Mount Olympus 18th April 1941

Scenario played : 16th July 2009

Having driven through the Greek 2nd Army with little trouble, the Germans found a different proposition once they ran into the ANZAC Corps digging in just west of Mount Olympus. Gen.Ferdinand Schorner of 6th Mountain Division ordered his officers to “act with the utmost severity” to encourage troops through the difficult terrain – showing why he would be become justly famed as the most hated commander of the German Army. After picking their way across ‘impassable’ ridges, the jager found a mixed Australian-New Zealand force dug-in behind the Pinios River. They immediately moved to attack.

The Jagers first obstacle proved to be the Pinios River itself. Men of the 6th Mountain Div had to cross whilst enemy artillery bombarded the crossing points chosen. These points were east of the main Australian positions and despite the bombardment, they met little on the ground resistance. Still, unwanted casualties were sustained, and this became more a problem when expected reinforcements failed to arrive in the east on the south-side of the river. In a drip-drip deployment from the crossing, the Jager were slowly able to fan out a fighting line toward the enemy. The Australians fought a canny holding battle preventing any fast forward movements from the now deploying 6th Mtn Div.

Balance was tipped more towards the Germans when the reinforcements, 143rd Mountain Regiment arrived two and half hours into the struggle. By this time, the 6th had sustained around a 100 casualties already, but now, the Aussies could be forced back under a more withering fire, so much so that Australian MG support was unable to deploy and fire. Unlike the Australians, the German fire had to consist totally of small arms as no artillery back-up was available.

A contest developed around a large forest area, and this became the Germans chance to trap some of the enemy within it. By using their superior numbers, they were able to encircle 2 coys of Australians there. The ensuing gun battle and close in fighting left around 200 Australians as casualties though total German losses were around the same too. As the Germans pushed through the wood, the Aussies began to strengthen their numbers in the adjacent town. Meanwhile, their AT gun platoons, not needed in this infantry battle began their retirement from the town westwards with an infantry escort.

At this point, the battle now concentrated around the small town. The Germans had numbers to commit, but the approach would need to be sensible in order to minimise losses. Another two companies of Gebirgsjager, flanking the main battle, went after the retreating guns. The gun battle around the town was furious with both sides off loading plenty of firepower at each other. Australian OBA also fell amongst some of the remaining close assault battles continuing in the forest.

Slowly the mountain troops edged their way to the perimeter of the town and then, finally, with one last rush just as the Australians were engaging other targets, the Jagers broke into the town itself. The outnumbered Australians fought back furiously as the battle was all now focussed on house-to-house fighting. Australian officers called in artillery modules in order to disrupt the German intruders, but one module fell amongst their own men causing some casualties. The Germans slowly gained the advantage, and now Australian losses mounted horribly as they tried to cling on to their dwindling positions.

The Australians had lost some 500 soldiers and German casualties around 240. As the battle subsided, a few more barrages were lobbed at the German troops but without effect. The late arriving reinforcements had eventually swung the advantage the German way, but only in the nick of time. The loss ratio and amount of Germans that had crossed the Pinios meant that they would claim victory, but it had been a tight affair right to the very end.