page_title: Battle of Leros
section_title: German forces
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Leros / Prelude / German forces
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Fallschirmjäger für Leros! Fallschirmjäger machen sich start klar
context_page_description: The Battle of Leros was the central event of the Dodecanese campaign of the Second World War, and is widely used as an alternate name for the whole campaign. After the Armistice of Cassibile the Italian garrison on the Greek island Leros was strengthened by British forces on 15 September 1943. The battle began with German air attacks on 26 September, continued with the landings on 12 November, and ended with the capitulation of the Allied forces four days later.
context_section_description: The German forces assembling for Unternehmen Leopard ("Operation Leopard") under the command of Generalleutnant Müller, comprised III./Infanterie-Regiment 440, II./IR 16 and II./IR 65 of the 22nd Infantry Division, the parachutists of I./FJR 2, and an amphibious commando company of the Brandenburg Division (1./Küstenjägerabteilung). The invasion force assembled in harbours in Kos and Kalymnos, with reserves and heavy equipment waiting to be airlifted around Athens. Two groups with Ju 87 D3 dive-bombers were available for close air support. I. Group of Schlachtgeschwader 3 flew from their base in Megara and II. Group from Argos and later Rhodos. II. Group of Kampfgeschwader 51 with Ju 88 were available for air strikes.
  On the night between 6 and 7 October, the Royal Navy cruisers Sirius and Penelope and two destroyers attacked and destroyed a German troop convoy in the Astypalaia channel; these troops were meant as a reinforcement to the force tasked with Operation Leopard, so the destruction of the convoy caused the operation to be delayed.
caption: Paratroopers board a Junkers Ju 52 bound for Leros.
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