| Battle of Thermopylae (1941) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theGerman invasion of Greece | |||||||
 German forces in Thermopylae following the battle | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Australia New Zealand |  Germany | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| George VaseyHarold Barrowclough | Ferdinand SchörnerGustav Fehn | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Australia: 19th Brigade New Zealand: 6th Brigade | 6th Mountain Division 5th Panzer Division | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 100 casualties 15 tanks destroyed | ||||||
TheBattle of Thermopylae, on 24–25 April 1941, was part of theGerman invasion of Greece duringWorld War II.
Following the retreat of Allied forces from the mountain passes atOlympus andServia,British Commonwealth forces began to set up defensive positions at the coastal pass atThermopylae, famous for theBattle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. The New Zealand Army's2nd Infantry Division under Lieutenant-GeneralBernard Freyberg was given the task of defending the pass, while elements of the Australian6th Infantry Division, under Major GeneralIven Mackay, defended the village ofBrallos.
In the New Zealand sector, the5th Brigade was deployed in the foothills along the coastal road south ofLamia near theSpercheios River, covering the bridges on the road to Larisa.[1] The4th Brigade was positioned on the right flank, where it had established coast-watching patrols.[1] The6th Brigade was in reserve. The Australian force defending Brallos was composed predominantly of two battalions from the19th Brigade, under BrigadierGeorge Vasey: the2/4th and2/8th battalions. On 19 April, they were augmented by the2/1st and2/5th battalions (from the 16th and 17th Brigades respectively), which were also put under Vasey's command. Later that day and during the early hours of 20 April, the2/11th Battalion, the third battalion composing the 19th Brigade, also arrived at Brallos.
Freyberg and Mackay had been informing their subordinates that there would be no more withdrawals, but both were unaware of higher-level discussions on the evacuation. After the battle, Mackay was quoted as saying: "I thought that we'd hang on for about a fortnight and be beaten by weight of numbers."[2]
On 21 April, German air reconnaissance reported that the defense lines included only light field fortifications in the initial stage of construction, and that British troops were being evacuated fromSalamis Island.[3]
On the morning of 23 April,ANZAC Corps was ordered to retreat. It was decided that Thermopylae and Brallos would nevertheless be held by a rearguard comprising two brigades. The New Zealand 6th Brigade, under BrigadierHarold Barrowclough and the Australian 19th Brigade were to hold the passes as long as possible, allowing the other units to withdraw. Vasey said: "Here we bloody well are and here we bloody well stay."[2] This was interpreted by Vasey'sbrigade major, A. T. J. "Ding" Bell, as meaning that the brigade would "hold its present defensive positions come what may",[2] until the withdrawal had been completed.
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A Germanbattlegroup based on the6th Mountain Division, underGeneralmajorFerdinand Schörner, attacked at 1130 hours on 24 April, meeting fierce resistance. Another battlegroup, drawn from the5th Panzer Division, also attacked.
Early in the afternoon, the German armored forces were shelled nearLamia by artillery that was able to fire down into the pass from multiple, lightly fortified positions.[4] Two tanks from the Panzer division later attempted to penetrate the lines of the 25th Battalion, but were destroyed by long range field guns.
Later in the day, four German tanks and a number of infantry troops being conveyed in trucks attempted to take a position in front of the 6th Brigade in front of the 25th Battalion's position, and after some initial confusion was repelled by2-pound and25-pound field guns.[1]
With the delaying action accomplished, the rearguard began to destroy what equipment and field guns they could not transport, and retreated towards another defensive position atThebes.[5][full citation needed] The last Allied vehicles were evacuated by midnight, and Thermopylae would not be taken for another three hours, when the Germans led a formal attack on the vacated position. While holding their position for the specified amount of time, the Allied forces had destroyed 15 German tanks and inflicted considerable casualties.
The Germans would continue their march down the country, eventuallyoccupying the country.
The absence of theGreek Army, from a battle at a site as significant to the national psyche as Thermopylae, was controversial within Greece, as GeneralGeorgios Tsolakoglou had already capitulated. After the war,Aris Velouchiotis – a veteran of the 1941 campaign and leader of theGreek People's Liberation Army – argued that this fact was an eternal "shame" for the Greek regime that didn't take part in the battle.
