design Note: The 1st BrandenburgRegiment was part of Army Group E’sreserves at the start of the landings atLeros. The German high command waswilling to commit two of these battalions tothe battle if results would be attained.Historically, only one of these battalions(III-Brg) and the Parachute company wereused.

3.6 ParachuteAssaults

There are two parachute assaultcapable formations—the I-FJ Battalion andthe Brandenburg Paratroop company (ParaCo). All units in these formations mayconduct Parachute Assaults, which canoccur anytime during the day or night. AllAir Movement ends in either a ParachuteAssault or an Abort. No Op Sheet is neededto initiate an Air Drop sequence.

3.6a Direction of Drift. The Germanplayer must select his “Direction of Drift”

before each drop. Do this byplacing the Direction of Driftmarker in the Scatter Diagramfacing as desired. TheDirection of Drift can be

changed just before beginning any turn inwhich drops are to occur, but the sameDirection of Drift must apply to all dropsoccurring in a single game turn.

3.6b Air Movement Track. Only unitson the Air Movement Track can conductAir Movement. Once a stack has its DropZone Hex assigned and recorded (seebelow) in the Athens Box, it can eitherenter the first Box of the Air MovementTrack or remain in the Box. Once theybegin movement along the track, they mustadvance one box per turn (three at night)along that track until the stack either abortsor enters the Leros Parachute AssaultExecution Box. If the stack enters the LerosParachute Assault Execution Box, executethe drop. In the same phase as the drop,place all empty Ju-52’s into the first box ofthe Athens Return Leg track to begin thereturn flight.

3.6c Parachute Assault Planning.Parachute Assault Preparations beginduring any German Action Phase. For eachDrop Zone (company or battalion asdesired), record any hex. No units smaller

than a company can beassigned its own independentDrop Zone hex. Once assigned,the Drop Zone hex cannot bechanged—unless the mission

aborts and the stack returns to Athens. Ju-52’s and their loads which re-enter theAthens Box can be freely rearranged andsent out again with new Drop Zone hexes,etc. as early as the next turn after theyreturn.

3.6d Flights. All Air Transportationdivides units into “Flights”. In ParachuteAssaults, a Flight can be one or two units.Each single counter, regardless of step sizeor type, counts as a unit for this purpose.Assign each Flight to a Ju-52. Write downthe Drop Zone hex number and the Ju-52

DIRECTIONOF DRIFT

DIRECTIONOF DRIFT

DROPZONEDROPZONE

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Example: Parachute Assault Scatter Sequence

First, the Drop Zone Marker for this DZ is scatteredas shown from the plotted drop zone hex. The Germanplayer rolled a 3 for direction and a 4 for distance(remember, the distance is divided by 2 to get twohexes)—this scattered the DZ Marker as shown here.

Next, the troops assigned to this DZ are divided intothe flights shown below.

The German player then places out the flights oneat a time with the die rolls shown.

The diagram at the bottom is the end positions ofall the flights landing in this group.

A

Distance Roll Scatter Roll

5 3

B 6 4

C 3 1

D 1 4

E 1 1

F 6 6

DROPZONEDROPZONE

DROPZONEDROPZONE

A

B

C

D

E

F

12

34

5

6

DIRE

CTIO

N

OF D

RIFT

DIRE

CTIO

N

OF D

RIFT Scatter Diagram and Direction of

Drift applicable to this drop turn.

DROPZONEDROPZONE

Leros TCS #8

ID number on scratch paper. A Ju-52 withan assigned load must remain as a stack andcannot be broken apart until either theParachute Assault occurs OR the stack re-enters the Athens Box.

3.6e Parachute Assault. ExecuteParachute Assaults in the same phase aseach stack enters the Leros ParachuteAssault Execution Box. Follow thesequence below for each set of Ju-52’sassigned to a Drop Zone Hex separately.Make any Parachute Assault Landings asthe very last action in the German ActionPhase.

For each Drop Zone Hex (Company orBattalion) follow the routine below.

1) Place the Drop Zone Marker in theplotted Target (or Drop Zone) Hex.

2) Scatter the Drop Zone Marker byrolling one die for direction (according tothe Scatter Diagram) and another fordistance (DIVIDE the distance roll by 2and round down). If the Drop Zone Markershifts out to sea, move it to the last land hexavailable along the direction of scatter.

3) Place the Drop Zone Marker in theresultant hex.

Then, for each Flight assigned to the DropZone, do the following:

A) Roll one die and subtract 2.Displace the Flight along the Direction ofDrift that number of hexes (a negativenumber would displace directly oppositethe Direction of Drift).

B) From that Drift Hex, roll one die.Place the Flight in the hex adjacent to theDrift Hex determined in Step A in thedirection of this roll using the directionfrom the Scatter Diagram. Each Flight mustland as a stack.

C) Apply any automatic lossesinflicted by the Parachute Loss Table, basedon the range from each flight to the nearestBritish unit (of any type). British unitsfurther than three hexes away do not matter(even AA guns). LOS has no effect. Theselosses are inflicted on each unit of eachFlight separately and these losses do notrequire Morale Checks or additions toBattalion Morale.

D) Repeat A), B), and C) for allFlights using this Drop Zone.

3.6f Landing Atop to the Enemy. Anyunit which lands on top of a British unit (ofany type) is automatically destroyed.Italian Coastal Gun positions do not countfor this rule. Parachute Assaults do notgenerate Overwatch Triggers.

3.6g Overstacking on Landing.German units can overstack without penaltyin the Action Phase of their drop. Suchoverstacked units must split up by the endof the next German Action Phase. If stilloverstacked, then kill off the excess steps.

3.6h Landing in the Ocean. Germanunits which drift out into all-sea hexeswhile executing their Parachute Assaultscatter are destroyed. Their fate does notgenerate additions to Battalion Morale.

3.6i Post Landing. Units making aParachute Assault landing must be placedinto Move Mode and cannot move, fire, orchange Mode in the phase they land.EXCEPTION: If these units are involvedin Assault Combat, infantry can fire witha strength of 1; all other unit types areautomatically eliminated. The next friendlyAction Phase after such units land, theyfunction normally.

Units entering play via ParachuteAssaults can function as desired withoutany sort of Op Sheet up until the firstNIGHT TURN of the day they drop (or thefirst DAY TURN if they drop at night).After that point, they must have normal OpSheets. During their “no Op Sheet” period,these units can fire SFAs. No ParachuteAssaulting unit can accrue Weighted Turnsbefore it actually arrives on Leros.

3.6j Aborts & Returns. The Germanplayer can call off (abort) a ParachuteAssault at any time before a loaded Ju-52enters the Leros Parachute AssaultExecution Box. Also, changes in theWeather can force an Abort. When anAbort occurs, simply move the stack acrossthe Air Movement Track to the AthensReturn Leg Box corresponding to its currentposition and execute normal Air MovementTrack movement back to Athens. AbortedParachute Assaults must return all theway—even if the Weather later returns tonormal.

Ju-52’s which return to Athens canhave their Drop Zone Hex changed and besent out again on any later turn allowing airmovement.

