New Zealand soldiers are greeted by the people of Athens, March 1941. The 2nd New Zealand Division had arrived in the city as part of Lustreforce – a Commonwealth force sent to help defend Greece against a feared German invasion.
When the Germans launched their invasion in early April the New Zealanders found themselves outnumbered and outgunned. After fighting a series of rearguard actions south through the country, over 50,000 Allied troops – including most of the New Zealand Division – were evacuated from southern Greece during the last week of April. The brief campaign had seen nearly 300 New Zealanders killed and over 1800 captured.
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