Timeline of ANZACs in Greece
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1 March 1941
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General Maitland ‘Jumbo’ Wilson arrives in Greece
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17 March 1941
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2/3rd Australian Infantry Battalion embark for Greece on the cruiser GLOUCESTER – General Blamey & several of his staff on board.
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18 March 1941
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2/1st and 2/2nd Australian Infantry battalions under the command of Brigadier Tubby Allen of
the 16th Brigade embarked on the BANKURA & IONIC for Greece. Arrive Athens 22nd March.
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19 March 1941
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General Blamey arrives in Athens
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22 March 1941
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General Blamey and his chief of staff officer, Brigadier Rowell reconnoitre north of Athens visiting
the Greek corps commander at Kozani and the 12th and 20th Greek Divisions and New Zealand Division.
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24 March 1941
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2/3rd Battalion arrives at LARISSIA at the camp known as TEMPE situated about 7 miles west of LARISSA, and ˝ mile south of PINIOS River
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1 April 1941
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* 2/4th & 2/8th Australian Infantry Battalion embarks
for Greece under command of George Vasey of the 19th Brigade on the SS PENNLAND. Arrives in Athens 3rd April
2/2nd Infantry Battalion at SERVIA PASS
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2 April 1941
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Afrika Korps under the command of Erwin Rommel capture Libya, as a result 7th Australian Division and Polish Brigade are not deployed to Greece by Wavell.
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3 April 1941
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2/8th Australian Infantry Battalion arrives at Port Pireaus General Iven Mackay reaches Athens.
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4 April 1941
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5 April 1941
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General Wilson formally takes command of the Allied
forces in Central Macedonia with an advanced head-
quarters at Tsaritsani a village near Elasson on the
main Larisa-Florina road.
* General Kotoulas confers with General Wilson at
Kozani.
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6 April 1941
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German troops simultaneously invade Greece and Yugoslavia
German planes bomb Pireaus Harbour setting alight munitions barge and destroying port facilities
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7 April 1941
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2/2nd Infantry Battalion has moved up to VERRIA PASS
* Mackay and his staff exchange some
information with the commander of the 12th Greek
Division in French but a slow and irritating process
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8 April 1941
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Major General Christos Karassos, the commander of the 20th Greek Division replaces Lieutenant
General Ioannis Kotoulas as commander of the Central Macedonian Field Army
Yugoslav resistance collapse without fighting to the Germans
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9 April 1941
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Lt General Georgios Bakopoulos commander of the
forces guarding METAXAS line on the Bulgarian -
Greek border, surrenders to the commander of the
2nd German Armoured Brigade signing the protocol
of capitulation at the German Consulate at Salonika.
Wilson orders a withdrawal to the Aliakmon line.
2/5th & 2/6th Australian Infantry Division under the
commander of Stan Savige of the 17th Brigade
embark on the CAMERONIA for Greece
General Mackay meet with General Karassos at Kozani – meeting of no value due to difficulties in communication.
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10 April 1941
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Wilson confers with Mackay and General Karassos,
who had replaced General Kotoulas in command of
the Central Macedonian Army.
Florina captured by the Germans
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11 April 1941
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2/2nd Infantry Battalion given order to withdraw
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12 April 1941
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1st Australian Corp renamed ANZAC Corp by Blamey
2/1st Infantry battalion at VERRIA PASS
2/5th & 2/6th Australian Infantry arrive in Greece
Greek Army in Northern Epirus ordered to withdraw. Colonel Petinis Chief of Staff of the Army of Northern Greece negotiating with the Germans.
Western Macedonia Field Army Section [WMFAS]
began withdrawing towards Epirus via PINDUS
MOUNTAINS on the order of General Tsolakoglou
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13 April 1941
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EFAS or Epirus Field Army Section withdraws as troop morale begins to decline
Wilson receives intelligence reports that Greek units on his left (West) are disintegrating and cannot be relied on
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14 April 1941
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From this day onwards the Australians cease to take into account any support from the Greeks.
Katerini attacked and captured by Germans
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15 April 1941
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Wilson gives order to Blamey to withdraw forces to
Thermopylae line
Wilson meets with Wavell and decides to evacuate forces from Greece
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16 April 1941
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Papagos asks to meet with General Wilson at
LAMIA at 6 o’clock in the morning. Papagos informs Wilson that Greek Army at Klisoura Pass
has been lost and Western Macedonian divisions had taken to the mountains likely to turn up at KALABAKA.