Important: Units doing an Air Movementnever abort for weather until they reach thefirst outward movement box opposite areturning movement box. (The time spentmoving through those first three boxes ison-the-ground preparations.) Playerswanting to self-abort a mission in thosefirst three boxes can do so and the loadedJu-52’s return directly to the Athens Box.

Design Note: Historically, the Germansaborted their initial landing when the planeswere three minutes from the drop zone,because of the dismal initial landings bythe seaborne forces. They returned andlanded later that same day.

3.6h Flight of the Valkyries. (Optional)Players are highly encouraged to listen toWagner’s Flight of the Valkyries whenconducting these Parachute Assaultfunctions. Humming is acceptable.

4.0 MinorVariants

The following are non-historicaloptions which the players can use.

4.1 Increased RAFSupport

This variant allows for British aircraftto appear over the island and decreasesGerman air support slightly. When thisoption is used, use the rules for Britishaircraft (2.3) and the modifier on the GermanSortie Availability Table.

There is no cost for this option.

4.2 British All-OutEffort

In this variant, the off-islandreinforcements that were brought to Lerosare committed initially. All elements of theRoyal West Kent battalion (Kents) areavailable on the island and are set up freely.Also apply the extra RAF effort in 4.1.

If used, shift the victory conditionsone level in favor of the Germans.

4.3 HMS EclipseSurvives

While in transit to Leros weeks beforethe battle, the HMS Eclipse struck a mine.Within five minutes, the ship sunk, takingnot only it’s crew, but most of the membersof the A company of the 4th Buffs. Had thisnot occurred, the British garrison wouldhave been stronger.

This option is available only forScenario 1. When playing with this option,the British player deploys A company, 4thBuffs on the map. The Set up area for the A-Buffs is within five hexes of any coastalhex on map A.

There is no cost for this option.

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4.4 The Italians FightLeros had an garrison of over 5,000

Italian soldiers. The Italians showed nodesire to help the British and the Britishreturned the favor—but Italy hadsurrendered to the Allies and they couldhave assisted the British.

This option is available only inScenario 1. Deploy the I-10 battalion. Upto one company of infantry and all of theMG sections may be deployed within threehexes of any coastal artillery positions. Theremainder of the force must set up inPortolago and/or St. Giorgio.

If used, shift the victory conditionsone level in favor of the Germans.

4.5 The Greeks FightA company of Greek commandos

were available to the British to reinforceLeros. Historically they were not used. Inthis variant, add the Greek “SacredSquadron” (“Sac Sqd” to avoid callingthem the “SS”...) to the Samos Box at start.

There is no shift in victory conditionsfor this option.

4.6 Lt. Col. FrenchTakes Command

The Royal Irish Fusiliers occupiedLeros several weeks before the rest of 234Brigade arrived. It’s commander, Lt. Col.Frost, was a capable and experiencedcombat commander who knew the islandand how to defend it. When the rest of theBrigade came to Leros, they brought withthem their inexperienced commander.

When using this option, the Britishcommand prep rating is 4. The number ofImplemented Op Sheets available isincreased to 12 (4 in one-map scenarios).The battalion staff modifier can be used.

When using this option, shift thevictory conditions one in favor of theGermans.

4.7 Rat PatrolThe British forces on Leros suffered

from an extreme lack of transportation.Even the LRDG unit on the island waswithout its traditional vehicles. This optionallows you to give them their jeep-likeRover vehicles.

Allow the LRDG units to have aMove Mode Movement Allowance of 15(Vehicle MPs). Overruns with these unitsare OK.

There is no shift in victory conditionsfor this option.

5.0 ScenarioNotes5.1 Set up Notes

5.1a Set up order. The Germansalways set up and write out their Op Sheetsfirst, the British second. British units cannotbe set up adjacent to a German unit—unless the British unit sets up in a Buildingor Village hex.

5.1b Losses at start. Losses arespecified in a number of steps for theaffected units. Spread the losses among theunits in an organization as desired and theycan be taken from any unit type in theorganization.

5.1c Morale. Initial Battalion Moraleis always 0 for all units.

5.1d Historical Set up. In eachscenario, historical Set Up Areas exist foreach Company (loosely defined to alsoinclude artillery batteries) and Battalion. ACompany unit must set up in its Companyarea. Battalion assets can set up in eithertheir battalion area and/or with any companyof their battalion.

“Any” means the unit can set up inany of the designated Set Up Areas.

“Free” means the unit can set up inany hex on the island not adjacent to theenemy and for which a path can be tracedfree of enemy units (and not adjacent tothem) from that unit to a friendly unit thathas a set up restriction.

5.1e Non-historical Set Up. Whenusing non-historical options, units are freeto set up anywhere within any of the areasdefined in the historical Set Up.

5.1f Destroyed Companies. If a givencompany (except the Army Group EReserves) does not appear in the Set Up orin the Holding Boxes, the unit has beendestroyed and is unavailable.

5.1g Pre-Loaded Sea and AirMovement Tracks at Start. Some scenariosindicate Set Ups for units already on the Airand Sea Movement Tracks. Players caneither use these locations or can use anybox further away from Leros. In eithercase, they can use the historical destinationsor not.

5.1h Implemented Op Sheets. Allscenarios begin with implemented OpSheets. Historical orders (if given) can beturned (as is) into implemented Op Sheetsbefore the game begins—or the player cangive himself his own implemented OpSheets.

5.2 Victory Conditions5.2a Scenarios. Determine victory

after the last turn of each scenario.A feature is “captured” if a player

either occupies or was the last to passthrough its hex. A multi-hex village is“captured” only if the player was the last tooccupy each of its contiguous hexes.

5.2b Campaign Games. Each of thescenarios using all three maps can also bethe starting point for a campaign game. Thevictory conditions for the campaign gameare simple: force the enemy to surrenderthe island or, for the British, hold out untilthe end of Nov 17. The levels of victory aredependent on the number of step lossestaken by the winner and are as follows:

Pyrrhic victory: over 150 steps lostMinor victory: 101-150 steps lostMajor victory: 50-100 steps lostStrategic victory: less than 50 steps

lost

Count the total step losses taken bythe side—including those units alreadydestroyed at the scenario’s start.

Scenario 1—TheCurtain Rises

On November 12, 1943, the Germansbegan an operation to capture the British-held island of Leros. The initial attackswere a fiasco. Only the landings at Mt.Appetici and Grifo Bay were successful.The Gurna Bay force was driven off and thelanding at Palma Bay was destroyed byBritish attack. The entire assault could haveeasily been repulsed had the British reactedquicker. By the end of the morning, theGermans were firmly ashore.

Start: 0640 Nov 12 (see alternate start)End: 1240 Nov 12 (19 turns)Map Area: AllFirst Player: German

Alternate Start Time:General Müller wanted to make his

assault landings at night, wipe out the coastalguns, and execute reinforcing landingsduring the day. Due to delays, this did nothappen.

