German Breakthrough in Greece

The 1941 Battle of the Pineios Gorge

Then and Now After the Battle

This book is part of the After the Battle series with many great black & white and color photos about what the battlefield looked like during the war and what that same area and structures look like now.  It is very interesting to compare what the areas looked like during the battle and what they look like now. This book in particular covers the German invasion of Greece in detail as well as the British, New Zealand, Australian buildup and evacuation.  It describes the German units involved including the commanders, divisions and their battle plans.  On the Allied side the book defines the British, New Zealand, Australian units, called Anzac Corps, and the Greek units that took part in the battle.  The German invasion began on 6 April 1941 and ended on 28 April 1941 with Germans having complete control of Greece. But at what cost.  In the end a total of 62,612 Anzac Soldiers were sent to Greece, 903 were killed, 1250 wounded, and 13,958 taken prisoner. The Germans lost 1160 killed, 3755 wounded and 365 missing. Also, after the German victory when they were transporting a lot of their equipment back to Germany in preparation for the invasion of Russia, some of the ships were sunk.

Book Information

• Author: Jeffrey Plowman
• Hardcover book
• 176 Pages
• Loads of color and black and white photos
• A few maps and diagrams are also included

Here is what is in the book

The German Leaders

The British, Australian and New Zealand (Anzac) Leaders

A detailed map of the invasion and evacuation of the Anzac forces

This would definitely make a great diorama!

Here are a few examples of the Before and After photos.  It is quite interesting to see what it looked like during the war and what it looks like now. 

Some of the areas haven't changed at all while others changed dramatically.

A photo of a few of the German forces used for the invasion of Greece,

A couple of Panzers II's and a Panzer III that didn't make across the river.

Some of the 14,00 plus Anzac prisoners that were captured by the Germans.

Map of where the German transport ships were sunk

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.  Each chapter will also provide you a few Before (Black & White) and After (Color) photos of the battlegrounds. It will end with the evacuation plan of the Anzac forces and what succeeded and what failed. Also, one of the last chapters will describe the "Sinking of a Panzer Division". The German did lose a lot of equipment on the ships that were sunk.  The final chapter "Anatomy of a Pyrrhic Victory" will describe the devastating loses on both sides and the effect the Battle of the Pineios Gorge had on both sides.

Highly Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders.

Thanks go out to Casemate Publishing for this book sample.

Reviewed by Frank Froment, Minuteman AMPS

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