3rd (Greek) Mountain Brigade

[Andy H]

After the capitulation of Greece in 1941, three Greek Brigades were formed. The 1st & 2nd Independent Brigades and the 3rd Mountain Brigade.

The 3rd Mountain Brigade was also known as the "Rimini" Brigade in commemoration of its part in the battle for that town.

Can anyone supply any details of it's actions at Rimini or eleswhere and a OoB if possible.

Andy

[Andy H]

Pickings are scare on this unit, all's I have so far is that the unit may well have tried to Mutiny in Egypt in late 1943 and that the British 14/20 King's Hussars were called in to quell the situation.

Andy

[Tyrant]

All I know is that they where in The 15th army group, 8th British army, I Canadian corps in the Italian Campign. sorry if that doesn't help.

[Andy H]

I was aware of that fact, but no need to apologise, all information if known already just confirms it.

Andy

[Octavianus]

Ave Andy,

On 23 June 1941 the Army commander, Lieutenant-General Tzanakakasis formed the 1st Greek brigade, under Brigadier Katsotas, in Palestine with 4,500 men, mostly from escaped Greek military personnel from Greece and Crete and volunteering Greek resident overseas like for example from a large Greek community in Egypt. The Order of Battle of the 1st Greek Brigade was as follows:
- 1st Infantry Battalion
- 2nd Infantry Battalion
- 3rd Infantry battalion
- 1st Artillery Regiment (battalion-strength)
- 1st Engineer Company
- 1st Machine-Gun Company
and
- 1st Medical Battalion

The 1st Independent Armoured Regiment (battalion-strength), formed with jeep-mounted recoilless guns, was later absorbed after heavy losses into 1st Artillery Regiment. On 27 July 1942 the 2nd Greek Brigade was formed at Almiriya Camp, Egypt with 5,th, 6th and 7th Infantry Battalions, 2nd Artillery Rgt. and other auxiliary units.

The 1st Greek Brigade fought well at El-Alamein from 23 October to 4 November 1942. However due to know development in Egypt in April 1944, the brigade was disbanded immediately, reforming on 4 June 1944 with 3,500 loyal troops as the Greek 3rd Mountain Brigade ("Mountain" was a courtesy title as all Greek infantry were mountain-trained). In August 1944 the 3rd Mountain Brigade embarked for Italy joining 1st Canadian Division, with which it breached the Gothic Line and entered Rimini after heavy fighting on 21 November 1944. It returned back to Greece in December 1944 with other British and Indian troops to prevent ELAS seizing power after the departure of the Germans.

I believe the Rimini Operation was the only military major operation executed by the Greeks in Italy. However on 14 September 1944, the brigade, supported by a machine-gun company and a mortar company from the Sasketchewan Light Infantry, set off on a mission to secure the right flank of the 1st Canadian Division for the attack across the Marano River. Enemy fire was persistent, but the brigade managed to clear several enemy strong points, at a cost of more than 100 casualties. A week later, after making their way through a densely mined airfield, they occupied Rimini, the battered Canadians and Greeks raised both Greek and Canadian flags atop the town hall. As mentioned the Greek brigade had reinforced the 1st Canadian Corps and had entered the line on the right between the 1st Canadian Armoured Cavalry Regiment and 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade. The 1st Canadian Inf. Brigade with the Greeks under command and supported by NZ divisional artillery advanced to Marrechia on the coastal sector. On 21 September after heavy fightings the Greeks entered Rimini from the south and occupied it after it was abandoned by the German paratroopers on the fall of Fortunato. Shortly afterwards the brigade found its way back to Athens where they were at first fighting against various insurgent groups and ELAS in the town until forming the bulk of the newly established Greek Army. In short the list of their military operations would consist of the following actions:
- El-Alamein 1942 (Egypt)
- Marano River 1944 (Italy)
- Rimini 1944 (Italy)
- Athens 1944 (Greece)

I don't have OOB the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade in 1944, but I pressume that it was composed the same as her parent 1st Brigade from 1942, that is three infantry rifle battalions, artillery regiment and some support units.

Gratiam,

Octavianus

[Andy H]

Octavianus

Many many thanks for this info, I hadn't even managed to find which allied unit they were attached to, but now you have shown me the door with the Canadian connection I may be able to dig up some more info

Gratiam

Andy

[Octavianus]

Ave Andy,

Many many thanks for this info, I hadn't even managed to find which allied unit they were attached to, but now you have shown me the door with the Canadian connection I may be able to dig up some more info

As you can see Andy, I am just repaying some of my old debts.
I'm glad the info here has helped you and please let me know if you'll come up with anything new, especially OOB for 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade and any more information about her actions in Italy in 1944. Certainly another obscure topic which deserves to be given more attention.

Gratiam,

Octavianus

[Andy H]

The 1st Greek Brigade which was also known as the 1st Greek Infantry Brigade Group(?) served at one stage as part of the British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division at El-Alamien and later (Very briefly) with the famous 51st (Highland) Infantry Division.

Andy

[Wayne Turner]

I've been hunting around for information on the Greek 3rd Mountian Brigade and have so far found the following:

(from http://www.nzetc.org)

At the request of the Greek Government and with the approval of the New Zealand Government, 3 Greek Mountain Brigade was placed under the aegis of the New Zealand Division. The brigade was composed mainly of men whom war had made exiles; it had been recruited from the reliable elements of two brigades of the Greek Royal Army which had mutinied for political reasons while stationed in the Middle East. It comprised three battalions of infantry (each of three companies only), a regiment of field artillery and attached troops, but had neither armour nor engineers. Of its 3000 or more officers and men, some had seen action in Albania and at El Alamein. General Freyberg inspected the brigade at Taranto on 17 August and was much impressed by the Greeks' bearing. The brigade joined the Division a few days later and did an exercise under New Zealand supervision to familiarise its officers with methods of co-operation of all arms and to test its organisation and communication.