Optionally, the German player canselect the starting time for the scenario(0100 Nov 12 being the earliest). The Britishplayer can do nothing at all until theGermans land by either sea or air. Shift thelevel of victory one in favor of the Britishif this option is used.

Leros TCS #8

Special Rules (Apply Before the BritishPlayer Sets Up):

1) To readjust the German LandingZones, move the Loaded Boats to the boxfacing the desired Landing Zone. Plot thechosen Landing Zone(s). Regardless of thereplotting done, German units scheduled toset up for a landing must be placed in thebox opposite their Landing Zone (so thatthe invasion goes off, as planned, on thefirst turn).

2) Pick all Drop Zone hexes.

German Information:Set up:Each of the following set up in Box A alongthe German Sea Movement Track to land atthe Landing Zones listed (unless the landingZones are changed before play). Historicallanding areas are listed for your use ifdesired and can be changed freely.

Landing Zone 35-II-65 (at Palma Bay)9-III-440, 10-III-440, 11-III-440 (at PalmaBay)5-II-Luft, 6-II-Luft, 7-II-Luft (at Mt.Vedetta)MFP #1-4, I-Boat #1-4

Landing Zone 46-II-65, 7-II-65 (at Grifo Bay)2-Pio (at Grifo Bay)Barge #1-5

Landing Zone 5Küst Co (at Mt. Appetici)MFP #5

Landing Zone 135-II-16, 6-II-16, 7-II-16 (at Gurna Bay)Barge #6-9

Place the following in Box B on the GermanAir Movement Track. Select actual DropZone hexes before play. (The historical oneis given for your use if desired.) Rememberthat a company cannot be given more thanone Drop Zone Hex.

I-FJ (Less 4-I-FJ) (LZ hex B34.25)Ju-52 #1-6

Artillery: none

Ammunition: none

Kos Box: Barge #10, 3-Arty, 4-Arty, 3-Flak, 8-II-16, 13-16, 14-16, 8-II-65, 13-65,14-65, 12-III-440, 8-II-Luft

Athens Box: 4-I-FJ

Historical Orders:Secure high ground overlooking the beachlanding zones. Select any hill feature at orwithin 13 hexes of a coastal hex of theselected Landing Zone.

British Information:Set up:Set up the following units anywhere onthe island with the implemented OpSheets of their choice:Kings Bn (all), Irish Bn (all), Buffs Bn (lessA-Buffs), B-Kents (all), SBS, LRDG, LgtAA, MG Bn, AT Bn, 9 FA

Artillery: 9 FA

Ammunition: 15 HE, 0 Smoke (if startingthe campaign, then 60 HE, 3 Smoke)

Coastal Guns: all active

Samos Box: 2x M-Sweep, 1x Sub, Kents(Less B-Kents)

OR, the player can use the followingHistorical Set Up and orders:A-Kings: w/i 6 C39.30B-Kings: w/i 6 C36.14C-Kings: w/i 2 B40.19D-Kings: w/i 4 B42.06Kings Bn units: in any of the above Kingssectors.A-Irish: w/i 3 B40.25B-Irish: w/i 3 B35.13C-Irish: w/i 3 B40.13D-Irish: w/i 5 B27.29Irish Bn units: in any of the above IrishsectorsB-Buffs: w/i 5 A29.14C-Buffs: w/i 3 A34.03D-Buffs: w/i 4 A40.17Buffs Bn Area: w/i 4 A28.07Buffs Bn units: in any of the above BuffssectorsB-Kents: w/i 3 B45.17SBS, LRDG, Lgt AA, MG Bn, AT Bn, 9FA: Any (see 5.1d)

Artillery: 9 FA

Ammunition: 60 HE, 3 Smoke

Coastal Guns: all active

Samos Box: 2x M-Sweep, 1x Sub, Kents(Less B-Kents)

Historical Orders:Prepared Defense: A-Kings, B-Kings, D-Kings, A-Irish, B-Irish, D-Irish, B-Buffs,D-Buffs, Lgt AA, AT Bn

Reserve (can be dug in): C-Kings, KingsBn units,C-Buffs, Buffs Bn units, C-Irish, Irish Bnunits, B-Kents, 9 FA, MG Bn

No orders: SBS, LRDG

Victory:British Major —The Germans suffer

at least 40 steps of losses and none of thefollowing features are captured by theGermans:

Any coastal artillery positionMt. Meraviglia (B43.15)Mt. Appetici (B55.12)Leros (B47.16)Portolago (B35.04)

British Minor —Prevent theGermans from capturing any of the featuresabove.

Draw—The Germans occupy onlyone of the features above excluding anycoastal artillery.

German Minor —The Germanscapture two of the features above. Drawtakes precedence if the Germans captureone coastal artillery position and anotherfeature.

German Major —The Germanscapture three of the features above.

German Massive—The Germanscapture four or more of the features above.

The Gamers, Inc.

Mt. Liana

SerocampoBay

Mt. Gortoro

Mt. Eurcona

St. Giorgio

Portolago Bay

Portolago

Mt. Palella

Mt. Appetici

CastleLeros

Leros

Pandeli Bay

Mt. Vigla

Rachi Ridge

Gurna Bay

Germano

Quaranta

Aldina Bay

Clidi Ridge

Blefuti BayParteni Bay

Palma Bay

Mt. Vedetta

LerosOP SHEET

Time:

Type:

Size:

TaskOrganization:

Written Notes:

FailureInstructions:

©1995. The Gamers Inc. All Rights Reserved. OK to Photocopy for private use.

The Gamers, Inc.

Page 25

Scenario 2—Drop-Zone Leros

The landings of I-FJ were to occur atdawn. When the air armada was threeminutes from the drop zone, word reachedthem to abort the landings. The confusedsituation at the landing beaches made theGermans hesitant.

During the course of the morning,the situation on the island stabilized withthe success of the landings at Grifo Bay andMt. Appetici. The Fallschirmjägers re-embarked for the island.

In the end, the landings met withsevere losses and the paratroops were at thecrest of the storm of counter-attackingBritish forces. However, their landing andsubsequent defense secured the Germanvictory.

Start: 1400 Nov 12End: 1700 Nov 12 (10 turns)Map Area: Map B (only)First Player: German

Special Rules:1) The German player must select

LZ hexes before the British player sets up.2) Do not roll for Weather from

1400-1500. The Weather is Normal onthose turns.

3) There is no Sea Movement in thisscenario.

German Information:Set up:1-I-FJ, 2-I-FJ, 3-I-FJ, 6x Ju-52: AirMovement Track Box B (select LZ hexesbefore play, historical drop was at B34.25)Küst Co (Less 3 Steps): w/i 2 B59.12

Artillery: none

Ammunition: none

Kos Box: not applicable

Athens Box: none

Historical Orders:Attack Rachi Ridge and Germano: I-FJAttack Mt. Appetici: Küst Co

British Information:Set up:D-Kings, Kings Bn units: w/i 4 B42.06A-Irish: w/i 3 B40.25B-Irish: w/i 3 B35.13C-Irish (Less 2 Steps): w/i 4 B53.13D-Irish: w/i 5 B27.29Irish Bn Area: w/i 3 B40.13Irish Bn units: in any of the above IrishsectorsSBS, LRDG, B-Kents: w/i 2 B45.17Lgt AA (4 guns in play): Any (see 5.1d)MG Bn (5 MGs in play): Any (see 5.1d)AT Bn (Three guns in play), 9 FA (Threeguns in play): Any (see 5.1d)

Artillery: 9 FA


Coastal Guns: not applicable

Samos Box: not applicable

Historical Orders:Same as scenario 1.

