Having crushed the border guard outposts, the 1st Mountain Division surged forward quickly in two battle groups, formed around its two mountain regiments. Col. Hermann Kress and his 99th Mountain Regiment, having smashed through the Soviet border defenses, would advance on the division’s left. Their target would be Hill 273, the highest ground in the area and therefore a key early objective for the Mountain Corps’ advance.

Col. Nikita Zakharov’s 97th Rifle Division and the 1st Mountain Division were old acquaintances – troops of the two formations had exchanged fire in September 1939, just a few kilometers to the west of this battlefield. Afterwards the Red Army division saw extensive action in Finland, and returned to the same area as one of the few full-strength divisions on the front lines on 22 June. With a full allotment of men, weapons and artillery, and plenty of combat experience, it suffered only a shortage of transport. The Germans captured Hill 273, but division commander Hubert Lanz realized this campaign would be no walkover.

Gebirgsjäger leaders in 49th Mountain Corps, which are taken from Parachutes Over Crete, use conventional named ranks. The library was setup using German rank references.

Players not owning Parachutes Over Crete may substitute counters from Edelweiss, Edelweiss Expanded or Edelweiss IV. Players using Edelweiss counters should download the Gebirgs leaders from Avalanche Press. Edelweiss IV is available through the Gold Club portal.