Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942 (1977)

Avalon Hill's epic German airborne attack game.

Air Assault on Crete features a bonus game, Invasion of Malta--1942, and a third game, if you count the variant from The General magazine, Volume 18, #3, Assault on Cyprus. Each game includes its own mapboard and counters and shares only a minimum of components with the other, however, they share the same basic rules system.

A strategic battalion level game, Air Assault On Crete simulates the first totally airborne invasion in history, with the Germans overwhelming the rag-tag Allied survivors of the ill-fated Greek Campaign.

Traditional turn sequencing: Axis bombard, move, combat; then Allied movement and combat. Units have attack, defense, and movement values, as well as stacking limits. Standard terrain effects. Zones of control, but there's no mandatory attacks.

Invasion of Malta--1942 re-creates the hypothetical German-Italian invasion of Malta.

Avalon Hill Complexity rating - 5

from "The Avalon Hill General Index and Company History, 1952-1980"

Assault on Crete (1978)
Freelance design revised by Avalon Hill
Designed by Vance von Borries
Development by Randall Reed

Actually two games in one, as the hypothetical “Invasion of Malta” game with its own board and counters was included as a “bonus”. Ironically, due to the shorter playing time, it appears that Malta is played more frequently.

Magazine References:

The GENERAL Index Article List:

• The GENERAL Vol.15,No.1
  • The Question Box - Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942

• The GENERAL Vol.15,No.3
  • Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942 – “Creating a Paratrooper's Hell...And Jumping Into It - An Introduction to Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942” (Design Commentary/Strategy) N/A
  • Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942 – “Invasion of Malta - An Operational Analysis of What Might Have Been” (Strategy) John D. Burtt
  • Design Analysis - Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942 “Crete: Design Problems and Solutions” Vance von Borries
  • Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942 – “Scenarios for Crete and Malta” (Scenarios) Vance von Borries

• The GENERAL Vol.18,No.3
  • Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942 – “Stepping Stone to Suez: - The Proposed Air Assault on Cypress - 1941” (Variant) Vance von Borries
  • Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942 – “The Proposed Air Assault on Cypress - 1941 - Variant Map” (Insert) Vance von Borries

• The GENERAL Vol.18,No.4
  • Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942 – “Air Drop on Crete - No Trip to the Promised Land - For Either Side” (Strategy) Don Eisan
  • Air Assault On Crete/Invasion of Malta: 1942 – “Assault From the Air By Mail - A PBM System for Air Assault on Crete” (Variant) Don Eisan