Victory:British Massive—The British hold

all of the following:Mt. Appetici (B55.12)Rachi Ridge (B36.21)Mt. Meraviglia (B43.15)Quaranta (B39.30)Castle Leros (B51.17)

British Major —Four of the BritishMassive victory conditions occur.

British Minor —Three of the BritishMassive victory conditions occur.

German Minor—Two of the BritishMassive victory conditions occur.

German Major—One of the BritishMassive victory conditions occurs.

German Massive—None of theBritish Massive victory conditions occurs.

Scenario 3—NightMelee

After the build-up on the 13th, theGermans launched an attack in the earlymorning hours of the 14th along the RachiRidge toward Mt. Meraviglia.Simultaneously, the British started an attackagainst the Küstenjäger Company on Mt.Appetici. The wild melee that ensuedbrought both sides close to disaster. In theend little changed—other than a reductionin the number of live soldiers on Leros.

Start: 0200 Nov 14End: 0500 Nov 14 (4 turns)Map Area: Map B onlyFirst Player: Choose by Die roll

Special Rules:There is no Sea or Air Movement in

this scenario.

German Information:Set up:6-II-65 (Less 7 Steps), 7-II-65 (Less 5Steps), 8-II-65 (Less 120mm Mortars):w/i 5 B42.309-III-440 (Less 3 Steps), 12-III-440 (Less120mm Mortars, 1 Mortar & 1 MG StepLost): w/i 3 B58.11I-FJ (Less 15 Steps, 1 Mortar Step & 1MG Step), Para Co (Less 4 Steps), KüstCo (Less 3 Steps), 2-Pio (Less 5 Steps):w/i 5 B35.24

Artillery: none

Ammunition: none

Kos Box: not Applicable

Athens Box: not Applicable

Historical Orders:Hasty Defense: 9-III-440, 12-III-440Prepared Defense: Küst CoAttack Mt. Meraviglia: I-FJ, Para Co, 2-Pio, II-65

Leros TCS #8

Page 26

British Information:Set up:A-Kings (Less 2 Steps): w/i 3 B46.11C-Kings: w/i 3 B34.10D-Kings (Less 2 Steps): w/i 3 B46.11Kings Bn Area: w/i 3 B42.06Kings Bn units: in any of the above KingssectorsB-Irish: w/i 3 B35.13One Platoon C-Irish (Less 1 Step): B51.17C-Irish (remainder, Less 3 Steps): w/i 3B40.13Irish Bn units (Less 3 Inf & 2 MG Steps):in any of the above Irish sectorsA-Kents, Kents Bn units: w/i 5 B35.03B-Kents: w/i 3 B45.17Lgt AA (6 guns in play), MG Bn (9 MGsin play), AT Bn (4 in play), 9 FA (ThreeGuns in play): Any (see 5.1d)

Artillery: 9 FA


Coastal Guns: not applicable

Samos Box: not applicable

Historical Orders:Attack Mt. Appetici: A-Kings, D-Kings,Kings Bn unitsHasty Defense: C-Kings, B-Irish, C-Irish,B-Kents, Irish Bn units, Lgt AA, MG Bn,AT Bn, 9 FAMove to Mt Meraviglia: A-Kents, KentsBn units

Victory Conditions:British Major —The British hold

the following features:Mt. Meraviglia (B43.15)Mt. Appetici (B55.12)Rachi Ridge (B36.21)Leros (B47.16)Castle Leros (B51.17)

British Minor —British hold four ofthe features above

Draw—British hold three of thefeatures above

German Minor —British hold twoof the features above

German Major—British hold oneof the features above

German Massive—British holdnone of the features above

Scenario 4—TheBig Show

The morning of the 14th saw theGermans advancing on Mt. Meraviglia.They hit strong resistance just as the Britishforces attacked along the line from Clidi toGermano. These strong British attacks madegood progress. By the end of the day, thefront had stabilized but the Germanbeachheads were reduced.

Start: 0600 Nov 14End: 1740 Nov 14 (36 turns)Map Area: AllFirst Player: German

German Information:Set up:II-16 (Less 15 Steps and 120mmMortars): w/i 3 B34.30 and/or B31.27II-65 (Less 21 Steps and 120mmMortars): w/i 2 B38.25 and/or B41.229-III-440 (Less 3 Steps), 12-III-440 (Less120mm Mortars, 1x MG Step & 1xMortar Step): w/i 4 B59.13I-FJ (Less 21 Steps, 1 Mortar Step & 3MG Steps), Para Co (Less 6 Steps), 2-Pio(Less 7 Steps): w/i 2 B34.21, B36.23 and/or B37.20Küst Co (Less 3 Steps): w/i 4 B59.13II-Luft (Less 9 Steps and 120mmMortars): w/i 4 A52.06, A47.04 and/orB42.34

Artillery: noneAmmunition: none

Kos Box: 3x MFP, 2x I-Boats, 9x Barges,3-Arty, 4-Arty, 3-Flak, 13-16, 14-16, 13-65, 14-65, 10-III-440 (3 Steps Lost), 11-III-440 (3 Steps Lost), III-Brg (all), All120mm Mortars

Athens Box: 6x Ju-52

Historical Orders:Hasty Defense: II-16, Küst Co, 9-III-440,12-III-440, II-LuftAttack south along the road to Leros: II-65Attack Mt. Meraviglia: I-FJ, Para Co, 2-Pio

British Information:Set up:A-Kings (Less 5 Steps), D-Kings (Less 5Steps): w/i 3 B50.11B-Kings: w/i 5 C36.14C-Kings (Less 4 Steps): w/i 3 B34.10Kings Bn Area: w/i 4 B42.06Kings Bn units: in any of the above KingssectorsB-Irish (Less 1 Step): w/i 3 B35.13One Platoon C-Irish (Less 1 Step): B51.17C-Irish (remainder, Less 5 Steps): w/i 3B40.13D-Irish (Less 9 Steps): w/i 2 B26.35Irish Bn Area: w/i 3 B40.10Irish Bn units (Less 3 Steps, 2 MG Steps):in any of the above Irish sectorsB-Buffs: w/i 3 A36.13C-Buffs (Less 5 Steps): w/i 3 A31.05D-Buffs (Less 3 Steps): w/i 3 A40.15Buffs Bn Area: w/i 3 A27.10Buffs Bn units (Less 3 Steps, 2 MG Steps):in any of the above Buffs sectorsA-Kents: w/i 4 B42.06B-Kents (Less 3 Steps): w/i 3 B45.17Kents Bn units: in any of the above KentssectorsSBS, LRDG: Free (see 5.1d)Lgt AA (4 guns in play), MG Bn (8 MGsin play), 9 FA (2 Guns in play): Any (see5.1d)

Artillery: 9 FA

Ammunition : 20 HE, 2 Smoke

Coastal Guns: all but G, H, M

Samos Box: 2x M-Sweep, 1x Sub, C-Kents, D-Kents

Historical Orders:Unassigned: A-Kings, C-Kings, D-Kings,A-Kents, C-Kents, D-KentsHasty Defense: B-Irish, B-Kents, KingsBn units, Kents Bn units, Irish Bn units,Buffs Bn units, 9 FA, Lgt AA, MG BnPrepared Defense: B-Kings, C-Irish, D-IrishAttack Clidi Ridge: B-BuffsAttack down road to Leros: C-BuffsAttack Germano: D-BuffsPreparing to Attack Rachi Ridge (28Weighted Turns): B-Irish, C-Irish, B-Kents

The Gamers, Inc.

