After participating in the Balkan campaign the II./JG 77 was on 13 April relocated to Vrba in Yugoslavia. Posted here for the support of the advancing German ground forces along the coast of the Agenean Sea.

And two days later, on 15 April parts of the Gruppe flew their first mission over Greece, attacking the RAF base at Larissa.

On this Brittish base three Hurricanes from No 33 Sqn, piloted by Flight Lieutenant Mackie, Pilot offcer Chetham and Sergeant Genders were at this moment on dawn standby ready for any intruder.

When the three Hurricanes began to roll across the airfield around 15 "Yellow nosed" Messerschmitts was seen coming in very low, obviously with the intention of strafing the aifield. As the three Hurricanes had not left the ground when the 109s made their first pass, which was completed without a shot being fired.

Instead the German pilots when seeing the Hurricanes taking off deliberately letting them get into the air. The Brittish fighters climbing hard and after reaching no more than 1 000 feet the Hurricanes where promptly attacked from behind.

The first Hurricane to go down was flow by P/O Chetham, the onlookers, saw Chetham's Hurricane (V7419) glide down, almost as if under control, and disappear behind some trees.

He was shot down by Lt. Jacob Arnoldy flying in his "white 5" for his seventh abschusse. However as Arnoldy with his higher speed overshot the another two Hurricanes, F/L John Mackie turned in behind his tail and then chased Arnoldy´s Bf 109 right across the airfield blasting away.

Occupied with the target in front of him F/L Mackie had not notice that Arnoldy´s wing man Fw. Otto Niemeyer had sneaked up behind and with a burst hitting Mackie´s machine. The Hurricane was seen staggered, went into a steepening dive, and finally flicked over the vertical before hitting the ground and burning.

Arnoldy however was lucky to be able to leave his stricken fighter at 1 000 feet, he was seen drifting down in his parachute towards the airfield when some ground gunners opened fire hitting him in his chest.

At the same time his Messerschmitt made a perfect belly landing on its own in a field alongside the aerodrome, not far from the 33 Sqn offcers's mess tent, it was to be Flight Lieutenant Mackie last and seventh victim.

The third Hurricane flown by Sergeant Genders, who had never taken part in a real dogfight before, had during the clash climbed away from the gaggle of Messerschmitts. He did not only managed to escape with his life, but also manage to cling to the tail of Fw. Niemeyer and miraculous shoot this ace down.

Niemeyer was however lucky to survive, manage to avade capture and later he was to return to his 4th Staffeln.

However Lt. Jacob Arnoldy landed badly wounded in his parachute and was soon rushed to 33 Sqn Medical Officer's, Henderson tent but died of his severe wounds shortly after. When The Sqn Ldr Pattle later learned that the Arnoldy had been shot while hanging in his parachute he became furious.

To summon up this battle one could conclude that the three RAF pilot´s, outnumbered and in a obvious tactical disadvantage performed well, with both sides claiming, downing two aircraft each.

The result of the Messerschmitts strafing their base this day, was according to the British a failure. Not a single Hurricane on the ground had been hit, but an odd assortment of Greek aircraft, including some old Avro Tutors, a few Gloster Gladiators and a captured Savoia 79 all went up in flames.

As the groundcrews were busy trying to clear up the mess, the Air Officer Commanding the RAF in Greece arrived and brought some distressing news. The British forces had been out flanked by the advancing German Panzers forcing them surrendering Larissa, and all the other airfields in the north.

The Greek campaign would be costly for both the 33 Sqn and II./JG 77. When Marmaduke Thomas St John Pattle was promoted to Squadron Leader on 12 March 1941 his Squadron had 13 Hurricanes on charge. By this time Pattle was recognized to be a first-rate fighter pilot with at least 23 enemy aircraft destroyed under his belt.

The II Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 77 would over Greece and later over Crete from 15 April to 30 May lose no less than 20 Messerschmitts (75% of its total numbers), three of them in air-combat and another ten due to FLAK. With five pilot killed, another two MIA, and three pilots taken prisoner (33% losses). Includied in the severe pilot losses was two Gruppenkommandeurs and one of its Stafflkapitäns. All this for own filed claimes of 18 enemy aircraft shot down

The 33 Squadron while taken part in the battles over Greece would in a weeks time, from 13 to 20 April be wiped out, losing all of its aircraft, and with them 11 of its pilots, including Pattle.

Sqn Ldr Pattle who during this period was accredited with total of somewhere between 40 to 55 victories. was finally on 20 April together with another two 33 Sqn pilots shot down while battling out with Bf 110s. As the highest scoring British pilot in WW II he is still listed as missing in action.