Thermopylae is best known for the heroic three-day delaying-action fought
there in 480 B.C. by King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans along with 7,000
other Greeks against at least 200,000 Persians. The Pass then was a narrow
chariot-width track between the mountain and the sea but by 1941 the sea
had receded three miles and the position was far less defensible. The main
road to Athens from Thessaly crossed the moutains by the Brallos Pass 10
miles west of Thermopylae, its initial climb coincided with the beginning
of the Anopaea goat-track betrayed to the Persians by which they outflanked
the defenders more than 2,000 years before.

The 6th Australian Division and the 2nd new Zealand Division resurrected
the immortal name of the 1st Anzac Corps, which had fought 26 years before
at Gallipoli. The New Zealanders held down the line on the slopes of Mount
Olympus to the east near the town of Molos and the main road leading from
the Pass at Thermopylea. The Australians held down the west end of the line
on the slopes of Mt. Olympus ner the Brallo Pass that led directly south
from the town of Larnia in the north. The town of Brallos lay to the south
of the pass along the western slopes of Mt. Olympus.Both roads crossed over
the River Sperkhios that flowed into the Malian Gulf to the northeast.

The tanks of the 1st Armoured Brigade were mechanically unfit to perform
any mobile actions against the oncoming German forces due to the arduous
trek they had made in the preceeding days. The 6th New Zealand Infantry
Brigade had the support of some 90 5.5 medium and 25pdr field guns. The
Australian positions were supported by 2/2nd Australian Field Regiment.

The German forces consisted of elements of the German 40th Motorized Corps
and the 2nd Panzer Division. The 5th Panzer Division was to storm up the
Lamia-Athens road through the pass at Thermopylae with engineers,
motorcyclists, and some of the new self-propelled guns. The German main
thrust was to have gone through the Brallos Pass, but during the course
of the battle the thrust was changed towards the town of Molos.

The German forces underwent heavy pinning fire from 25pdrs during the
entire battle. Many German tanks were destroyed or so badly shot up by
2pdr anti-tank guns that they were useless.

The 1st Anzac Corps eventually fell back towards the south and escaped
the oncoming German advance.

Your Role
=========

In this battle you will play the role of the German commander and will
attempt to reach the town of Molos on the eastern edge of the map. This
battle is of reasonably short duration so don't dally along the way.
Don't get pinned down into small battles and lose sight of the overall
objective. If you do the battle will end before you obtain all the
objectives on the map.

You will have the support of 3 off-board 105mm artillery guns and the
availability of two Stukas for pin-point attacks (don't waste them!).

Just in case some of you decide not to take the road and cut through the
swamp, you probably won't make it in time due to the lower movement rates
through the swamp. You can try but don't say I didn't warn you. The
best approach is via the road since the movement rate there is much higher.
I've "timed" the end of this battle pretty closely so play it as happened
historically and you'll have a much better chance at success.

Keith Heitmann
Dheitm8612@aol.com
Stalag 13 BBS
219-763-0826

Free access via anonymous user account to the Steel Panther's file area
on Stalag 13 if you logon using the name ARMORED FIST and the password
of GIMME.