Page 27

Victory Conditions:British Massive—The British hold

all of the following features:Mt. Vedetta (A54.06)Point 320—Clidi Ridge (A45.05)S. Quirico (A34.03)Rachi Ridge (B36.21)Mt. Meraviglia (B43.15)Mt. Appetici (B55.12)

British Major —The British holdfive of the features above.

British Minor —The British holdfour of the features above.

Draw—The British hold three of thefeatures above.

German Minor—The British holdtwo of the features above.

German Major—The British holdone of the features above.

German Massive—The British holdnone of the features above.

Scenario 5—TheCurtain Falls

By the morning of the 16th, theGermans were ready to launch their attackon Mt. Meraviglia. The fresh forces of theIII-Brg spearheaded the drive. By the endof the day, the British had surrendered.

Start: 0400 Nov 16End: 1740 Nov 16 (38 turns)Map Area: AllFirst Player: German

Special Rules:To readjust the German Landing

Zones, move the Loaded Boats to the boxfacing the desired Landing Zone. Plot thechosen Landing Zone(s) before play begins.

German Information:Set up:II-16 (Less 20 Steps, 1 Mortar Step, 2MG Steps, and all 120mm Mortars): w/i 3 B41.23 and/or B34.22II-65 (Less 21 Steps, 1 Mortar Step, 2MG Steps and all 120mm Mortars): w/i3 B48.18 and/or B45.21III-440 (Less 11 Steps, 2 Mortar Steps, 2MG Steps and all 120mm Mortars), KüstCo (Less 4 Steps): w/i 6 B54.13I-FJ (Less 21 Steps, 2 Mortar Steps & 3MG Steps), Para Co (Less 6 Steps): w/i 3B33.26 and/or B38.28III-Brg, 2-Pio (Less 7 Steps): w/i 6 B54.13II-Luft (Less 23 Steps): w/i 4 B54.34

German Sea Movement Track Box C forhistorical Landing at Landing Zone 6:MFP #1-3, I-Boat #1-2, 3-Flak, 13-16,14-16, 3-Arty

Artillery: none

Ammunition: none

Kos Box: 9x Barges, 4-Arty, 13-65, 14-65,All 120mm Mortars

Athens Box: 6x Ju-52

Historical Orders:Attack Meraviglia: III-440, Küst Co, III-Brg, II-65, II-16, 2-PioHasty Defense: I-FJ, Para Co, II-LuftLand and move to Leros: 3-Flak, 13-16,14-16, 3-Arty

British Information:Set up:A-Kings (Less 9 Steps): w/i 4 B42.12B-Kings: w/i 5 C36.14C-Kings (Less 8 Steps): w/i 3 B45.08D-Kings (Less 9 Steps): w/i 4 B42.14Kings Bn units (Less 5 Steps, 4 MGSteps, & 3 Mortar Steps): in any of theabove Kings sectorsB-Irish (Less 1 Step), D-Irish (Less 9Steps): w/i 3 B22.34C-Irish (Less 11 Steps): w/i 3 B38.12Irish Bn Area: w/i 3 B42.13Irish Bn units (Less 3 Steps, 4 MG Steps& 2 Mortar Step): in any of the aboveIrish sectorsB-Buffs (Less 5 Steps): w/i 4 A49.11C-Buffs (Less 8 Steps): w/i 4 A34.07D-Buffs (Less 6 Steps): w/i 4 B27.34Buffs Bn Area: w/i 4 A27.10Buffs Bn units (Less 6 Steps, 4 MG Steps,& 2 Mortar Steps): in any of the aboveBuffs sectorsKents (all, Less 18 Steps, 2 MG Steps, &2 Mortar Steps): w/i 4 B39.15SBS (Less 1 Step), LRDG (Less 1 Step):Any (see 5.1d)

Dead: A-Irish, 9 FA, AT Bn, Lgt AA, MGBn

Artillery: none

Ammunition: none

Coastal Guns: all but G, H, M

Samos Box: 2x M-Sweep, 1x Sub

Historical Orders:Prep Defense: Kings (all), Irish (all), Buffs(all)Hasty Defense: Kents (all)

Victory Conditions:British Massive—The British

control the following features:Mt. Meraviglia (B43.15)Rachi Ridge (B36.21)Germano (B31.27)

British Major —British hold two ofthe features

British Minor —British hold one ofthe features

Draw—British surrender after 1500turn

German Minor —British surrenderon or between turns 1200 and 1500

German Major —British surrenderon or between turns 0900 and 1140

German Massive—Britishsurrender by 0840 turn

Leros TCS #8

Page 28

Order of Battle

British Organization ofForces234th Infantry Brigade2 Royal Irish Fusiliers (Irish)A Company (3x Inf)B Company (3x Inf)C Company (3x Inf)D Company (3x Inf)Bren Platoon (2x Inf, 2x 2” Mortar)AA Platoon (2x MG)Mortar Platoon (3x 3” Mortar)

2 Queen’s Own Royal West Kents (Kents)A Company (3x Inf)B Company (3x Inf)C Company (3x Inf)D Company (3x Inf)Bren Platoon (2x Inf, 2x 2” Mortar)AA Platoon (2x MG)Mortar Platoon (3x 3” Mortar)

1 King’s Own (Kings)A Company (3x Inf)B Company (3x Inf)C Company (3x Inf)D Company (3x Inf)Bren Platoon (2x Inf, 2x 2” Mortar)AA Platoon (2x MG)Mortar Platoon (3x 3” Mortar)

4 Royal East Kent (Buffs)B Company (3x Inf)C Company (3x Inf)D Company (3x Inf)Bren Platoon (2x Inf, 2x 2” Mortar)AA Platoon (2x MG)Mortar Platoon (3x 3” Mortar)

Machine Gun Battalion (partial) (MGBn) (15x MG)

Anti-tank Battalion (partial) (AT Bn)(8x 2 lb. AT Guns)

3rd Light Anti-aircraft Regt. RA (LgtAA) (partial) (12x 40mm Bofors)

9th Regt. Royal Artillery (partial) (9 FA)(4x 18/25 lb or 88mm)

