Changes

On 17 April, British General Henry Maitland Wilson wrote that Greek defeatism, ''"was now getting widespread"''. That evening the Greek Prime Minister, Alexander Korizis, retired into his study and shot himself after telling the Greek King that ''"he felt he had failed him in the task entrusted to him"''.

On 17 April, British General Henry Maitland Wilson wrote that Greek defeatism, ''"was now getting widespread"''. That evening the Greek Prime Minister, Alexander Korizis, retired into his study and shot himself after telling the Greek King that ''"he felt he had failed him in the task entrusted to him"''.

The German divisions broke the northern Greece defences in three days and reached the city of Athens a few weeks later, on 27 April. Australian and New Zealand forces (redesignated the ANZAC Corps) fought well, but withdrawal was soon inevitable with the loss of Koritza. The Allied defences of the historic Thermopylae Pass was merely a respite in the retreat down to Athens.

Between 20 and 22 April 1941, Australian, British and New Zealand units dug in on the Thermopylae Line with orders to hald German advance across the plain from Lamia

The invasion of Greece was completed when the German Army reached the southern shore in Peloponese on 30 April, ending the evacuation of Allied forces and resulting in the capture of 10,000 British Commonwealth troops.<ref>"Australia sent 17,125 troops to Greece, 2030 of whom were taken prisoner and 814 either killed or wounded. In total, approximately 10,000 Allied troops were taken prisoner in Greece." Diggers and Greeks: The Australian Campaigns in Greece and Crete, Maria Hill, p. 311, UNSW Press, 2010</ref> The defeat of Greece was completed with the capture of Crete a month later.

The invasion of Greece was completed when the German Army reached the southern shore in Peloponese on 30 April, ending the evacuation of Allied forces and resulting in the capture of 10,000 British Commonwealth troops.<ref>"Australia sent 17,125 troops to Greece, 2030 of whom were taken prisoner and 814 either killed or wounded. In total, approximately 10,000 Allied troops were taken prisoner in Greece." Diggers and Greeks: The Australian Campaigns in Greece and Crete, Maria Hill, p. 311, UNSW Press, 2010</ref> The defeat of Greece was completed with the capture of Crete a month later.