The Battle of Leros occurred in the Second World War from 26th September - 16th November 1943 between troops from the British Army and Germany. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... (Redirected from 26th September) September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 96 days remaining. ... (Redirected from 16th November) November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Leros (Greek: Λέρος)is a Greek island in the Dodecanese, in the southern Aegean Sea. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... Leros (Greek: Λέρος)is a Greek island in the Dodecanese, in the southern Aegean Sea. ... Militaries use the term killed in action (KIA) as a casualty classification. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... (Redirected from 26th September) September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 96 days remaining. ... (Redirected from 16th November) November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

History

The island of Leros is part of Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean . After the fall of Greece in April 1941 and the Allied loss of the island of Crete in May, Greece and it's many islands came under the command of German and Italian occupation forces. With the surrender of Italy in 1943 the Greek islands, which were stratigically vital to Churchill, became reachable for the first time since the Loss of Crete in 1941 . Leros (Greek: Λέρος)is a Greek island in the Dodecanese, in the southern Aegean Sea. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... Combatants Germany, Italy, Bulgaria Greece, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand Commanders Maximilian von Weichs Alexander Papagos, Henry Maitland Wilson, Thomas Blamey Strength Germany: 680,000 men,[1] 1200 tanks, 700 aircraft, Italy: 529,000 men Greece: 350,000 men, British Commonwealth: 58,000 men Casualties Italy: 13,755 dead, 25... In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. ... Crete (Greek: Κρήτη Kríti; Turkish: Girit) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Combatants Greece New Zealand Australia United Kingdom Germany Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength 43,000 25,000 Casualties 3,500 dead 1,900 wounded 17,500 captured 6,200–16,100 dead, wounded, or captured The Battle of Crete (German Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek Μάχη της Κρήτης) began on the morning... This article is about the year. ...

Churchill had a dangerously impractical vision of securing a route through the Dardenelles to Russia as an alternative to the Arctic Convoys. (Beevor, Crete,The Battle and the Resistance)

The Italian garrisons on most of these islands either wanted to change sides and fight with the Allies or just return to their homes. German forces, based largely on mainland Greece, were rushed to many of the major islands to gain control. The speed of the German occupation of islands like Rhodes and decisions made at the Quebec Conference to divert all available shipping from the Eastern Mediterranean pushed the operation forward, resulting in a scaled down force being committed. Only one brigade from Malta , a few unsuitable craft and a handful of fighters were available to send to Cos and Leros, arriving on the 16th of September 1943. The U.S. and British aircraft were based in Lebanon to give the naval and army forces air support. By late October the U.S Airforce were withdrawn to support operations in Italy leaving the small British force with a very reduced and ineffective air support. The Germans were able to bomb Leros and Cos with impunity. Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Map of the Dardanelles The Dardanelles (Greek: Δαρδανελλια, Turkish: Çanakkale Boğazı), formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara. ... The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the USA and the United Kingdom to the northern ports of the USSR - Archangel and Murmansk. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ... Location map of Rhodes Rhodes, (Greek: Ρόδος (pron. ... Quebec Conference refers to one of several different meetings by the same name that were held in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. ... Cos may mean: Cosine Kos or Cos, a Greek island Cos (TV series), hosted by Bill Cosby Cos may also be: Shorthand for because A commune of the Ariège département in France A variety of lettuce also known as Romaine Shorthand for costume or cosplay See also: COS... Seal of the Air Force. ... The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war. ...

The Battle

Cos

The 1st Bn, Durham Light Infantry surrendered on Cos. The Germans landed on the 3rd November and hostilities had stopped on the 4th November. The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was formed in 1881 from the 68th Regiment of Foot which had originally been raised in County Durham by General John Lambton in 1758. ...

The Landings

The Germans bombed the British and Greek naval forces, based at Leros,sinking the HMS Intrepid and the Greek battleship Queen Olga and causing many casualties amongst ground forces. Without air support the ground and naval forces in the area could not defend themselves from the relentless air attacks that would be unleashed upon them by the Luftwaffe . On 12th November 1943 at 4.30 am, after almost fifty days of airstrikes, an invasion fleet landed troops at Palma Bay and Pasta di Sopra on the north-east coast (in what the Germans called Operation Taifun). The Italian coastal gunners were not able to prevent these landings. There were other landings at Tangeli Bay, near Leros town that were heavily contested by the Royal Irish Fusiliers. The Fusiliers stopped the capture of some key defensive positions but were unable to stop the landings. Eight ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Intrepid, including: The HMS Intrepid who was sunk in the Zeebrugge raid in 1918 as a blockship. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

The positions of the British units were spread around the island with poor communication between them. The attacking German forces did not only have the advantage of numerical superiority but also that of air control. In the early afternoon Luftwaffe fighter-bombers machine-gunned and bombed the area between the Gurna and Alinda Bays, followed by Junkers 52s which dropped some 500 parachutists (from the Brandenburgers Division) most of whom landed safely despite British efforts. The position of these landings effectively divided the island in two, separating the Buffs and a company of the King's Own on the south side of the island from the rest of the garrison. Counter attacks during the rest of that day failed. During the night of the 12th/13th November more German reinforcements were landed. Counter attacks by the King's Own and the Fusiliers failed during the 13th with heavy casualties, but the Buffs on the south side of the island managed to capture 130 prisoners and reclaim some control of their area. The Junkers Ju 52 nicknamed Tante Ju (Auntie Ju) and Iron Annie was a civilian airliner and military transport aircraft and bomber manufactured between 1932 and 1945 by Junkers. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Brandenburger Regiment. ...

