I read somewhere that the germans had plans for taking over Malta and Cyprus using airborne troops but these plans were shelved after the invasion of Crete mainly because hitler had lost faith in the paratrooper corps. What if these plans actually went ahead successfully within 12-18 months after Crete. Where does that leave the allies? the way i see it the north african campain becomes a lot more difficult for the allies
The Germans capture the mediterranean islands
- Thread starter Lysander
- Start date
Grey Wolf said:
Fair enough let´s assume that one assault takesplace and succeeds (resulting in gerrmany having to rebuilt it´s paratrooper corps from the start). Malta i would guess would be the first choice. that means no more british submarines based in Malta and moving supplies and personnel to north africa becomes a lot easier for the axis. Right?
Malta would be a very very tough nut to crack. As I understand it the island is covered in small fields with dry stone walls. This makes glider landing a none starter, also there are only a very, easily defended, few points where follow up landing could take place.
Bottom line, paratroopers would cause a lot of damage before the ammo ran out and they were forced to surrender.
Bottom line, paratroopers would cause a lot of damage before the ammo ran out and they were forced to surrender.
Ebar said:
Well the same would apply to Crete wouldn´t it? And it was a success there (a costly one but still). There would be supporting troops coming in on ships, i´m sure the luftwaffe would manage to get air superiority over malta for a time. And the Italians would be able to help more since it was closer to home (mainly with ships to carry the troops). As in Crete also one of the first targets could be an airfield (as was the case in Crete) which when secured would allow extra inflow of troops.
Anyway to tell the truth i am not really interested about how plausible the event is (let´s face it a lot of events that have happenned were pretty impropable) but what the effects of such an event would be, and to get back to my original idea if you include the capture of Cyprus then it gets really interesting.
Coming from the AK Escapes Tunis thread...
From January 1942 the German General Staff begin to consider the invasion of Malta.
In Febuary Rommel and his CoS Westphal visit Hitler, pushing the prospect aimed at breaking the deadlock in the desert (interestingly, Auchinleck is in London at the same time talking about similar things).
In March the British War Office considers an invasion of Malta unlikely.
In contrast to this, in April Rommel renews his request and OKW appoint planning staff for an invasion, codenamed HERKULES. At this time things are getting tight in Malta, it being quite difficult to run the German air-sea gauntlet and bring supplies into the Grand Harbour. By the end of the month, the British Defence Committee is doubting the ability of the island to last until June. In late April, Hitler and Mussolini postpone HERKULES but planning continues, exercises are held and an invasion force is built up.
In June a tentative date is set for HERKULES, conditional on success of Rommel in the desert (who by this time had lost interest in Malta and returned his attention to Tobruk and the desert campaign). OTL Rommel is successful and HERKULES is cancelled.
There are two POD's: firstly that Rommel didn't lose interest in HERKULES and secondly that Rommel is bested in the desert and HERKULES goes ahead. Either can be used as the basis for the ATL.
Malta will fall. The British sense it and at this time the Germans are all over the air and sea. Yes, lots of fallschirmjaeger die, although the lessons of Crete are taken on board. The seaborne landings are a mess but progress is made. Naval and air attacks make defense untenable and Malta surrenders.
The fall of Malta is right on the cusp of the string of German defeats that spell the beginning of the end for the German war effort. Removing the Maltese thorn doesn't mean that the war is changed forever: if Rommel continues with his private war in the desert, then the two front pressure faced by Germany is exacerbated, Stalingrad plays out as OTL and Montgomery eventually defeats Rommel somewhere/anywhere in the desert.
However, WI Rommel obtains a brilliant victory before charging headlong at Egypt and is recalled. German expansion into NE Africa is slowed as cooler heads prevail and the Western Desert takes on a defensive aspect, a la OTL Italy, where the aim is to tie as many Allied forces up as possible. Eventually TORCH and Montgomery pinch the Germans out, but the result is a defensive victory for the Germans and the Allies now face Lysanders Sicily-Malta-Crete-Cyprus line. Meanwhile Rommel, and all the men and materiel not squandered on Africa, are free to develop the war in other areas (Russia, the Caucasus, even ex-Vichy Syria).
Croesus
From January 1942 the German General Staff begin to consider the invasion of Malta.
In Febuary Rommel and his CoS Westphal visit Hitler, pushing the prospect aimed at breaking the deadlock in the desert (interestingly, Auchinleck is in London at the same time talking about similar things).
