26 April 1941. Thermopylae Line, Greece.
During the night the forward companies of 25th Battalion, 6th Brigade of 2nd New Zealand Division, which had borne the brunt of the fighting the day before had been able to disengage and fall back towards Molos. All things considered, their casualties hadn’t been as heavy as feared, the Division’s artillery had protected them from too much direct contact. 24th Battalion at Ayia Trias were now facing the onslaught of the German 72nd Infantry Division. The remaining guns of 5th Field Regiment and many of the anti-tank guns had also been withdrawn during the night. Three A13 tanks had been dug in to provide an anti-tank capability, as well as their co-axial machine guns providing extra firepower.
The mounting pressure by the Germans on the Greek Battalion on the left flank of the Brallos Pass had caused them to pull back further up the hills, meaning that a gap between them and the Australians was beginning to grow. As this became more obvious, Brigadier Vasey ordered the 2/11th Battalion to withdraw from the forward slope of the pass and join 2/8th Battalion at Gravia, and get ready to move out that evening. The 2/4th Battalion, now complete as the Company attached to the Greeks had returned, were to continue to hold the crest and rear slope of the pass, hopefully the demolitions that would be carried out as 2/11th Battalion withdrew would help slow the Germans. The Divisional artillery, with the expectation they would be evacuated, would not stint on supporting the infantry, there was little point in carrying any ammunition away with them.
The German 6th Mountain Division and 72nd Infantry Division, on whom most of the fighting on 26 April fell, found the Greeks, Australians and New Zealanders to be tenacious in defence. The progress the Germans made usually coincided with Luftwaffe attacks, during which the artillery generally tried to prevent their positions being given away. Casualties on both sides mounted, the Australian 2/11th Battalion and 24th New Zealand Battalion being particularly hit hard, a whole platoon of 2/11th battalion were cut off and those not killed, were captured.
In the late afternoon, the progress of the 6th Mountain Division around the flank of the Greek Battalion caused problems. Brigadier Vasey ordered the two effective Companies of 2/8th Battalion to move forward and re-establish the Australian connection to their Greek allies. This local counterattack caused the German forward troops to disengage, allowing most of the Greek troops to fall back towards Brallos.
General Blamey, as Corps Commander, had decided that the chances of being outflanked from the west were too high, and so he’d ordered the other two Battalions of the New Zealand 5th Brigade back to where their mates were preparing positions at Erithrai. This would be the line to which the New Zealanders would fall back through, heading then through Athens to the beaches at Raphina and Porto Raphti. 5th Brigade would hold the blocking position, to allow 4th and 6th Brigade to go directly to the beaches.
The Australian infantry battalions would move over the Corinth Canal towards the embarkation ports of Nouplia and, with heavier Luftwaffe attempts to slow the evacuation, to Kalamata. The Australian and New Zealand artillery regiments would head for Pireas to try to get as many guns away as possible. The way things were shaping up at Thermopylae, Admiral Baillie-Grohman had brought forward the plan to evacuate the two fighting divisions, which had been due to begin on the night of the 28/29 April, would now begin on 27/28 April. This would mean that the line at Thermopylae would only have to be held this day, with the pull out beginning at dusk. Much of 1st Armoured Brigade, having had a chance to do some maintenance on their tanks, and rest for a day or so, would once again, with infantry supplied by the Australian 17th Brigade, be the covering force to slow any German advance chasing the withdrawing Empire forces.
As dusk descended, Brigadier Vasey’s men started to thin out their positions, and the transport for the troops moved up during the night to allow the men the shortest march out. Vasey’s losses meant that there was space for most of the Greek troops to be able to board the lorries and go with the Australians on their overnight journey.
The New Zealanders, against whom the Germans had made little progress, also withdrew during the night, so that when the 72nd Division attack on Molos began at dawn, they found nothing but demolitions and mines.