* Brigadier Savige meet with General Tsolakoglou in village just outside KALABAKA. Tsolakoglou
informs him that he has assembled his ‘Armies of Macedonia’ in the PINDUS MOUNTAINS. Savige
felt Tsolagolou did not intend to fight and would double-cross them. Tsolakoglou abandons his troops.
* Germans seize KALABAKA and interpose their forces between the British Expeditionary Corps and the Greek Army withdrawing from Albania
* 2/2nd Infantry Battalion reaches SERVIA-LARISSIA ordered to PINIOS RIVER area to support 21ST N.Z. battalion
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17 April 1941
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2/2nd Infantry Battalion reaches PINIOS pass – moves into battle position
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18 April 1941
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Germans attacked the 16th Australian Brigade at
Pinios Gorge and the 6th NZ Brigade at Elasson
* Meeting at Palace with King, Koryzis, Palairet,
General Wilson, General Papagos and Pappademas.
Wilson says British will hold at Thermopylae only if
Greeks continue to fight in Epirus otherwise British
will evacuate from Greece
* Alexander Koryzis, Prime Minister of Greece
commits suicide after this meeting
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19 April 1941
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Meeting held at General Headquarters attended by
Wavell declares British Army will defend provided
Greek Army continued to resists! Decided that
Greeks would resist until British were evacuated.
Also present Gen. Hewitt and
Col. Kitrilakis to keep the minutes.
* 2/11th Battalion joined the brigade for the first time
in Greece, Major R. L. Sandover was in command
having taken over from Colonel Louch who was
injured on this day.
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20 April 1941
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Lieutenant General Tsolakoglou signs unauthorised armistice with Major General Dietrich, Commander
of the Adolf Hitler SS Bodyguards at Votonosi village in Metsovo
* German troops capture Trikkala and Larissa
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21 April 1941
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Lieutenant General Pitsikas resigns his command
after being ousted by Tsolakoglou and leaves for Athens.
* Emanuel Tsouderos of Crete sworn in as Prime Minister.
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22 April 1941
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German troops occupy Volos and Lamia
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23 April 1941
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Greek King George II and his Government depart for Crete. Commander-in-Chief Alexandros Papagos resigns.
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24 April 1941
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Evacuation of Australian forces from Greece brought
forward to this night because of Tsolakoglou ‘s
unauthorised capitulation
* Germans attacked THERMOPYLAE line held by the
6th NZ Brigade on east and 19th Australian Brigade
on west.
* German tanks try to break through the New
Zealanders while mountain troops attack the high
BRAILLOS PASS held by the Australians. The New
Zealanders destroyed twelve tanks and together with
the Australians hold their ground.
* 19th Australian Brigade engage the German 6th Mountain Division in fierce battle at BRALLOS PASS
* That night they withdraw from THERMOPYLAE line.
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25 April 1941
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19th Brigade embarked that night from MEGARA.
General Blamey departs from Greece with his son and Chief of Staff Brigadier Rowell to Alexandria.
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26 April 1941
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800 German parachutists drop on Corinth Canal
16th and 17th Australian Infantry Brigades embark at KALAMATTA.
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27 April 1941
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ATHENS occupied by Germans without any resistance.
* 4th New Zealand Brigade embarks at Porto Rafti.
* 1st British Armoured Brigade departs RAFINA.
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28 April 1941
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* 6th New Zealand Brigade embarks at
MONEMVASIA with Major Freyberg for Crete.
* 1,700 men in NAFPLION are taken prisoners.
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29 April 1941
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10,000 men consisting of 8,000 British and Australian soldiers and approximately 2,000
Men of Yugoslav, Cypriot and Palestinian Soldiers and Greek civilians remain in KALAMATTA.
7,000 are captured and 3,000 flee into the hills
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30 April 1941
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Last British troops on Greece are either captured or
escaped and hostilities cease. Approximately
1,400 British troops who remain in Greece
without capture escape to Crete, Chios and the
Aegean island as well as to the coast of Asia Minor.
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1 May 1941
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A detachment of 2/5th Australian General Hospital under Major Brooke Moore remain in Greece becoming prisoners of the Germans in order to look after 112 patients too ill to move. Germans take the hospital's portable X-ray machine to replace their own.
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2 May 1941
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Hitler orders that Greek officers and
soldiers are no longer prisoners of war but after
surrendering their armament are disbanded and
allowed to go home.
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3 May 1941
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Germans and Italians conduct a triumphant parade through Athens before Marshal List with the absence
of the population who stay inside their homes.
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