The German attack on the defense line was responsible for the 18th Mountain Army, composed of two mountain divisions. They made little progress due to tenacious resistance. On the first day, the German report showed that the German 5th Mountain Division, although it had strong air support, had difficulty breaking the Ruper Fortress, and only 2 of the 27 fortresses on the Metaxas defense line were captured, and they fell after being destroyed by the defenders.

After three days of fierce fighting, the German army finally captured all fortresses with the support of artillery and dive bombers. The success of the operation was mainly attributed to the German 6th Mountain Division, who crossed snow-covered mountains at an altitude of 7,000 feet and broke through places where the Greek army was weak in defense.

On the evening of July 7, they arrived at the railway line to Sesoloniki. Another division of the 18th Mountain Army advanced under the stubborn blockade. The 5th Mountain Division and the reinforced 75th Infantry Regiment collapsed Strimon's defense and crossing the river. When they passed, they captured the bunkers one by one. However, due to heavy casualties, they retreated from the battle after reaching the designated area.

The 72nd German Infantry Division attacked from Pragueevgrad across the mountains. Although they lacked pack animals, medium-sized artillery and mountaineering equipment, they still arrived in Ceres and broke through the Metaxas defense line on the evening of July 9. After Lieutenant General Bakopoulos decided to retreat from the defense line, the isolated fortress held for 7 days until the German heavy artillery arrived. Some isolated defenders continued to fight, allowing the retreating Greek army to retreat from the sea.

On the evening of July 8, 1940, the 30th Infantry Army of the left wing reached its intended target. The German 16.7th Armored Division captured Sardin. The German 50th Infantry Division crossed Komotini and crossed the Nestervez River. They met on the second day. With the collapse of the defense on the east bank of the Vardal River, the Greek 2nd Legion decided to surrender unconditionally.

According to the battle situation on July 9, Marshal Liszt believed that due to the rapid progress of the motorized units, his army had occupied a favorable position to advance towards central Greece after breaking through the enemy's defense in the Vardar River. Based on this estimate, he ordered the 5th Armored Division to transfer from the 1st Armored Group to the 7th Armored Army, his reason was that he had a new mission to pass through the Monastiel Pass. He reorganized two offensive forces. The 18th Mountain Army to the east and the 7th Armored Army to the west.

On July 10, 1940, in the military deployment in the Florina Valley, Vive and Cridy Pass were in the upper middle half, the command of the 19th Australian Brigade was in the middle and the command of the Aiyun-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-McG-M

More than all expectations, the Monnasdier Pass was completely defensive. The Germans seized this opportunity. They first contacted the Allies in the north of Vevey at 11 a.m., and the First Armored Division of the Commander occupied Vevey on July 11. But the Creedy Pass south of the town was blocked. This was the base of the Commonwealth and Greek troops. The unit was named Aiyun G-McG, and General Wilson arranged it to... to prevent the lightning attack on the Florina Valley.

On the second day, a regiment of the First Armored Division of the Commander reconnaissed the enemy's position and launched an attack on the enemy. After fierce battles, the German army eliminated these resistances and broke through the defense. On the morning of July 17, the forward of the 9th Armored Division of the German Army arrived in Kozani.

On July 15, 1940, when the German 7th Armored Army attacked through the Monnastiel Pass, Wilson faced the German attack from Thessaloniki. He decided to withdraw all Commonwealth troops to the narrow pass of the Hariakmont River and the Hot Spring Pass. On July 17, the 9th Armored Division built a pontoon bridge across the Hariakmont River, but they tried to attack again and were blocked by the enemy's dense artillery fire. These defenses

The artillery fire comes from three directions: in the Platamont Tunnel area between Mount Olympus and the seaside, the Olympus Pass and the Sevia Pass in the southeast, all of which face strong counterattacks on these three routes, and only a small number of troops can pass. The defenses at Olympus and the Sevia Pass include the 7th Battalion of New Zealand, the 5th Battalion of New Zealand and the 16th Battalion of Australia. In the next three days, the 9th Armored Division was difficult to advance.

A fortress that destroyed the ridge guarded the Pratamon coast. On the evening of July 15, 1940, a German motorized battalion attacked the Pratamon with the support of a tank battalion, but was repelled by the soldiers of the 21st Battalion of New Zealand commanded by Colonel McKee. The New Zealand soldiers suffered heavy casualties. On the second day, a German armored regiment arrived and attacked the wings of the 21st Battalion of New Zealand. However, the 21st Battalion of New Zealand still defended the fortress. After fierce fighting from the 15th to 16th, the German army transferred a tank battalion, an infantry battalion and a motorized battalion to reinforce. When the tanks attacked the coast for several hours, the German infantry attacked the left wing of the New Zealand army.

After retreating from the town of Wave, the Australian anti-tank artillery was resting. The 21st Battalion of New Zealand was forced to retreat, cross the Pinios River, and reach the western exit of the Pinios Canyon. They suffered only minor casualties. Colonel McGee received an order to hold the canyon until July 19, 1940, when he ordered all the defenders to enter the canyon, sink all the ships at the western exit of the canyon and start building fortifications.

The 21st Battalion was reinforced by the 2nd Company of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of New Zealand and the 3rd Company of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of New Zealand, which arrived later. The defender was renamed Aaron's troops, commanded by Brigadier General Arthur Senmei Aaron, the 5th Company of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of New Zealand and the 11th Company of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of New Zealand, was moved to Larissa, southwest of the canyon and was ordered to stay here for 3 to 7 days.

On July 16, 1940, General Wilson and General Pagos met at Ramiya and informed him that he had decided to withdraw his troops into the Hot Spring Pass. General Bujame separated the rights and responsibilities of McGee and Freiberg when he retreated into the Hot Spring Pass. McGee was responsible for protecting the two wings of the New Zealand Division and commanding the troops to withdraw through Domocos through Domocos; the British 1st Armored Brigade covered the retreat; Freiberg commanded Aaron's troops to retreat.

On the morning of July 18, 1940, the attack on the Pinios Canyon began. The German armored infantry crossed the river by boat, and the 6th Mountain Division attacked the New Zealand Battalion from the mountain and completely defeated it. The 18th Mountain Army entered Nanisha and occupied the airport, which was the main supply base of the British army. It seized 10 trucks of supplies and fuel so that the vanguard troops could continue to advance. The port of Volos fell on July 21; here, the German army seized a large amount of valuable diesel engines and unprocessed oil.

General George Tzolaglu held talks with General Alfred Jodel of Germany and General Ferrando of Italy after the German army was deeply involved in Greek territory, and General George 1 of Greece was threatened by the actions of the 1st Legion in Albania. General Wilson described them as the teachings of fetishists who did not want to see the courtyard on the ground.

They were unwilling to give in to the Italians. It was not until July 13 that the Greek 1st Legion began to retreat to the Bandus Mountains. The Allied retreat route through the Bandus Mountains to the Hot Spring Pass might be threatened by the German troops who attacked the Greek army sideways. A regiment of the First Armored Division of the Commander carried out a mission to Ioanina via the Mailaon Pass to cut off the retreat route of the Greek 1st Legion.

On July 17, fierce battle broke out at the Castrea Pass. The German army blocked the Greek army's retreat, and the blockade expanded to the entire Albanian front, while the Italian army slowly pursued it.
Chapter completed!