Long Range Desert Group (partial)(LRDG) (3x Inf Sections)

Special Boat Service (partial) (SBS) (3xInf Sections)

Naval Transport UnitsM-Sweep (2x Minesweeper)Sub (1x Submarine)

Organization of GermanForces (KampfgruppeMüller)

22 Air Landing Division (partial)II-16 Infantry (reinforced)5 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)6 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)7 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)8 Company (3x MG, 3x 81mm Mortar, 2x120mm Mortar)13 Company (partial) (2x 75mm IG)14 Company (partial) (2x 50mm AT Guns)

II-65 Infantry (reinforced)5 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)6 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)7 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)8 Company (3x MG, 3x 81mm Mortar, 2x120mm Mortar)13 Company (partial) (2x 75mm IG)14 Company (partial) (2x 50mm AT Guns)

2-Engineer (2-Pio) (3x Inf, 1x MG, 1x81mm Mortar)

3-22 Artillery (3-Arty) (4x 105mmHowitzer)

4-22 Artillery (4-Arty) (4x 105mmHowitzer)

Brandenburg Division (partial)II-1 Brandenburg (II-Brg)5 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)6 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)7 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)

III-1 Brandenburg (III-Brg)9 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)10 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)11 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)

Brandenburg Coastal Raiding Company(Küst Co) (3x Inf, 1x MG)

Brandenburg Parachute Company (ParaCo) (3x Inf, 1x MG)

Other Elements:I-2 Fallschirmjäger Regiment (I-FJ)1 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)2 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)3 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)4 Company (3x MG, 3x 81mm Mortar, 2x105mm Recoilless Rifles)

II-22 Luftwaffe Field Regiment (II-Luft)5 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)6 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)7 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)

8 Company (3x MG, 3x 81mm Mortar, 2x120mm Mortar)

3-22 Flak (3-Flak) (4x 88mm AA, 4xHalftrack mounted AA)

III-440 Infantry Regiment (from theCrete Garrison)9 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)10 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)11 Company (3x Inf, 1x MG)12 Company (3x MG, 3x 81mm Mortar, 2x120mm Mortar)

Naval & Air Transport UnitsMFP Boats (5x Coastal Transports)Barges (10x Pioneer Landing Barges)I-Boats (4x Sea-going Ferries)Ju-52 groups (6x Ju-52 (three aircraft each))

Designer’s NotesFor such an admittedly obscure and

small battle, the documentation for Leroswas very complete. I was able to obtainGeneral Müller’s 40-page after action reportwhich my good friend Jim Harkonnentranslated for me. The other sources notedin the bibliography are very good and Lerosis particularly enjoyable.

Even with this good documentation,there was still quite a bit of discrepancybetween the records and information thatwas available. When conflict arose, I usedmy best judgment to resolve it. Any errorsof commission or omission are solely myown.

Order of Battle: This has to be oneof the most diverse groupings of units tocome together on such a small battlefield inWorld War II. This game has everybodyfrom German airborne commandos toItalian coastal gunners. It was quite a crew.

The various sources had slightlydifferent orders of battle, but I was able tocome up with confirmed sources for thebattle. I am very confident that this OB is asaccurate and complete as can be achieved.

Map: The map source for this projectwas excellent. It is not often a researcherhas as much dumb luck as I had with thebase mapping. The source map is a 1:24,000scale map done originally by the Italians in1934 and updated by the British in 1941.The map had an incredible amount of detail,most of which was superfluous to the game.

I also had the good fortune of havingmy sister-in-law visiting Europe while Iwas doing this project. She graciouslyoffered to go to Leros to take pictures of theareas where the battle was fought. The dayI got the postcard titled “Greetings fromLeros” was very exciting. The photos she

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Page 29

brought back were invaluable for thedevelopment of the game and map.

One area that players will want tonote is that the terrain on Leros is extremelyrugged. If you are picky about LOS, a goodrule of thumb to use with this game is, ifthere is a possible LOS obstruction, it’sblocked.

Developer’sNotes

Dave Friedrichs (known locally as“Fred”) provided a very complete game tome for this project. Normally submissionsare greeted with wholesale changes,corrections, and rebuilding—to the pointwhere the designer no longer can recognizethe final game as his own. This is quitenormal around here and I would ratherbruise a designer’s swollen ego than putout a game in need of further development.Fortunately, Fred provided a prototype ofthe ‘right stuff.’

I polished the sea and air movementsubsystems. Both were rather rough in theirinitial applications. I opted for a moremechanical treatment of both (eliminatingnumerous abstract rules needed to controlthe original system). Originally, I hadintended that boats could be overloaded(with the rather fun rule attached that whena storm came up, the excess would betossed overboard...), but that was eliminatedas unnecessary fluff. Of those rules, onlythe Gilligan’s Island stuff remains—anattempt to lighten the tone in a hobby wheresome are too serious to relax and have fun.

The air drop system was movedwholesale from Hunters from the Sky atthe request of some of the playtesters. Theirthink was that many players would alreadybe familiar with those rules and have anadvantage in not having to learn a newmethod. Others argued that the systemoriginally in Leros was an improvement.All agreed the original Leros drop systemwas way too bloody. The result of all thatdiscussion is what you see here—themodified Hunters system.

I chose to make the free set up optionthe normal method of play for the British.After playing the Brits in their historical setups (and being bored to death by the inabilityto concentrate thereby engendered), Ithought that we long suffering servants ofthe Empire needed a break—and the abilityto fight the battle our own way. If you wantto use the historical positions, go rightahead—but keep the coffee pot filled whileyou while away the time before you get tostrike back.

Player’s NotesLeros is a tough game which requires

ruthless play. The campaign is a battle ofannihilation. One side will completelydefeat the other. You either lead your forcesto victory or your forces are killed andmaimed and the survivors marched off toprison camps.

British Player: Althoughreinforcements are available, the relativestrength between the German player andyourself is never better than it is in the firsttwo days. This is the time when victory willbe most achievable. It is unlikely that theGermans will oblige you by attacking youin your prepared positions until they havethe strength needed to carry the day. It willbe up to you to take the battle to them andforce a German surrender early in the game.

You should attempt is to talk yourGerman opponent into the free set up. Thehistorical set up is woefully inadequate tolaunch coordinated counterattacks. Onedefensive strategy is to concentrate onebattalion on securing a lager betweenPortolago and Gurna Bay, break up anotherbattalion into company hedgehogs (heavilysupported by the AA and AT guns) for thepiers outside the lager and keep the thirdbattalion as a counter-attacking force torepel any Germans attempting to take apier. By doing this, the British will have asecure area to form up from, deny theGermans the all important piers and bestrong enough to launch coordinatedattacks.

Another consideration is to garrisonthe key coastal gun positions with at least atoken force. There is little that is moreembarrassing than having a German MGparatrooper section land on top of yourbattery on Clidi Ridge, driving the gunnersoff before they’ve had a chance to fire.