In March the British War Office considers an invasion of Malta unlikely.
In contrast to this, in April Rommel renews his request and OKW appoint planning staff for an invasion, codenamed HERKULES. At this time things are getting tight in Malta, it being quite difficult to run the German air-sea gauntlet and bring supplies into the Grand Harbour. By the end of the month, the British Defence Committee is doubting the ability of the island to last until June. In late April, Hitler and Mussolini postpone HERKULES but planning continues, exercises are held and an invasion force is built up.
In June a tentative date is set for HERKULES, conditional on success of Rommel in the desert (who by this time had lost interest in Malta and returned his attention to Tobruk and the desert campaign). OTL Rommel is successful and HERKULES is cancelled.
There are two POD's: firstly that Rommel didn't lose interest in HERKULES and secondly that Rommel is bested in the desert and HERKULES goes ahead. Either can be used as the basis for the ATL.
Malta will fall. The British sense it and at this time the Germans are all over the air and sea. Yes, lots of fallschirmjaeger die, although the lessons of Crete are taken on board. The seaborne landings are a mess but progress is made. Naval and air attacks make defense untenable and Malta surrenders.
The fall of Malta is right on the cusp of the string of German defeats that spell the beginning of the end for the German war effort. Removing the Maltese thorn doesn't mean that the war is changed forever: if Rommel continues with his private war in the desert, then the two front pressure faced by Germany is exacerbated, Stalingrad plays out as OTL and Montgomery eventually defeats Rommel somewhere/anywhere in the desert.
However, WI Rommel obtains a brilliant victory before charging headlong at Egypt and is recalled. German expansion into NE Africa is slowed as cooler heads prevail and the Western Desert takes on a defensive aspect, a la OTL Italy, where the aim is to tie as many Allied forces up as possible. Eventually TORCH and Montgomery pinch the Germans out, but the result is a defensive victory for the Germans and the Allies now face Lysanders Sicily-Malta-Crete-Cyprus line. Meanwhile Rommel, and all the men and materiel not squandered on Africa, are free to develop the war in other areas (Russia, the Caucasus, even ex-Vichy Syria).
Croesus
Croesus,
Pretty plausible scenario just a small point,
I dropped the invation of Cyprus as Grey Wolf posted that german paratroopers could only mount one more attack (i chose Malta). If the germans occupy Cyprus they get an airbase 60-100 miles from Egypt which i think changes things quite a bit if the Germans decide to commit the necessary forces in NA as then british bases will become vulnerable. I think the main point would be speed, if the germans move fast, before the US gets into the war there might be a chance of success and from there things snowball
Pretty plausible scenario just a small point,
I dropped the invation of Cyprus as Grey Wolf posted that german paratroopers could only mount one more attack (i chose Malta). If the germans occupy Cyprus they get an airbase 60-100 miles from Egypt which i think changes things quite a bit if the Germans decide to commit the necessary forces in NA as then british bases will become vulnerable. I think the main point would be speed, if the germans move fast, before the US gets into the war there might be a chance of success and from there things snowball
Redbeard
Banned
Taking Malta is unlikely to be of any advantage to the Axis. The first problem is, that no matter the at times very efficient and allways valiant allied efforts from Malta, the Axis still transported more supplies across the Med. than they could get to the front. The greatest challenge wasn't running the gaunlet across the Med. but getting the supplies from the major ports to the frontline, which had to be done by truck, and trucks were in very short supply. Givining the DAK the necessary number of trucks (9000 IIRC) would have stripped several armies on the Eastern Front for trucks.
Second, the extra losses on the airborne troops and transports etc. will be felt later on, but perhaps it now is evident that Göring can't supply Stalingrad from the air and 6th Army is allowed to withdraw?
Third, the allies not any longer needing to run their gauntlets in supplying Malta will free up significant naval forces, I could imagine this would mean the British operating offensively in the IO earlier - so again - PoD in the Med. are most likely to effect Japan.
Regards
Steffen Redbeard
Second, the extra losses on the airborne troops and transports etc. will be felt later on, but perhaps it now is evident that Göring can't supply Stalingrad from the air and 6th Army is allowed to withdraw?
Third, the allies not any longer needing to run their gauntlets in supplying Malta will free up significant naval forces, I could imagine this would mean the British operating offensively in the IO earlier - so again - PoD in the Med. are most likely to effect Japan.
