on 4 October. 1,388 British and 3,145 Italians were taken prisoners, while the captured Italian commander of the island, Col. Felice Leggio, and nearly 100 of his officers were shot in a major warcrime by the Germans. A German communiqué of 5 October reporting the cessation of hostilities on Kos gave the number of prisoners taken as 600 British and 2,500 Italians, with more Italians coming in. A number of the British force escaped to neighbouring islands and were rescued by the Special Boat Service operating at night. Aftermath The capture of Kos would have disastrous consequences for British operations in the Dodecanese Islands. Deprived of air cover, the Allies were in the long run unable to hold the other islands, while the Germans pressed their advantage, capturing Leros a month later and completing their conquest of the Dodecanese by the end of November. In the conclusion of the official despatch covering these operations, it is remarked that: A further consequence of the German occupation of Kos was the deportation of the small long established Jewish congregation to the European death camps. None of the Jews survived the war. References Sources Ανδρουλάκης, Γεώργιος, Ημέρες πολέμου στην Κω, Το χρονικό της στρατιωτικής καταιγίδας - 1943, Ιωλκός, Αθήνα 2013, () External links The South African Military Society Dodecanese campaign Battles of World War II involving Italy Battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom Battles of World War II involving Germany Kos Battles and operations of World War II involving Greece Conflicts in 1943 1943 in Greece Kos Airborne operations of World War II Amphibious operations of World War II October 1943 events