Pinios #1*
*
Anzac Delay vs German Advance*

*
17 April 1941*

*
Scenario Design: Pyros Lambert*
Map Design: Pyros Lambert*
*
Primary Objectives:*
You should deploy in the South-West end of the road and you must assist the local defense.*
*
Secondary Objectives:*
You should try to delay the enemy.*
You should try to inflict maximum damage to the enemy.*
You should be very cautious with the casualty rate of your Core Force because you might face total destruction during this battle!*
*
*
INTEL:*
You will face one Infantry Bn advancing from the East, one Mtn Bn advancing from the NW, two Brandenburg Coys advancing from the SW and two Pz Coys advancing from the East.*
The village will be target of a multi-directional attack, and the enemy patrols will try to infiltrate your lines and attack the village from the rear.*
I suggest you to deploy your artillery assets somewhere to the SW artillery park.* 
The Pz Coys will make their advance on both the North and South shores.*
Be cautious with the enemy ON-Map artillery units and try to counter-strike them at any occasion (look for smoke traces).*
The enemy will receive as reinforcements several ammo unit (resupply) next to each on map artillery after turn 50.*
If everything else fails try to make a last hold next to the artillery park in the West location.*
Whenever possible try to take advantage of the tall buildings.*
*
*
Historical Background*
*
*
The Germans enter the Pinios Gorge, Afternoon 17 April *
(text from www.nzetc.org)*
*
On 17 April 21 Battalion was joined by 16 Australian Brigade Group, for General Wilson had now realised the danger to his right flank. Brigadier A. S. Allen, who took command with the task of barring the way to Larisa, deployed his force—three battalions including 21 Battalion —east and west of Tempe village on the south side of the river. The Germans carried on with their plans for getting through to Larisa in time to cut off the British troops: Balck was to push through the Pinios Gorge, and was further reinforced with 11/304 Infantry Regiment; 6 Mountain Division, in view of the delays imposed on 2 Panzer Division, was to march through the mountains to Gonnos.*
Balck's troops got away from a bad start:*
The coast road was a quagmire as a result of the heavy rains, and was impassable. The tunnel could not be repaired…. Tanks were moving forward … but all petrol for them had to be manhandled up. Ground heavily mined … 149 wounded in hospital at Katerini and a large number more still with the forward troops…. *
It was midday before the forward troops reached the Pinios at the east end of the gorge, followed by the first of the tanks which had bumped down the coast from Platamon on the railway track. The walls of the gorge rose steeply on both sides of the Pinios River. On the south side the road wound and twisted just above the riverbed, while on the north side the railway line clung to the narrow river bank. The reconnaissance squadron of 6 Mountain Division, which had moved down to the mouth of the Gorge from the hills while the rest of the division carried on to Gonnos, had already found that the bridges and ferry had been demolished and that the railway line was effectively blocked about half-way up the gorge. The squadron had met such a hail of machine- gun fire from the south bank that it had not been able to get beyond this demolition.*
Balck took the squadron under command and ordered it to press on along the northern bank. The tanks were ordered into the gorge, but found that the demolitions on the railway line had been so thorough that not even the engineers could promise an immediate passage. Two officers looked for a ford over the river so that the tanks could use the road on the south bank, and by swimming and wading found a passable spot.*
A Mark II tank drove determinedly down the high, steep embankment into the water. It struggled through the water like a walrus, with nothing showing except its turret … the driver … was sitting up to his middle in water and the waves completely prevented him from seeing anything. Finally the tank clambered out on the other side, amid loud cheers from the spectators … now the leading five tanks crossed the river one after the other. Two missed the track and sank helplessly….*
By nightfall only four tanks had crossed the river. Three of these were bogged in a swamp while trying to get round a demolition in the road, and the decision was made to halt for the night. Nothing had been seen of the British positions, but patrols found to their cost that the demolitions were covered by machine-gun fire. The Germans soon found, too, that the gorge was within range of British artillery, for scarcely had they... bedded down when there was a whistling through the air … everybody jumped for cover behind, under, and in the tanks…. The detonations echoed viciously, we thought the enemy was shelling us with super-heavy guns. More and more accurately did the shells fall… repeated almost hourly until morning … there were dead and wounded on both sides of the Pinios.*
On the morning of the 18th one company from 11/304 Infantry Regiment crossed the river on kapoc floats and was immediately put to work filling in the demolition that prevented the tanks from advancing along the road to Tempe. Patrols from 8/800 Brandenburg Regiment and a platoon from this company then attacked along the road, supported by the six tanks now across the river. The squadron from 6 Mountain Division worked along the north bank. It was approximately midday, and by this time troops from 6 Mountain Division, which had, unopposed, crossed the tortuous mountain paths of Olympus to Gonnos, had forced a crossing west of and behind 21 Battalion. The 3rd Panzer Regiment burst through the mouth of the gorge at Tempe and joined forces with 6 Mountain Division, completely cutting off 21 Battalion. Apart from delaying actions by the rest of Brigadier Allen's force, the battle for the Pinios Gorge was over.*
*