Marita-Merkur
Europa III: The Balkans Campaign, 1940-1941

• Year of Publication: 1979
  
• Publisher: Game Designers’ Workshop
  
• Design: Paul Richard Banner and John M. Astell

Mussolini’s dream of empire led to the invasion of Greece from bases in Albania on 28 October 1940. The Italian army, facing fierce Greek resistance, soon bogged down in the mountainous terrain. The campaign quickly drew the attention of other belligerents: Britain sent troops and planes from the Western Desert to support Greece, and Germany planned to assist Italy by invading Greece. On 6 April 1941, the blitzkrieg struck Yugoslavia and Greece. By 27 April, Athens was in German hands and the Allies were withdrawing from the shores of Greece. Only the island of Crete remained as an Allied bastion. Germany gathered planes and paratroops, and on 20 May, launched Operation Merkur, the airborne assault on Crete.

Marita-Merkur, Europa III, recreates the campaign in the Balkans from November 1940 until June 1941.

Two maps display the battlegrounds from Austria to Crete, including all of Yugoslavia, Albania, and Greece along with bordering regions. The terrain analysis includes rivers, woods, rough, mountains, karst, swamp, and impassible mountains. Six-hundred die cut counters represent the military units of the nine nations that took part in the campaign. Units are deployed as individual battalions, regiments, brigades, and divisions—each with its historical designation, strengths, and capabilities. Aircraft units are groups of approximately 40-50 planes organized by type (such as fighter or dive-bomber) and model (from obsolete CR.42 biplanes to Me109’s). The Hungarian Duna river flotilla is included; for future Europa use, so are the entire navies of Greece and Yugoslavia.

The standard Europa rules present a framework of movement, combat, and combat/motorized exploitation. Special considerations cover Greek mountain capability, the Yugoslav coup, and British naval interdiction.

Marita-Merkur is designed to be played by itself as a separate game, and also to mate readily with other Europa games.

Repackaged in box with different cover in 1984, but no changes to rules or components.

Marita-Merkur was completely revised and a new edition published in 1990 titled Balkan Front.

• One full map (14) and one half map (15A)
  
  
• Two full counter sheets (20, 21) and one half sheet (22)

Current Errata & Extras

Europa Games

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Drang Nach Osten!
Unentschieden
Narvik (1st ed)
Their Finest Hour (1st ed)
Case White
Marita-Merkur
Narvik (2nd ed)
The Fall of France
Their Finest Hour (2nd ed)
Western Desert
The Near East
Spain and Portugal
Fire in the East
Torch
Scorched Earth
The Urals
Balkan Front
First to Fight (1st ed)
A Winter War
Second Front
For Whom the Bell Tolls
War in the Desert
First to Fight (2nd ed)
Storm over Scandinavia
Wavell’s War
Barbarossa Unleashed

Errata & Extras
Index of Maps
Index of Counter Sheets
Index of Nations