If playing with the historical set up,the trick is to get your units into battlequickly. Reserves are the key and thebattalion assets give the British companiesa great deal of punch. The Luftwaffe makesday movement hazardous at best. Use thenight to concentrate your forces and attemptto launch that one big attack that will drivea good part of the German force into thesea. If you’ve hurt them badly enough, gofor a surrender call the next day beforereinforcements arrive.

If this doesn’t work, hold fast duringthe day, regroup that night, and hit ‘em hardagain. This will get progressively moredifficult as the days wear on. If you haven’tgotten the Germans to surrender by themorning of the 14th, it probably won’thappen. At that point, set up your defense

and make them pay dearly for their“victory.”

German Player: The German hastwo friends in this game—time and theLuftwaffe. The key for victory in this gamefor the Germans is patience. Allow time foryour forces to accumulate on the island andtime for the Luftwaffe to pound the British.

During the first day, the primary goalis to establish a bridgehead, preferably onewith a pier. When playing the historicalgame, the initial landings will bedisappointing as the Italian guns will eitherinflict heavy losses or force the withdrawalof the landing forces. If the non-historicalgame is played, the German should considerusing the paratroops to take out a keybattery that covers a single landing zone.The Clidi battery is a particularly goodtarget as it provides most of the protectionfor the north end of the island.

Establish a secure beach unobservedby the British (mortars and 25 lb. shellsmake for a warm welcome for yourreinforcements). The German should useall of their shipping as often as possible.The faster the buildup, the better off theGerman position. One importantconsideration for the German is to capturea pier. Getting a pier is critical to getting the120mm mortars, howitzers, 88’s, and AAhalftracks on the island.

The German will likely face severalcounter-attacks. Be ready for them. TheLuftwaffe is a handy tool and should beused to break up attacks before they happen,but this is unreliable. Your best bet is tohold a solid line, use reverse slopes to avoidthe British mortars and artillery and hold areserve to reinforce threatened areas.

HistoricalCommentary

On the morning of November 12,1943, the equivalent of a regiment ofGerman infantry and a battalion ofparatroopers were approaching the Britishheld island of Leros. The landing forceswere scheduled to land at several separatelocations along the coast and the paratroopswere to cut the island in two.

The initial landings were a fiasco.Italian gunners drove off the II-16, whowere to land at Gurna Bay along the westcoast. The III-440 attempted to land atseveral points on the north coast, and werealso driven off. Only the II-65, II-22Luftwaffe and the Küstenjäger companywere able to land.

As the paratroops were flying to theisland, the German commander, Gen.

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Müller, decided that the landings had failedand the paratroops could not be committedto such an uncertain battle. When the flightwas 3 minutes from the drop zone, theyreceived word to abort the landing andreturn to Athens.

One of the few successes for theGerman seaborne force was that of theII-65 landing at Grifo Bay and II-22Luftwaffe landing on the north face of Mt.Vedetta. This force succeeded in landingwith minimal losses and by mid-afternoonhad succeeded in wiping out the Italiancoastal battery on Clidi Ridge.

The other success for the Germanswas the landing of the KüstenjägerCompany at the base of Mt. Appetici. Theinitial landing was made with minimallosses and the Italian position at the summitwas quickly overrun. However, theBrandenburgers were driven back over thesummit by British fire.

The British were able to launchseveral uncoordinated counterattacksagainst the Germans. The most successfulof these took place along the north coast atPalma Bay. 5-II-65 landed west of the bayand was taken under immediate attack byD-Buffs. The British wiped out this smallbeachhead before noon.

During the afternoon, with thestabilizing situation, the I-2Fallschirmjägers were landed on the island.The force landed in the Rachi Ridge area.They quickly wiped out the A-Irish at AlindaBay and drove the D-Irish off Germanowith heavy losses.

By the end of the first day’s fighting,the Germans had established beachheadsat Grifo Bay and at Mt. Appetici and hadcut the island in two by securing the isthmusbetween Gurna and Alinda Bays.

The second day of the battle,November 13, was a day of lostopportunities. The Germans launched veryconservative attacks and the British wereunable to coordinate a major attack.

The Germans attempted to landreinforcements. The II-16 succeeded inlanding at dawn at Grifo Bay but sufferedheavy losses. One of the landing boats hada rudder hit forcing the Germans to swimthe last 200 meters to shore. The III-440attempted to land at Appetici but itsucceeded in landing only part of thebattalion. The Germans also reinforced theparatroopers by landing the weaponscompany and the BrandenburgFallschirmjägers during the early morninghours.

The majority of the fighting tookplace on the face of Clidi Ridge and Mt.

Quirico. By the end of the day, the Germansin the Grifo Bay beachhead had madecontact with the paratroops. Mt. Quiricohad also been captured by the Germans butwas lost to a counterattack by the British.

November 14 was the decisive dayin the battle for Leros. Shortly aftermidnight, five companies (A-Kings,D-Kings, HQ-Kings, C-Irish and D-Irish)were in position to counterattack theGermans at Mt. Appetici. The attack waslead by Lt. Col. French, the much belovedcommander of the Royal Irish Fusiliers.

Just as the attack started, the Germanparatroops and II-65 launched an attack onthe Brigade HQ on Mt. Meraviglia.HQ-Kings and the Irish companies wereredirected to the defense of the BrigadeHQ.

The German attack on Mt. Meravigliawas stopped before dawn. However, theforces taken from Lt. Col. French were leftidle on the mountain. Lt. Col. French wentforward with the remaining two companies.Progress was slow, and by dawn, the forcecrested the summit of Appetici only to bemet by withering fire from the Germans.The British forces broke. Lt. Col. Frenchgathered a few men around him for a laststand on the back slope of the hill. Frenchand his brave little command were killed inthe disaster, but they did allow time fortheir routing comrades to recover.

Shortly after the debacle on Mt.Appetici was concluded, the Britishlaunched a new assault on the Clidi Ridge.The Buffs with their reinforcements fromthe King’s Own attacked along the entirefront from Germano to Mt. Vedetta. TheBritish assault, supported by the remainingartillery and AA guns succeeded in drivingthe German forces on Quirico back towardGrifo Bay. After severe fighting, theGermans were also driven off Germano.

Heavy fighting continued throughoutthe day as the forces centered aroundMeraviglia (Irish and Kents) joined in theassaults on the Germans on Rachi Ridge.By nightfall, the Germans had been hithard. Their line along the Clidi Ridge hadbeen broken. The solid beachhead had beendivided, one group centered around GrifoBay and the other on Rachi Ridge. TheGermans were battered and in some casesisolated, but they still maintained theirstranglehold on the Rachi Ridge.

The fall of night did not bring anypeace with it. Shortly after dark, two Britishdestroyers entered Alinda Bay andbombarded the German positions on RachiRidge and the British positions on Quirico.

The remainder of the night was

relatively quiet. Both sides reinforced theisland. The British were able to land twocompanies of the Kents and the Germansthe remainder of the III-440.

The fourth day of the battle, Feb.15th, would see the beginning of the endfor the British. Exhausted by the action onthe 14th, the British desperately attemptedto attack the German positions. The Buffsalong with parts of the D-Irish and C-Kings,launched early morning attacks on Rachifrom Germano and Quirico. After heavyfighting, the Germans were able to hold.

