 Anticipating Italian surrender, German forces, based largely in mainland Greece, had been rushed to many of the islands to maintain control.The German forces were part of Army Group E commanded by "Luftwaffe" General Alexander Löhr.The most important German force in the Dodecanese was the 7,500-strong "Sturm-Division Rhodos" (Assault Division Rhodes, "Generalleutnant" Ulrich Kleemann commanding).