Battle of Tempe Gorge 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 in 1941 . As the main Australian contingent retreated from the German forces towards the south of Greece , a holding action was determined to be conducted to delay the pursuing German forces at Tempe Gorge , a site deemed suitable for the defence . The force for this action was dubbed " Anzac Force " . It was relatively small , consisting of the Australian 16th Brigade , 2nd Australian Imperial Force , fighting alongside New Zealand forces consisting of the 21st Battalion , the 26th Battery of the 4th Field Regiment and L Troop of 7th Anti Tank Regiment . Some of the units had seen action recently in Libya against the Italians , before being hastily transported to Greece to help against the German invasion . Anzac Force was commanded by Brigadier Arthur Samuel Allen . The Australian units were armed with mortars , small arms and anti tank rifles , while the NZ force had artillery pieces , including 25 pounders , but were short of ammunition . The Boys anti - tank rifle s were said to be useless , and the Bren Gun Carriers were long due for replacement . At that time there was almost no British armour in Greece , many tanks having been destroyed by Waffen SS tanks at the Battle of Vevi on 13 April . On 18 April , the 6th Geberg Panzer Division , commanded by General Ferdinand Schörner , lined up on the other side of the Pinios River , from the Anzac Force . The river was fordable at this point . The German aim was to attack the choke point at Larissa , where the main body of Anzacs were funnelling through , and cut off their retreat . Allen ' s aim was to hold the area and allow his force to protect the main force ' s withdrawal . The Anzac force lined up against the expected German crossing points . Companies were positioned rather thinly , with 1000 yards between each . The Australian 2 / 2nd Battalion was to support Allen ' s HQ . It was in the most vital defence position , across from Gonnos from where the German forces would attack . The New Zealand 21st Battalion formed up on the right , and destroyed a bridge so as to prevent its use by the Germans . The 21st however , had suffered substantial losses at Platamos , and was low on rounds for its artillery . German units led by Lieutenant - Colonel Hermann Balck attacked the NZ 21st . Balck had previously pushed back the 21st some days earlier at Platamos , they had been surprised at the appearance of German Stug assault gun vehicles . At Platamos , the German Stug s had travelled terrain the ANZACs had assumed was not traversable by German vehicles , based on their knowledge of the abilities of the British tanks ( which were not as capable in rough terrain ) . The New Zealand 21st Battalion could not hold against Balcks ' s units , and was nearly overrun , retreating into the hills . At this point , some German tanks crossed the Pinios river which the 21st had been guarding . This left the 2 / 2nd as the only unit on the field , who continued the battle . A unit of Bren Gun Carriers attempted to push back German troops crossing the river , but failed with losses of some of the carriers . Mortars were initially out of range of the German troops , but were purposely ( and dangerously ) overloaded with charge to give them greater range . Despite desperate holding actions , by 5 : 30 pm on the 18th , the battle had turned to chaos and the 2 / 2nd disintegrated under the German attacks . By 6 : 45 pm orders were issued to those companies that could be contacted , that they should withdraw . The Anzac forces had been badly depleted from the German attacks , but had managed to hold their ground for the day , allowing the main forces to escape through Larissa .