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To Greece

Appendix I — Strengths and Casualties

page 486

Appendix I
Strengths and Casualties

THE German losses in the Balkan campaign as announced by Hitler were 1160 killed, 3755 wounded and 365 missing.1

As the records of the campaign are incomplete, it is now impossible to state exactly how many British, Australian or New Zealand troops took part. Nor is it known for certain just how many were evacuated or how many were casualties and prisoners of war. So far as can be determined by the Historical Section of the United Kingdom Cabinet Office, the strengths and casualties of the forces were:

Strength Killed Wounded Prisoners
British Army 21,880 146 87 6,480
Palestinians and Cypriots 4,670 36 25 3,806
RAF 2,217 110 45 28
Australian 17,125 320 494 2,030
New Zealand 16,720 291 599 1,614
903 1,250 13,958
total 62,612 16,111

The embarkation figures in the naval reports do not always agree with these totals, but the differences are understandable if it is remembered that the embarkations took place at night and in great haste and that among those evacuated there were Greeks and refugees.

Embarkations
Night
April
Kalamata Monemvasia Tolos
Navplion
Rafina and Porto Rafti Megara Kithira Milos
24–25 6,685 5,700
25–26 5,900
26–27 8,650 4,527 8,223
27–28 4,640
28–29 332 4,320 760
29–30 33
30–1 May 202 700
9,217 4,320 11,212 18,563 5,900 760 700
Total embarked 50,672
Less loss in Slamat 500
50,172
page 487

The number of New Zealanders who missed evacuation but eventually escaped from Greece is not known. On 10 May 1941 it was estimated that 2900 New Zealanders were killed or missing, and since the final casualty figures for all categories totalled 2504 it can be argued that at least 400 men left the country by their own efforts or with the assistance of the Greeks. The figures may even be higher for by 10 May some had already found their way to Crete.

The New Zealand casualties by units were as follows:

Unit Killed in Action and Died of Wounds Wounded Prisoners Included in Prisoners Total
HQ NZ Div 2 5 10 (2 W) 17
Divisional Troops:
2 Div Cav Regt 7 12 49 (2 W, 4 DOW) 68
4 Fd Regt 4 16 69 (5 W, 3 DOW) 89
5 Fd Regt 3 7 36 (4 W) 46
6 Fd Regt 2 14 23 (2 W, 1 DOW) 39
7 A-Tk Regt 18 22 73 (11 W, 1 DOW) 113
5 Fd Pk Coy 2 3 5
6 Fd Coy 17 11 121 (13 W, 1 DOW) 149
7 Fd Coy 3 3 19 (5 W) 25
19 A Tps Coy 11 (1 W) 11
2 Div Sigs 3 11 25 (1 W) 39
27 MG Bn 8 13 33 (4 W) 54
4 NZ Inf Bde:
Bde HQ 2 4 (1 W) 6
18 Bn 21 42 117 (15 W, 5 DOW) 180
19 Bn 24 20 149 (17 W) 193
20 Bn 24 45 80 (10 W, 1 DOW) 149
(Total 4 Bde) (69) (109) (350) (528)
5 NZ Inf Bde:
Bde HQ
21 Bn 14 26 235 (9 W, 1 DOW) 275
22 Bn 12 19 22 (4 W) 53
23 Bn 9 8 36 (5 W, 1 DOW) 53
28 Maori Bn 10 6 100 (11 W, 2 DOW) 116
(Total 5 Bde) (45) (59) (393) (497)
6 NZ Inf Bde:
Bde HQ 2 1 3
24 Bn 8 6 138 (6 W, 2 DOW) 152
25 Bn 16 13 159 (47 W, 4 DOW) 188
26 Bn 15 32 57 (8 W, 2 DOW) 104
(Total 6 Bde) (41) (52) (354) (447)
NZASC (all units & att) 26 33 116 (21 W, 1 DOW) 175
NZOC 3 3 7 (2 W) 13
NZMC (all units & att) 8 5 107 (1 W) 120
Misc units 2 10 57 (5 W, 1 DOW) 69
total 261 387 1856 (212 W, 30 DOW) 2504
W = Wounded. DOW = Died of Wounds.
page 488

The Australian losses were 320 killed, 494 wounded and 2030 prisoners of war, the last total including men who were wounded before being made prisoner or who died of wounds in enemy hands. The losses of the infantry and artillery units of 6 Australian Division were:

Unit Killed Wounded Prisoners
2/1 Bn 16 17 51
2/2 Bn 14 16 112
2/3 Bn 12 31 62
2/5 Bn 21 26 47
2/6 Bn 28 43 217
2/7 Bn 7 13 73
2/4 Bn 26 38 163
2/8 Bn 21 33 106
2/11 Bn 32 32 37
2/1 MG Bn 5 7
2/1 Fd Regt 6 7 60
2/2 Fd Regt 11 10 23
2/3 Fd Regt 7 17 2
2/1 A-Tk Regt 18 16 79
total 219 304 1039

The British infantry, armoured and mobile artillery units had the following casualties:

Unit Casualties
(all Categories)
3 RTR 289
4 Hussars 465
1 Rangers 198
2 RHA 113
102 A-Tk Regt 277
64 Med Regt 53
7 Med Regt 181
106 Lt AA Regt (or Bty?) 177
1753

And, quite apart from those in the Palestinian, Cypriot and Royal Air Force units, there were the 4960 casualties in the base, line-of-communication and other non-fighting units. This high total is yet another proof that Britain had been seriously attempting to establish in Greece the base for a long campaign in the Balkans.

1 ‘The Balkan Campaign of 12 Army’, p. 45.