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German Breakthrough in Greece (Hardback)

The 1941 Battle of Pineios Gorge - Then and Now

Military > After the Battle > After the Battle: Then & Now Military > After the Battle > After the Battle: WWII WWII

By Jeffrey Plowman, Edited by Karel Margry
Imprint: After the Battle
Series: Then and Now
Pages: 176
Illustrations: 184 mono illustrations
ISBN: 9781399079051
Published: 6th March 2025

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Description
Reviews (10)

On February 25, 1941 Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, made his first approach to the Australian and New Zealand governments seeking their approval for the use of their troops in his Greek venture. While the New Zealand government was adamant that their forces should have the support of an armoured brigade, the Australian government was more concerned that it would end in an evacuation, a fear also evident among the British planners, a view they were reluctant to share. Fast forward two months and it is now April 14. Ten days have passed since the German invasion of Greece and the Anzacs are in trouble, even if they don’t yet know it. The small German motorcycle battalion that has just reached the 21st NZ Battalion positions at Platamon is a harbinger of the panzer battle group yet to come. To the south is the strategic town of Larissa. North of it almost the entire Anzac Corps is spread out along the line of the Olympus mountains, with its western end anchored on Kalabaka, where a small brigade group waits for the appearance of the 1st Armoured Brigade further north. Larissa is their only escape route and the German thrust is aimed straight at it. Worse still, as the fighting intensified at Platamon, the Anzac Corps high command seemed slow to react and almost turned a blind eye to it as they continued to reinforce the west against what was only a perceived threat. That this lone battalion, with four 25-pounders in support, managed to hold off the attackers for as long as they did until Anzac Corps Headquarters finally reacted was certainly not due to the latter’s commander, Lieutenant General Thomas Blamey. There is a view in some quarter that this successful delaying action only became possible for the intervention of Blamey’s Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Sydney Rowell. However, the complete evacuation of all Anzac troops north of Larissa may owe much more to the propensity of the New Zealand soldier for misappropriation of other people’s assets, in this case British anti-tank mines. In the end this situation was turned around thanks to the actions of small groups of men, whose resilience and resourcefulness, often under extreme circumstances, helped delay the advance. The Germans in turn made a number of blunders, not the least of which were logistic but it could also be put down to overconfidence on their part after their easy victories in France. In the end the entire Anzac Corps escaped the trap, albeit by the skin of their teeth, and the British avoided the wider political ramifications of what could have happened had they lost what was, in New Zealand’s case, their sole contribution to British land forces in the Middle East. Just how the Anzac troops in Greece succeeded in the face of what was thrown against them from both sides of the hill is the subject of this book.

“… a welcome addition to any World War II library, not only for the relatively obscure developments it chronicles but also due to the vast number of valuable photographs it contains. These images give the reader a virtual trip to the Pineios Gorge from their easy chair, a look at a largely unfamiliar pre-Barbarossa German offensive operation in the Balkans, and help to remind of the importance that lesser battles and campaigns of the conflict should be given.”
The NYMAS Review

"Plowman takes us there; he is one of the rare contemporary New Zealand military historians who can highlight the ground to this degree and make the complexity of combat understandable to the general reader. This is built on detailed research from the ground up of a distant battle that few New Zealanders will be able to visit."
New Zealand military historian Chris Pugsley

"For any members interested in the 1941 campaign in Greece, then this book is just the read you need. The book is highly recommended."
IPMS Magazine

The photographic profile is excellent... Maps too are good, taken from the Official Histories and showing dispositions down to company level. Nicely done. Recommended.
Miniature Wargames magazine

While a tactical tabletop scenario might be a stretch for equal chances of victory by both sides, you can certainly give it a try with the info and photos within this book.

Enjoyed it.

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Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

“…a very interesting read, especially when it comes to events such as this which have not been widely done.”

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ModelingMadness.com

“This is a very detailed and fascinating book with specifics about the German and Anzac forces. The chapters in the book will take you day by day for the preparation of the defense by the Anzac forces and the invasion plans of the German forces. The chapters will also take you through the battles with a full and comprehensive description of what happened.”

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AMPS

His career as a biochemist is apparent in the meticulous way in which he writes, yet his style is eminently readable. Jeff is a good communicator... The book is highly recommended.

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Wargamingnz

"Jeffrey is clearly knowledgeable on this subject and his narrative, the useful maps and many photographs make for another excellent addition to the ATB series."

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History Book Chat

The whole story is heavily illustrated, and the photos, both archive and modern comparisons, all have comprehensive captions which add even more details for the story, plus helpful maps. The archive photos show some great detail on the early panzers, as well as a few unusual pictures of some Guy Quad gun tractors, knocked out and abandoned. A fascinating story and I have long been a fan of the Then & Now format of these books from After the Battle Publications. If you are holidaying in Greece, this gives a great guide for places to visit, and to retrace this story of a small part of the war in 1941.

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Military Model Scene