Marking the 70th Anniversary

12 April 1941- ANZAC Corps re-formed in Greece.

The 6th Division 2nd AIF first engaged the Germans in Greece on the 10 April 1941

 

18 April 1941 - Tempe (or Pinios) Gorge, Greece

The 2/2nd and 2/3rd Battalions, AIF, and New Zealand's 21st Battalion stemmed a German advance in a rearguard action that enabled the main Allied force in Greece to establish a new defensive line across the Thermopylae peninsula.

 

20 April 1941 - ANZAC Corps withdraw to Thermopylae Line, Greece.

The Greek campaign ended in disaster for the Allies. Unable to hold out against numerically stronger and better organised German forces, the Allies were forced to evacuate their troops from Greece in late April 1941.

Home | Australian War Memorial

 

22 April 1941 - Evacuation of Greece begins

The evacuation marked the end of the ill-conceived Greek campaign which lasted only three weeks.

Home | Australian War Memorial

 

30 April 1941 - Last evacuation ship leaves Greece

Australian and New Zealand troops fought alongside soldiers from Greece and Britain in the ill-fated Greek campaign. General Blamey conducted a skillful evacuation of the ANZAC Corps from southern Greece at the end of the campaign.

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/P02053.003

Members of the 6th Division Signals stand on deck of the Destroyer HMS Wryneck on the way from Greece to Crete. 620 men were evacuated from Greece to Crete by HMS Wryneck which replaced the Pennland which was sunk on the very night before it was due to pick the men up.

 

26,256 Troops evacuated as Operation Dynamo nears completion and the BEF Rear Guard is evacuated.


At 2330hrs Captain Tennant sent the the following signal to Admiralty Dover after patroling the beach and hailing any British Soldiers still on the beach and received no reply.

'BEF EVACUATED'

He then sailed for Dover on MTB 102 which still survives today.

On 3rd May at 09:45 MTB 102 will be departing from Lowestoft to recreate the landing of Peter Tazelaar (Soldier of Orange) on the beach at Scheveningen (Holland). This is thought to have been the inspiration for the scene in the James Bond film, Goldfinger, when Bond emerged from the sea with a dinner jacket under his dry suit.
The landing in Holland will be on 5th May - there's more information about this at De Grote Tazelaar. Ridder & Rebel

John

 

Early "this morning" in 1941 a Catalina from 240 Squadron crashed whilst attempting to land on the waters of Lough Erne, operating from LE this was the third aircraft to be lost from 240 in four months.
All on board died and only one of the crew were later recovered from the Lough , the aircraft remains there as a war gave and the crew are remembered on a memorial stone erected on the shore line overlooking the approaches to Castle Archdale.

On the right, Pilot Officer Hirst lost when P/240 crashed on landing.

 

Just after midnight on 24 May, contact with the Bismarck was temporarily lost and only regained again at 3am, causing Holland to alter his course to meet the enemy. At around 6am, visual contact was made with the German ships, and Holland again changed course to meet the opposing battleships head-on, opening fire on the lead German ship which he erroneously believed to be the Bismarck.

The Prinz Eugen and Bismarck concentrated their fire on HMS Hood, which continued to steam towards them, at the same time attempting to turn sideways on to bring all her guns to bear and to absorb salvos on her thick side armour. In so doing, HMS Hood was hit first by an eight-inch shell from the Prinz Eugen which ignited ammunition stored on her deck, and then by a 15-inch shell from the Bismarck which hit her magazine amidships, causing a massive explosion and breaking the Hood in two.

The Hood sank almost instantly, taking with her 1,416 men, among them Vice Admiral Holland.


BBC - History - World Wars: HMS 'Hood' Sunk by 'Bismarck'
BBC - WW2 People's War - Timeline

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/remembering-today/35858-remembering-today-24-5-41-ordinary-telegraphist-albert-arthur-brandon.html#post397469

 

A picture of her last moments captured by a German photographer onboard the Bismarck.

 

On this day in history 1941: Forces under Adm Sir John Tovey (King George V) sank the German battleship Bismark in the Atlantic (48-09N, 16-07W), after a chase lasting four days.

 

5 June 1941 Cyprus reinforced by Australian troops (7th Div Cav Reg)

After their heavy losses during the invasion of Crete German plans to launch a similar attack against Cyprus were abandoned.

 

June 22 1941. Germany attacks Russia.

 

9 July 1941 Damour taken Damour was the main military base and administrative centre for the Vichy French forces in Syria. The Australian victory at Damour opened the way to Beirut and led the Vichy French to seek an armistice.

 

24 October 1941
Founding of the Army Film & Photographic Unit
70th Anniversary in two weeks