Pineios Gorge, 18 April 1941: The story of a battle, and a search for the fallen

 

Australian historian and author Dr Peter Ewer and journalist and author Dina Gerolymou will present a lecture about the battle of Pineios Gorge, at the Greek Centre, on Thursday 2 May 2019, as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne.

At Pineois Gorge on 18 April 1941, three Anzac infantry battalions fought to prevent the whole of the ANZAC Corps from being cut off by a German flank attack. They took their turn to be smashed into pieces by German armour. Knowing full well what was to come, the men of these battalions stood their ground until the units of which they were a part were broken into fragments by the weight of panzer fire. The men who died fighting Nazism in this way deserve to live longer in our memory, and Peter and Dina have been collaborating on research to do that. Based on oral histories from the residents of Ampelakia, they have sent out to find the Anzac soldiers buried by local villagers immediately after the battle. This is a fascinating story, in a history that continues to bind together the peoples of Greece, Australia and New Zealand.

Dr Peter Ewer’s doctoral thesis on Australian aviation and defence policy in the 1930s won a research prize at RMIT University in 2005. His books include: Forgotten Anzacs: the campaign in Greece, 1941, first published in 2008 and now republished in a revised edition for the 75th anniversary of the campaign,  Wounded Eagle: the bombing of Darwin and Australia’s air defence scandal (2009), Storm over Kokoda: Australia’s epic battle for the skies over New Guinea (2011), and The Long Road to Changi: Australia’s greatest military defeat (2014). He is published in internationally renowned academic journals the Journal of Military History, the Journal of Transport History, and a range of local history journals.

 

Dina Gerolymou is a journalist with over 25 years’ experience in Greece and Australia and the author of “The Battle of Crete: the untold stories” which stemmed from her investigative report on the lack of recognition for Australian World War 2 veterans and the Greek campaign. She has postgraduate qualifications in history and education. Dina has an interest in oral history and the documentation and preservation of Hellenic history in Australia. She has worked predominantly in the media, education and community services and is a keen observer of community affairs and social issues. She is currently a senior producer at the Greek Language Program of SBS Radio where her work on refugees was shortlisted for an international award.

 

When: Thursday 2 May 2019, 7.00pm

Where: Greek Centre (Mez, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne)