Tuesday, January 26, 2021

A bad situation for the 6th Australian Division

 The German attack had created a major difficulty for the Greeks. There was the Trikkala-Kastoria road, with the piece "leading through the Mersovon Pass to Epirus. This was now a critical route for supplies. By this time, the 6th Australian Division had lost so many anti-tank guns, they were not in a place to support the Greek army. You see, though, that General Wilson had given General Mackay "responsibility for demolitions on the Klisoura road and the Argos Orestikon-Grevena road". You see that the 102nd Anti-tank Regiment had to provide support to the 20th Greek Division. 

To simplify "cooperation" between British and Greek forces, the Greeks were forced to march "from the Vermion passes". The Australian and New Zealand forces were given the best roads. The greatest problem in Greece was the fact that the Greeks spoke only Greek, generally, and the British only spoke English. That and the fact that Wilson's organization with five commands made cooperation especially difficult. 

The next event was that General Papagos ordered the "armies of the Western Macedonia and Epirus to withdraw to the line along the Ventikos River and running through the Pindos. They would have to pull out of the deep salient. It is interesting that General Blamey thought that the "British line was an immensely strong natural position". 

The Greeks were stuck with "extremely ragged country". The 1st Armoured Brigade would have to "side-step" towards the east to enter the British area. This is based on the account in "Greece Crete and Syria" by Gavin Long.



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