The Rearguard at Elevtherokhorion, 18 April

The day was equally tense for the rearguards which had been detailed to cover the withdrawal. The forward platoon of 5 Company II/3 Panzer Regiment—motor-cycles with sidecars, followed by tanks—had left Ay Dhimitrios about 6 a.m. and come down from the Olympus Pass to the blown bridge north of Sadovon. Lieutenant Harding,² who was with the forward gun of O Troop 34 Anti-Tank Battery, thereupon ordered it into action and informed the troop from Divisional Cavalry, which then withdrew, leaving one Bren carrier with the gun. The second shell halted the leading

² Maj A. F. Harding, MC; Wellington; born Wanganui, 27 Nov 1916; accountant; wounded 25 Nov 1941.

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the rearguard at elevtherokhorion, morning 18 april 1941

page 301 tank, forcing the crew to bale out and take cover with the motorcyclists. But the approach of other tanks on the right flank forced an immediate withdrawal. Bombardier Titley¹ had been wounded but the crew managed to pull back, covered by the next gun along the road. After firing several rounds and halting another tank, this gun team in its turn pulled back, losing the portée and gun in a bog. Sergeant Stobie² and his crew then took to the hills and rejoined the unit some days later. The other anti-tank guns, those on the Servia road and the others on the Mount Olympus road, had, in the meantime, withdrawn behind A Squadron Divisional Cavalry Regiment.

The enemy had meanwhile advanced not only along the road from Mount Olympus but also across the open country to the west. By so doing they were to reach the Servia road above the junction and cut off the withdrawal of Lieutenant-Colonel Kippenberger and the 4 Brigade rearguard.

The next position held by the rearguard was a ridge on the south side of the Elevtherokhorion stream, manned by P Troop 34 Anti- Tank Battery (Lieutenant Moodie³) and a troop from A Squadron Divisional Cavalry Regiment (Lieutenant Robinson⁴). They had heard the sound of the guns as the tanks came through from Mount Olympus and had sent a motor-cyclist to investigate. He brought back news of the German approach and was followed, very shortly afterwards, by C Squadron Divisional Cavalry and the three guns of O Troop 34 Anti-Tank Battery. Behind them from the Mount Olympus road German tanks could be seen moving westwards towards the road from Servia. At the same time Lieutenant-Colonel Kippenberger's convoy suddenly came down that road and, by mistake, one of the P Troop guns opened fire upon it. But the immediate turmoil when two of the tanks cut into the little column made it quite clear to everyone that this was the 4 Brigade rearguard. Signs were frantically made to hasten the vehicles across the bridge, but only one truck⁵ came over before the engineers were forced to demolish it. With the last of A Squadron, they then withdrew over the southern ridge under fire from the tanks now approaching over the undulating country between the two roads.

The only German account is brief and somewhat exaggerated. No. 5 Company 3 Panzer Regiment had ‘a brush with 2 enemy tanks, destroying one. It pushed on and came up with a retreating column of enemy tanks and wheeled vehicles. The company opened fire from hull down positions on both sides of the road, while the leading platoon pushed on at full speed to the bridge 1 Km N W of Elefserokori [Elevtherokhorion]. This bridge was blown as the platoon approached….’¹ Unfortunately the Germans were not held up for any great length of time. A steep-sided ford was found just below the bridge and the tanks pushed on towards Elasson.

They had for some time been under fire from P Troop: Bombardier Bellringer² and Sergeant Fowler³ with their crews on the right of the road and Sergeant Cutbush⁴ on the left. These guns had opened fire when the tanks came south across country and down the Servia road. The forward gun (Bellringer's) disabled one tank and, although the orders were to withdraw after the demolition of the bridge, the crew fought on until the gun was knocked out by tank fire. Bellringer and another gunner died of wounds and the rest were captured. The other right-hand gun (Fowler's) was very successful, disabling four tanks, two armoured cars and one heavy truck and making a successful withdrawal after manhandling the gun up a steep slope. Sergeant Cutbush's gun joined in the action but was ditched when the coupling hook broke. The approaching tanks had the gun under fire but Gunner Schultz⁵ dashed back and removed the firing mechanism. The force then withdrew through the gorge to Elasson and thence across the plain to the lines of 6 Brigade, where the remaining three guns of O and P Troops 34 Anti-Tank Battery went to the 26 Battalion area south of Dhomenikon.

During the engagement the small force covering the road from Dheskati to Elasson came through, first N Troop 34 Anti-Tank Battery and then B Squadron Divisional Cavalry Regiment, whose late appearance had led to some anxious but unnecessary preparations to cover its withdrawal. With Regimental Headquarters and detachments from several other units, the squadrons went through Elasson to positions across the plain towards the left flank of 6 Brigade. The Luftwaffe chose this moment to stage a raid and at the cost of one aircraft caused casualties in both the anti-tank and Divisional Cavalry units, one officer and four other ranks being killed and two officers and two other ranks wounded.

Bishop Gerard conducts a service near Katerini, March 1941. Mount Olympus is in the background

Vevi. Looking north-west towards the Yugoslav border from a New Zealand machine-gun post. Sections of the road to Monastir are seen to the top left

Blown bridge over the Aliakmon River

New Zealand positions at Platamon castle under bombardment—from a German magazine

The coastline north of Platamon from the castle. The railwayruns to the left

Looking west towards Pandeleimon from the castle

Preparing gun positions in the Olympus Pass

Looking towards Katerini from the Maori Battalion positions in Olympus Pass—a post-war photograph

New Zealand engineers build a road in the Olympus Pass

Servia, looking towards the Aliakmon River—a post-war photograph

19 Battalion's first German prisoners, Servia

Mist covers the withdrawal through the Servia Pass

New Zealand provost on point duty, Olympus Pass

The Pinios ferry—a post-war photograph

German tanks ford the Pinios River—from a German magazine

After the attack the columns moved on, the Divisional Cavalry taking up a covering position on the left flank of 25 Battalion. As soon as they had passed through, Lieutenant Thomas¹ with a subsection from 7 Field Company demolished sections of the road in the narrow gorge to the north of Elasson. The German tanks which came through shortly afterwards were held up there for several hours.