On the night of the 14th November two more companies of the Royal West Kent Regiment from Samos were landed at Portolago Bay. The fighting on the 14th and 15th was mostly inconclusive with more casualties on both sides. On the night of the 15th the fourth company from the West Kents was landed and 170 German prisoners were taked to Samos. The Germans, on the other hand landed an estimated 1,000 troops and artillery during that night. Samos (Greek Σάμος; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an island in southeastern Greece in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey. ...

Surrender and Aftermath

On the morning of the 16th November it became apparent to the British commander, Brigadier Tilney, that their situation was untenable and surrendered.

The withdrawal of the American fighters had sealed the fate of Leros. With no air support and heavily attacked by enemy aircraft, the three battalions had fought for five days until they were exhausted and could fight no more. The Commander-in- Chief, Ninth Army, General Wilson, reported to the Prime Minister: "Leros has fallen, after a very gallant struggle against overwhelming air attack. It was a near thing between success and failure. Very little was needed to turn the scale in our favour and to bring off a triumph." Everything was done to evacuate the garrisons of the other Aegean islands and to rescue survivors from Leros, and eventually an officer and fifty-seven other ranks of the King's Own rejoined the details in Palestine. Fall of Leros

The Battle of Leros was considered by some to be the last great defeat of the British Army in World War II. The loss of the island was received with shock by the British public. Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson of Libya (5 September 1881 - 31 December 1964), better known as Jumbo Wilson was a senior British General during World War II. He saw active service in the Boer War and the First World War. ... Palestine (from Latin: ; Hebrew: Pleshet, פלשתינה Palestina; Arabic: ‎ Filastīn, Falastīn) is one of several names for the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the banks of the Jordan River with various adjoining lands. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ...

British Forces on Leros

• British 234th Infantry Brigade - Brigadier R.Tilney
  • 2nd Bn, The Royal Irish Fusiliers - Lt.Col.Maurice French (Killed)
  • 1st Bn, The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
  • 4th Bn, The Buffs (The Royal East Kent Regiment) (58 escaped)
  • 2nd Bn, Royal West Kent Regiment - (Landed in four stages during battle) (90 escaped)

The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) had a history dating back to 1572 and was one of the oldest regiments in the British Army being the 3rd Regiment of Foot. ...

German Forces

• Brandenburg Division
• Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Brandenburger Regiment. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Fallschirmjäger photo taken from The Hague, Bezuidenhout during the invasion of the Low Countries, morning of May 10, 1940 , often rendered Fallschirmjager in English, is the German word for paratrooper. ...

Casualties

• Germany - 520
• Allies - 187
• Italy - 164
• Greek Navy - 68
• Civilians - 20

Look up ally in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hellenic Navy Jack The Hellenic Navy, (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναύτικο), is the naval force of the modern nation of Greece (Hellenic Republic). ... A civilian is a person who is not a member of a military. ...

See also

• Axis Occupation of Greece during WWII
• Battle of Greece
• Balkans Campaign
• Greek Resistance

German soldiers raising the Swastika over the Acropolis. ... Combatants Germany, Italy, Bulgaria Greece, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand Commanders Maximilian von Weichs Alexander Papagos, Henry Maitland Wilson, Thomas Blamey Strength Germany: 680,000 men,[1] 1200 tanks, 700 aircraft, Italy: 529,000 men Greece: 350,000 men, British Commonwealth: 58,000 men Casualties Italy: 13,755 dead, 25... Combatants Germany Italy Bulgaria Albania, Greece, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Yugoslavia Commanders Maximilian von Weichs Giovanni Messe Alexander Papagos Strength unknown unknown Casualties unknown unknown The Balkans Campaign was the Italian and German invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece during World War II. It began with Italys annexation of... An ELAS soldier The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II. // Origins The rise of resistance movements in Greece was precipitated by the invasion and occupation of...

External links

• Battle of Leros Site
• Order of Battle Data Base
• Time lines of World War II
• Dedication to King's Own
• Brandenburgers on Leros
• Special Operations in Dodecanese

Sources

• "Crete, The Battle and the Resistance" , Anthony Beevor, Great Britain, 1991, John Murray (Publishers). ISBN 0-7195-6831-5