Battle of Tempe Gorge

Battle of Tempe Gorge
Part of the Balkans campaign during World War II
Tempe Gorge c. 1941
Date 18 April 1941 Location Tempe Gorge, Greece Result Allied victory German advance delayed.
Belligerents
Australia  New Zealand	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Arthur Samuel Allen	Ferdinand Schörner Hermann Balck
Units involved
Australian 16th Brigade New Zealand 21st Battalion	2nd Panzer Division 6th Mountain Division [1]
Strength
1 brigade	1-2 divisions (elements)
Casualties and losses
Australian: 80 killed or wounded 120 captured New Zealand: 4 killed or wounded	140 killed or wounded

The Battle of Tempe Gorge, also known as the Battle of Pinios Gorge, was a rearguard action fought by Australian and New Zealand troops during the German invasion of Greece on 18 April 1941.^[2] The battle was fought amidst the advance of German forces through central Greece, and saw a brigade-sized element dubbed "Anzac Force" fight a delaying action against elements of two German divisions,^[3] supported by armoured forces. During a day of hard fighting, the defending Anzacs suffered heavy casualties and were forced back from the gorge, but their stand allowed other Allied forces to withdraw through Larissa, and afterwards a new defensive position was established around Thermopylae.