Regards
Steffen Redbeard
Valamyr
Banned
The fall of Malta would have been a huge advantage for the Axis in my opinion, too many italian shipments were sunk because of this island. Trucks were sunk too, as they needed to get to NAfrika by ship of course.
But doing it in 1942 is a bit late. Ideally, Malta should be invaded as the declaration of war move of Italy. Malta was NOT defendable in the first few weeks of the war.
It reminds me of a HoI2, a new strategic simulation game. I started by playing the Axis in a 1941 North africa battle. After three months I was in Jerusalem - just in time to save Syria - and i wondered why it had been so easy. The answer is that Malta is not modeled properly in the scenario, and because of this, supplies easily reach the frontlines.
A well supplied Rommel WOULD have taken Jerusalem in time.
But doing it in 1942 is a bit late. Ideally, Malta should be invaded as the declaration of war move of Italy. Malta was NOT defendable in the first few weeks of the war.
It reminds me of a HoI2, a new strategic simulation game. I started by playing the Axis in a 1941 North africa battle. After three months I was in Jerusalem - just in time to save Syria - and i wondered why it had been so easy. The answer is that Malta is not modeled properly in the scenario, and because of this, supplies easily reach the frontlines.
A well supplied Rommel WOULD have taken Jerusalem in time.
I agree 1942 is too late. Naval and air superiority was clearly on the hands of the allies then, so islands were no defendible for the Axis, even if they somehow could invade them. Once the British and US navys rule the sea, the best option for the Axis is leave Africa and all the islands and fight in the mainland (Italy).
I also think that the germans lost a year, between summer 1940 and Barbarrossa, in which they could have beaten the british up to Irak. They had air superiority, much better ground troops and local revolts to help them. This would have been the time for taking Malta, Creta and Cyprus.
I also think that the germans lost a year, between summer 1940 and Barbarrossa, in which they could have beaten the british up to Irak. They had air superiority, much better ground troops and local revolts to help them. This would have been the time for taking Malta, Creta and Cyprus.
Redbeard
Banned
Valamyr said:
Having all trucks departed arrive safely in North Africa will not change anything as the number needed was far from what the Axis had any chance of meeting (by 100's of %). Next the ports in North Africa had very limited capacity, with only Tripoli being big, but Tripoli was far from where the interesting fighting was going on. The strategic significance of Tobruk is grossly overrated - but it was of great symbolic importance.
But having X. Fliegerkorps deployed in Russia in 1942 instead of the Med. might be interesting/scarry.
Regards
Steffen Redbeard
aktarian said:
Rommels opposition to Malta is a common view and is correct as a generalization, but doesn't apply with equal weight across the time period when he was involved in the desert war. British intelligence together with ULTRA decrypts placed Rommel in Germany twice over the period Feb - Apr 42 lobbying Hitler and OKW for an attack on Malta.
Croesus
Lysander said:
I'm not certain that a seizure of Cyprus should be automatically discounted: unless a precept of the tl is that it falls to fallschirmjaeger. Cyprus can be taken in a similar way to Malta: investment by air-sea thence a costly seaborne landing with a subsidiarly airborne. If a TL can be allowed to play out, I feel there is every reason to posit the fall of Cyprus.
Croesus
Redbeard said:
I concur; I posted after taking up the AK corps thread. I suggested that HERKULES results in an eventual transferral of Rommel out of north Africa and a defensive campaign instituted in the desert, with an 'aircraft carrier' Malta serving as the fallback/strong point. This fulfills the intial spirit of the post, where German forces escape a Tunisian disaster.
With regards to Stalingrad, I'm not sure if this TL will have any substantial effect on the 6 Army defeat there. However, it does remove the problems associated with feeding Rommels private war, as you point out.
Croesus
Croesus said:
Using the paratroopers is not a precept. I was thinking something along your lines, paratroopers used to gain a foothold for the seaborne troops making their landing easier.
In your posts you insist in a defencive fight for the germans. Wouldn´t the fall of Cyprus make offencive oerations easier? Egypt would be under constant threat of air attacks.
Assuming the germans were willing to commit the resourses i think a successfull offincive war in NA could happen.
Plus Syria, Lebanon and Israel are but a few hours away by ship and less than an hour by plane from Cyprus. If you have Cyprus and you want to make trouble in the middle east you have the perfect platform to do it.
Max Sinister
Banned
If the Germans had attacked Cyprus and Egypt successfully and cut of the Suez canal, Malta would've been pretty useless anyway.