Ideally with as little disruption to Allied plans as possible.
OTL, 8th Indian Infantry Division was sent to Taranto, where, along with the 78th Infantry Division and the 4th Armored Brigade, they relieved the 1st Airborne Division which had landed there 3 weeks before. However, this was mostly pointless, since the Germans were conducting a fighting retreating on that front anyway, with the main fighting taking place much later.
POD : 8th Indian div. and its assigned shipping is held back in reserve, to exploit possible opportunity in the Dodecanese.
Sept. 3rd
Op. Baytown - Allied landing at the tip of Calabria
Armistice of Casibile is signed
Sept 7th.
Allied delegation meets with Badoglio in Rome, informing him about
- announcing the armistice the following day
- American paratroopers (82nd airborne) in Rome
- British troops (8th Indian) in Rhodes
Badoglio announces he's not ready, airborne landing in Rome cancelled
Sept. 8th
Armistice of Casibile is announced by radio
Germans begin implementing Op. Achse to disarm and occupy Italy
Rhodes Garrison informed of imminent arrival of the Indian Division by wireless
ITTL, Campioni has also been informed of the arrival of British forces. Therefore, he orders col. Fossetta's plan for a surprise attack on Maritsa air base to be carried out, and it's likely it succeeds.
British forces arrive sometime the following day or two, and together with the Italians, outnumber the Germans on Rhodes 7:1.
After some bitter fighting, the remaining German forces on Rhodes surrender.
Remaining Allied landings go as OTL.
Allied forces in Rhodes are then used to reinforce the other outlying islands, primarily Kos.
Thus, the German naval and air landing at Kos are defeated, thanks to reinforcements and air support from Rhodes, allowing Anglo-Italian forces to consolidate their positions.
In late October/ November, the Indians are relocated to Italy and replaced by someone else.
Ok, so...
1. Plausible?
2. Effects?
Operation Accolade, called for a direct attack on Rhodes and Karpathos, with three infantry divisions, an armored brigade, and support units. Landings at Crete, which was too well fortified and had a strong German garrison, were dropped. The main problem faced by the planners was the difficulty of countering Fliegerkorps X of the Luftwaffe because of a lack of air cover, since the American and British aircraft were based in Cyprus and the Middle East. This challenge was further exacerbated by the demands of the upcoming Allied invasion of Sicily. The Americans were skeptical about the operation, which they regarded as aiming mostly at post-war political benefits for Britain and an unnecessary diversion from the Italian Campaign. They refused to support it, warning the British that they would have to go on alone.[10]
As an Italian surrender became increasingly possible, in August 1943 the British started preparations to quickly take advantage of a possible Italian-German split, in the form of a smaller version of Accolade. A force based on the 8th Indian Infantry Division assembled and American assistance in the form of P-38 Lightning long-range fighter squadrons was requested. As a result of the Quebec Conference and the American refusal to assent to the British plans, the forces and ships earmarked for Accolade were diverted, barely a week before the surrender of Italy in the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September.[11]
OTL, 8th Indian Infantry Division was sent to Taranto, where, along with the 78th Infantry Division and the 4th Armored Brigade, they relieved the 1st Airborne Division which had landed there 3 weeks before. However, this was mostly pointless, since the Germans were conducting a fighting retreating on that front anyway, with the main fighting taking place much later.
POD : 8th Indian div. and its assigned shipping is held back in reserve, to exploit possible opportunity in the Dodecanese.
Sept. 3rd
Op. Baytown - Allied landing at the tip of Calabria
Armistice of Casibile is signed
Sept 7th.
Allied delegation meets with Badoglio in Rome, informing him about
- announcing the armistice the following day
- American paratroopers (82nd airborne) in Rome
- British troops (8th Indian) in Rhodes
Badoglio announces he's not ready, airborne landing in Rome cancelled
Sept. 8th
Armistice of Casibile is announced by radio
Germans begin implementing Op. Achse to disarm and occupy Italy
Rhodes Garrison informed of imminent arrival of the Indian Division by wireless
On the evening of 8 September, Campioni [Italian Governor of Rhodes] asked General Forgiero to contact Kleeman [commander of German forces on Rhodes] to exhort him not to give orders that could cause Italian reactions, and Kleeman reacted calmly, stating that he would cooperate. Around 20:30, shortly after news of the armistice arrived, Campioni held a meeting at the Palace of the Grand Master; however, as there were no precise orders about how to act, no decisions were taken. Lieutenant colonel Marcello Fossetta, in charge of the Maritsa air base, informed the command that the German troops guarding the airport were gathered without weapons and watching a film show, so a sudden attack would be easy to carry out, but he was ordered not to act, based on the previous promises by Kleeman. Campioni only had the Badoglio Proclamation, which had been broadcast to the other Dodecanese islands, highlighting the last sentence, which ordered Italian forces to react "to eventual attacks from any other source [than the Allies]".
ITTL, Campioni has also been informed of the arrival of British forces. Therefore, he orders col. Fossetta's plan for a surprise attack on Maritsa air base to be carried out, and it's likely it succeeds.
British forces arrive sometime the following day or two, and together with the Italians, outnumber the Germans on Rhodes 7:1.
After some bitter fighting, the remaining German forces on Rhodes surrender.
Remaining Allied landings go as OTL.
From 10 to 17 September, the 234th Infantry Brigade (Major-General F. G. R. Brittorous) coming from Malta, together with 160 men from the Special Boat Service, 130 men from the Long Range Desert Group, A Company of the 11th Battalion, Parachute Regiment[15] and Greek Sacred Band detachments had secured the islands of Kos, Kalymnos, Samos, Leros, Symi and Astypalaia, supported by ships of the Royal Navy and Royal Hellenic Navy.
Allied forces in Rhodes are then used to reinforce the other outlying islands, primarily Kos.
Thus, the German naval and air landing at Kos are defeated, thanks to reinforcements and air support from Rhodes, allowing Anglo-Italian forces to consolidate their positions.
In late October/ November, the Indians are relocated to Italy and replaced by someone else.
Ok, so...
1. Plausible?
2. Effects?
Last edited: