The battle for Greece & Crete.pdf - Army Museum of South Australia

The GreeksGeneral Alexander Papagos Commander in Chief of Hellenic ForcesGeneral Tsolakoglou Macedonian (Empirus) ArmyThe GermansField Marshal von List 12 th ArmyGeneral von Greiffenberg Chief of Staff 12 th ArmyThe ItaliansAdmiral Angelo IachinoGerman Troops in Greece at the time of the evacuationPelopennese - 5 th Armoured and Adolf Hitler Infantry DivisionAthens- Lamia- 2 nd Armoured and 5 th & 6 th Mountain DivisionsThessaly- 9 th ArmouredGrevena-Yannina- 73 rd Infantry DivisionKaterini- 72 nd Infantry DivisionSalonika – 50 th Infantry DivisionEastern Macedonia and the Aegean- 164 th Infantry DivisionIn support in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia if needed- three Divisions of the 12 th Army (46 th , 76 th and 198 th )A brief history of the Greek Forces during the period 1940 to 1944World War II commenced in Greece on the 28 th October 1940 when the Italians launched an attack onGreece. By the 29 th October the Greek Government commenced a ‘General Mobilization’ within thecountry.In February of 1941 the 1 st Battalion of Greek volunteers who were living in Egypt was formed.Unfortunately, with the commencement of the German Campaign (Operation Mercury) the fall ofGreece occurred in 1941. However, the Greeks were not about to accept defeat and those who wereable to escape from Greece and Crete in May 1941 through Turkey and Palestine and were able toreach Egypt formed the 1 st Greek Brigade.Between 1942 and 1944 a general mobilization of Greek living in Egypt and they were to form the 2 ndGreek Brigade.In 1942 the 1 st and 2 nd Greek Brigades were sent to North Africa to relieve the Scottish Brigade andthey took part in the Battle of El-Alamein, under the Command of General Montgomery, they remainedin North Africa until December 1942. During this time they lost 517 killed and wounded. In January1943 they returned to Alexandria.By April 1943 the 1 st & 2 nd Greek Brigades were reformed into the 3 rd Greek Mountain Brigade andreceived further training in Palestine and Lebanon. In August 1943, they came under the command ofa soldier well known to the Greeks, General Bernard Freyberg VC who been in command of the alliedtroops in Crete in 1941 and was now the Commander of the New Zealand division. The Brigade tookpart in the Battles of Calolika, Ricione, Roubicona and Rimini. On the 23 rd October 1944, the 3 rdGreek Mountain Brigade was ordered to Torento and they returned to Greece on the 7 th November1944.The Greek Sacred Middle East Raiding CompanyOn the 6 th September 1942 we saw the formation of ‘The Greek Sacred Middle East Raiding Company’(S.M.E.R) the unit consisted initially of 210 men. The unit took part in guerrilla attacks in NorthAfrica, Libya ad Tunis between the 15 th February and 17 th April 1943.- 11 -