To Greece
Appendix I — Strengths and Casualties
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.
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 |
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. |
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.