The Greek commander, Colonel Thrassivoulos Tsakalotos, appealed to General Freyberg on 31 August for permission to march through Rome: ‘… from the time the Greek Expeditionary Force … had set foot on Italian soil I felt the soldiers' desire to pass through Rome in order not to avenge but to efface an abominable action of the Italians in Athens, i.e., the sacrilege of the Acropolis by the hoisting of the Italian flag, action achieved with the complicity of the Germans…. For the moral satisfaction of the whole of Greece, the Army Commander and yourself are kindly requested to consent to take the salute of a March Past in Rome itself, of a Greek detachment of officers and men, made up of representatives from all units, and exclusively from those who fought in Albania….’1

General Freyberg tactfully replied that ‘while sympathising with your natural feelings in this matter, we as New Zealanders would also have liked to march through Rome but it was not allowed.’2 He was certain General Alexander would not agree to the suggestion. This Tsakalotos accepted without further ado.

(from http://www.vac-acc.ga.ca)

The Greek brigade was assigned to the Canadian Corps to gain battle experience in September 1944, just as the Allies were preparing to launch an offensive toward Rimini. On September 14, the brigade, supported by a machine-gun company and a mortar company from the SLI (Saskatoon Light Infantry), set off on a mission to secure the right flank of the 1st Canadian Division for the attack across the Marano River. Greyeyes headed one of four mortar platoons. Enemy fire was persistent, but the brigade managed to clear several enemy strong points, at a cost of more than 100 casualties. A week later, after making their way through a densely mined airfield, they occupied Rimini, raising both Greek and Canadian flags atop the town hall.

(from http://www.sikhspectrum.com/052005/ital ... morial.htm)

Along the rest of the front, however, the fighting had been probably the severest experienced by either Army in Italy. On 21st September the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade entered Rimini, on the Adriatic coast. On 24th September the important Futa pass, on one of the main routes across the Appennino's, and one of the strongest defensive positions on the German line, was cleared. By the end of September the Germans had decided to abandon all their Gothic Line positions except in the extreme west. The fighting during September had been severe and the losses on both sides heavy. The Allied armies had won a great success, but at high cost, and they were unable to follow it up as they would have wished. The Eighth Army had advanced about 48 kilometres in less than a month, and hoped now to be able soon to reach the Po; but apart from their battle casualties, they now lost the 4th Indian Division and the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade, ordered to Greece, and they had not the reserve of manpower to keep up their strength.

(from http://www.ucc.ie/staff/jprodr/macedoni ... dww2e.html)

In the Middle East, Italy and back in Greece

About 9,000 escaped to Crete, others fled through Turkey to Egypt. These constituted the 18,500-strong Royal Hellenic Army in the Middle East which came under British command and which eventually formed three brigades, an armoured car regiment, an artillery regiment, and the Greek Sacred regiment, made up solely of officers.

One brigade fought at the second El Alamein battle before being withdrawn, but the rest, apart from the Greek Sacred Regiment, saw little active service as the army was riven by politics. After the mutiny of April 1944, which precipitated a confront with British forces, much of it was interned.

The rest were used for non-operational duties, though 2,500 of those regarded as more 'reliable' were formed into the Third Mountain Brigade which subsequently fought with distinction in the Italian campaign.

There it became known as the Rimini Brigade, and it helped the British quell the ELAS insurgency in Athens in December 1944.

(Abridged from Command Discision Forum)

III Greek Mountain Brigade, Italy 1944

Brigade HQ:
3 Mountain Infantry battalions, each with:
HQ
Carrier Patrol
3 Infantry Companies

III Field Artillery Regiment
3 Field Artillery Battalions,

Squadron, NZ 4th Armoured Brigade (attached):

1st Company, NZ 22nd (motor) Battalion (attached):

A Company, Saskatoon Light Infantry (attached):
Machine-gun Platoon
Saskatoon Light Infantry (attached):
Heavy Mortar Platoon
Anti-tank Battery (attached)(unknown)

The NZ tank squadrons were:
B Sqn, 20th Armoured Regt (14th Sept.)
C Sqn, 18th Armoured Regt (15th to 18th Sept.)
C Sqn, 19th Armoured Regt (19th to 21st Sept.)
The AT battery was most probably from 1st Canadian Division.

Also my good friend Steven Thomas has written an article on them for his site using mainly New Zealand sources (who the Greeks fought with in Italy).

http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/nz/1939/rimini.htm

Wayne

[mufasa]

.. very nice topic!!! and two of my favorites photos of greek soldiers in Rimini (21th sept. 1944 Giulio Gesare Place)



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[mufasa]

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[mufasa]

the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade, after Rimini returns home full of glory and again at the forefront of the latest blows to the retreating Germans and the Communist partisans ..... and after the war traditions of the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade are taken from the Greek 3rd Mechanised Brigade Rimini ".... here is the badge of the brigade with "Rimini" at


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[mufasa]

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[mufasa]

..and finally a photo of Riccione (5 km south of Rimini Greek Militar War Cemetery with 114 greek soldiers dead in Romagna in autun 1944.....

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[David W]

Andy.

Any idea of the War Establishment of the 1st Brigade when it was with the 50th Division?