Operation Eisbar MTO (id:#59846)

Critical Hit (Hero PAX 4: Mediterranean Theater of Operations ID: HP31)   [next]   [previous]

Antimachia, Kos 1943-10-03 (4 others)

Overview:

As a precursor to an attack on the British-held Dodecanese Island of Leros, German Army Group E deemed it vital to first deal with the Allied air bases on Kos, a smaller island located south of Leros, which might be used against an invasion force. The 22nd Infantry Division was chosen for the mission, dubbed Operation Eisbar. The majority of German units were to be landed on the island by boat and F-lighter but the air base at Antimachia was attacked by both amphibious and air-landed troops under the command of Hauptman Kuhlmann. Kos was defended by a combined force of one battalion from the Durham Light Infantry as well as a range of Italian units that had joined the Allies after the armistice. They were given no warning of an impending attack. The D.L.I. stood to at first light to find Germans already on the island and their positions under attack.

Defender: British (Elements D Co., 1st Btn, Durham Light Infantry Regt)  

Errata (source)