Turn 3 is for one impulse, only. It’s a Day Impulse, with Axis initiative. German transports and landing craft embark from Greece and Crete, steaming towards the islands, stopping just outside of British naval range. German airdrops on Kos and the port in Kalimnos are successful. British air units are able to identify some of the German convoys, but the USAAF bombing of the parachutists are ineffective. The British refused to attack the convoys piecemeal, choosing to saturate specific convoys with landing craft on the next turn.
Starting out Turn 4 (with three impulses), the British, anticipating German initiative for the next impulse, have set up a CAP to protect their ships. The Germans set up CAPs over their paratrooper units. The roll is for German initiative, but a night turn! How lucky can the Germans be? Able to elude the intercepting British units, the Germans land on Kos.
The British naval units pursue, and attempt to spot and engage the Germans steaming towards the harbor at Kalimnos. This task force is comprised of transports, which can only embark troops in ports. But, all three contact attempts fail!
Germans now land in Kalimnos, and the Kos invaders push back British units defending the airfield at Kefalo.
In response, the British launched an all-out attack on the invaders, devastating the Axis shipping in Kalimnos harbor. The Germans must gain the initiative next impulse in order to use their surviving landing craft to ferry troops from Kalimnos to Kos.
After Landings, The Germans Are Attacked By British Naval And Air Units
No such luck! Although the final impulse is a night turn, the British gain the initiative. While a night bombing raid over Kefalo is unsuccessful, British naval units sink most, but not all, of the remaining landing craft and transports. The Drache puts up a valiant fight, inflicting one hit on HMS Carlisle. After their attacks, the British surface units use their remaining movement to take up NGF stations.
The two surviving German landing craft ferry troops from Kalimnos to Kos. Torpedo boats finish off HMS Carlisle, but attacks elsewhere are unsuccessful.