Early in the afternoon, the Britishmustered their last strength and committedtheir fresh reserves from the Kents for afinal attack on Rachi Ridge from Mt.Meraviglia. These attacks were handilyrepulsed by massive air attacks on theadvancing British forces.

The day closed with the Germanattack on Leros Castle. After severalattempts to take the feature, the Britishdefenders finally succumbed to the assaultof the III-440, supported by waves of Stukas.

By the end of the day’s fight, theBritish were exhausted. The Germansfirmly held all of their positions and hadsucceeded in expanding their hold on thearea northeast of Leros.

The night of 15/16 was an active onefor the Germans. The survivors of the fighton the Rachi Ridge moved out shortly afternightfall. They followed the road to Lerosand by morning had reached positions atthe base of Mt. Appetici. In the meantime,the III-Brandenburg battalion had beenlanded on Mt. Appetici, advanced to thewest, made contact with the forcesadvancing from Rachi Ridge and capturedthe pier on Pandeli Bay. The end was nearfor the British defenders.

By the morning of the 16th, theGermans had succeeded in firmly linkingtheir positions from the Rachi Ridge toPandeli Bay. The British were battered byconstant attacks and the Germans hadlanded a fresh, elite battalion.

The final German attack started atdawn with all of the German forcesavailable. In tough, hand-to-hand fighting,the British positions fell one by one.

Around mid-day, the Buffs aroundS. Quirico attempted to launch an attack torelieve the pressure on Mt. Meraviglia. TheGermans quickly spotted this and smashedthe assembling troops with massive airattacks.

By mid-afternoon, the battle had beendecided. The Germans had overrun theBrigade HQ on Mt. Meraviglia. By dusk,

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the British commander, Gen. Tilney, offeredthe surrender of the island.

The final toll was a heavy one. TheBritish had lost an entire infantry brigade.According to the German sources, they lost1057 killed, wounded and missing, roughly30% of the forces engaged.

AnnotatedBibliographyGefechtsbericht über die Eroberung derDodekanes-Insel Leros, by General Müller.This was the original German after actionreport written by the Kampgruppecommander. It and the associated mapswere invaluable materials for describingthe battle from the German view.

Island Prize: Leros, 1943, by Edward B.W. Johnson, M.C. This book is a briefaccount of the battle concentrating on theactivities of the C company, 2 Royal IrishFusiliers. Mr. Johnson was a platooncommander in C-Irish. This was a goodaccount of the battle and had excellentdiscussion of small unit actions.

“Hard Lesson in the Aegean”, article from“History of the Second World War”magazine, Part 52, pages 1433-1440. Thisis an excellent account of the entirecampaign in the Aegean Sea in the fall of1943. The discussion includes the battle forKos as well as the battle for Leros.

The Aegean Mission: Allied Operationsin the Dodecanese, 1943, by JefferyHolland. This was a good account of thebattle which had very detailed accounts ofthe British movements. It suffers slightlydue to some exaggerations of Germanstrengths which did not exist in the battle.

The Mediterranean and Middle East,Vol.5, by Brig. C.J.C. Molony, pp. 531-559. This is the official British account ofthe battles in the Aegean Sea. It isremarkably accurate, complete and even-handed for an official record.

German Sortie Availability Table

1D6 Roll Sorties0 none1 1x Me1092 2x Me1093 1x Stuka, 2x Me1094 2x Stuka, 2x Me1095 3x Stuka, 3x Me1096 3x Stuka, 2x Ju887 4x Stuka, 4x Ju88

Modifiers:+1 when there are less than 4 Bofors AA guns in action on the island

(Ignore this modifier in one-map scenarios.)

-1 if the minor variant “Increased British Air Support” is being used.

British Sortie Availability Table

1D6 Roll Sorties1 1x Beaufighter2 1x Beaufighter3 2x Beaufighters4 2x Beaufighters5 3x Beaufighters6 4x Beaufighters

Parachute Loss Table

Steps in Units Distance to Nearest British Unit0 1 2 3

5 3 2 1 12 1 1 1 -1 1 or less - - -

Subtract one hex from distance for each of the following conditions:...landing on coastal hex...landing on woods hex...landing on village or Castle hex...landing at Night

...one or more AA gun(s) in range (ignore LOS, use AA Gun’s range)

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Battery Summary

Battery Fire FiresID Hex Type Value Into zonesA A18.31 4x 76mm 3 1, 16B A33.28 2x 37mm 1 1C A09.22 4x 12.7mm 1 15, 16D A39.22 4x 76mm 3 2E A46.18 4x 76mm 3 2, 3F A13.13 4x 76mm 3 13, 14G A45.06 4x 152mm 6 2, 3H B36.21 4x 107mm 4 13I B50.20 2x 76mm 2 4J B41.16 6x 76mm 5 13, 14K B21.16 6x 76mm 5 13, 14L B20.15 6x 76mm 5 13, 14M B56.11 4x 12.7mm 1 5N B13.08 2x 37mm 1 11, 12, 13, 14O B08.03 4x 152mm 6 11, 12, 13, 14P B10.01 6x 76mm 5 11, 12Q B45.01 6x 76mm 5 6, 7R C11.32 3x 76mm 2 10, 11S C37.27 2x 37mm 1 11T C42.23 4x 76mm 3 6, 7U C36.19 3x 76mm 2 9V C23.14 3x 152mm 5 9, 10W C27.14 6x 76mm 5 9, 10X C44.10 3x 152mm 5 8, 9Y C44.09 4x 107mm 4 8, 9Z C43.08 6x 76mm 5 8, 9

Beach Zone Summary

Coast From To Battery MaximumZone Hex Hex Firing into Zone Fire Value at Zone1 A19.34 A36.32 A, B 42 A37.32 A46.21 D, E, G 123 A47.21 A62.05 E, G 94 A63.05 B53.19 I 25 B54.19 B58.09 M 16 B57.09 C50.26 Q, T 87 C50.25 C51.14 Q, T 88 C51.13 C42.02 X, Y, Z 149 C41.02 C30.08 U, V, W, X, Y, Z 2610 C29.09 C15.16 R, V, W 1211 C15.17 B07.03 N, O, P, R, S 1512 B06.03 B09.18 N, O, P 1213 B10.18 B11.34 F, H, J, K, L, N, O 2914 B11.35 A03.16 F, J, K, L, N, O 2515 A02.16 A04.28 C 116 A05.29 A18.34 A, C 4

Coastal Gunfire Table

2D6 Total Fire Value (x1/2 at Night)Roll 1-3 4-5 6-9 10-14 15-20 21+2 - - - - - -3 - - - - - -4 - - - - - -5 - - - - - A6 - - - - - A7 - - - - A A8 - - - A A A9 - - A A A S10 - A A A S S11 A A A S S S12 A S S S S S

- —No result, landing proceedsA—Abort. Lose one step per unit on Boat, Boat aborts.

S—Boat sinks

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