 As early as 16 April , the German command realised that the British were evacuating troops on ships at Volos and Piraeus . The campaign then took on the character of a pursuit . For the Germans , it was now primarily a question of maintaining contact with the retreating British forces and foiling their evacuation plans . German infantry divisions were withdrawn due to its limited mobility . The 2nd and 5th Panzer Divisions , the 1st SS Motorised Infantry Regiment and both mountain divisions launched a pursuit of the Allied forces . 
