Battle of Greece Part of Balkans Campaign, World War II Nazi Germany's attack on Greece Date April 6 – April 30, 1941 Location Greece Result Axis victory, occupation of Greece Belligerents Germany Italy Bulgaria Greece United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Commanders Wilhelm List Alexander Papagos, Henry Maitland Wilson, Bernard Freyberg Thomas Blamey Strength Germany:[1] 680,000 men, 1200 tanks 700 aircraft 1Italy:[2] 565,000 men 1Greece:[3] 430,000 men British Commonwealth:[4] 262,612 men 100 tanks 200-300 aircraft Casualties and losses 1Italy:[5] 13,755 dead, 63,142 wounded, 25,067 missing 1Germany:[6] 1,099 dead, 3,752 wounded, 385 missing 1Greece:[5] 13,325 dead, 62,663 wounded, 1,290 missing British Commonwealth:[4] 903 dead, 1,250 wounded, 13,958 captured 1Statistics about the strength and casualties of Italy and Greece refer to both the Greco-Italian War and the Battle of Greece (at least 300,000 Greek soldiers fought in Albania[7]). Statistics about Germany's casualties refer to the Balkans Campaign as a whole, and are based on Hitler's statements to the Reichstag on May 4, 1941.[8] 2Including Cypriots and Palestinians. British, Australian and New Zealand troops were c. 58,000.[4] Combatants Germany Italy Bulgaria Albania Greece United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Yugoslavia Commanders Maximilian von Weichs Giovanni Messe Alexander Papagos Henry Maitland Wilson The Balkans Campaign was the Italian and German invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia during World War II. It began with Italys annexation of Albania in April... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 442 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (810 × 1,098 pixels, file size: 680 KB, MIME type: image/png) English translation based on French original I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bulgaria_(1878-1944). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Greece_(1828-1978). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... Wilhelm List (Siegmund Wilhelm von List) (May 14, 1880 - August 17, 1971), was a German Field Marshal during World War II. He entered the Army in 1898 and served as a staff officer in the First World War. ... Alexander Papagos (in Greek:Αλέξανδρος Παπάγος, Alexandros Papagos). ... Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson of Libya (5 September 1881 - 31 December 1964), better known as Jumbo Wilson was a senior British General during World War II. He saw active service in the Boer War and the First World War. ... The Rt Hon. ... See also Field Marshal (Australia) Field Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey GBE KCB CMG DSO ED (24 January 1884 – 27 May 1951) was an Australian General of World War II, and Australias first (and only) Field Marshal. ... The Reichstag (German for Imperial Diet) was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, the North German Confederation, and of Germany until 1945. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The Palestinian flag, adopted in 1948, is a widely recognized modern symbol of the Palestinian people. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent...

v • d • e Balkans Campaign Greco-Italian War - Invasion of Yugoslavia - Greece - Crete - Yugoslav Front

The Battle of Greece (also known as Operation Marita, German: Unternehmen Marita)^[9] was a World War II battle that occurred on the Greek mainland and in southern Albania. The battle was fought between the Allied (Greece and the British Commonwealth) and Axis (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Bulgaria) forces. With the Battle of Crete and several naval actions, the Battle of Greece is considered part of the wider Aegean component of the Balkans Campaign of World War II. Combatants Germany Italy Bulgaria Albania Greece United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Yugoslavia Commanders Maximilian von Weichs Giovanni Messe Alexander Papagos Henry Maitland Wilson The Balkans Campaign was the Italian and German invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia during World War II. It began with Italys annexation of Albania in April... Combatants Italy Albania Greece United Kingdom Commanders Sebastiano Visconti Prasca Ubaldo Soddu Ugo Cavallero Giovanni Messe Alexander Papagos Strength 529,000 men Under 300,000 men Casualties 13,755 dead, 50,874 wounded, 25,067 missing, 12,368 incapacitated by frostbites, ca. ... “April War” redirects here. ... Combatants Greece United Kingdom New Zealand Australia Nazi Germany Kingdom of Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength United Kingdom: 15,000 Greece: 11,000 Australia: 7,100 New Zealand: 6,700 Total: 40,000 (10,000 without fighting capacity[2]) Germany: 14,000 paratroopers 15,000 mountain troopers 280... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... This article is about the independent states that comprised the Allies. ... The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2007 Headquarters Marlborough House, London, UK Official languages English Membership 53 sovereign states Leaders  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma Appointed 24 November 2007 Establishment  -  Balfour Declaration 18 November 1926   -  Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931   -  London Declaration 28 April 1949  Area  -  Total... This article is about the independent states that comprised the Axis powers. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Anthem Marcia Reale dOrdinanza (Royal March of Ordinance)¹ The Kingdom of Italy at the height of its power in 1940. ... Combatants Greece United Kingdom New Zealand Australia Nazi Germany Kingdom of Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength United Kingdom: 15,000 Greece: 11,000 Australia: 7,100 New Zealand: 6,700 Total: 40,000 (10,000 without fighting capacity[2]) Germany: 14,000 paratroopers 15,000 mountain troopers 280... Look up Aegean Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Combatants Germany Italy Bulgaria Albania Greece United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Yugoslavia Commanders Maximilian von Weichs Giovanni Messe Alexander Papagos Henry Maitland Wilson The Balkans Campaign was the Italian and German invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia during World War II. It began with Italys annexation of Albania in April... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The Battle of Greece is generally regarded as a continuation of the Greco-Italian War, which began when Italian troops invaded Greece on October 28, 1940. Within weeks the Italians were driven from Greece and Greek forces pushed on to occupy much of southern Albania. In March 1941, a major Italian counterattack failed, and Germany was forced to come to the aid of its ally. Operation Marita began on April 6, 1941, with German troops invading Greece through Bulgaria in an effort to secure its southern flank. The combined Greek and British forces fought back with great tenacity, but were vastly outnumbered and outgunned, and finally collapsed. Athens fell on April 27. However, the British Commonwealth managed to evacuate about 50,000 troops.^a[›] The Greek campaign ended in a quick and complete German victory with the fall of Kalamata in the Peloponnese; it was over within twenty-four days. Nevertheless, both German and Allied officials have expressed their admiration for the strong resistance of the Greek soldiers. Combatants Italy Albania Greece United Kingdom Commanders Sebastiano Visconti Prasca Ubaldo Soddu Ugo Cavallero Giovanni Messe Alexander Papagos Strength 529,000 men Under 300,000 men Casualties 13,755 dead, 50,874 wounded, 25,067 missing, 12,368 incapacitated by frostbites, ca. ... is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of Greece. ... is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Kalamata (Greek, Modern: Καλαμάτα, Ancient/Katharevousa: -ai), older forms: Kalamai is a city in southern Greece, on the Peloponnesos, by the Mediterranean. ... Greece and the Peloponnese The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus (Greek: Πελοπόννησος Peloponnesos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large peninsula in southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth. ...

Some historians regard the German campaign in Greece as decisive in determining the course of World War II, maintaining that it fatally delayed the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union. Others hold that the campaign had no influence on the launching of Operation Barbarossa, and characterize British intervention in Greece as a hopeless undertaking, a "political and sentimental decision" or even a "a definite strategic blunder." Combatants Soviet Union,[1] Poland, Tannu Tuva (until 1944 incorporation with USSR), Mongolia Germany,[2] Italy (to 1943), Romania (to 1944), Finland (to 1944), Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain (to 1943, unofficial) Commanders Joseph Stalin, Aleksei Antonov, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky, Ivan Bagramyan, Kirill Meretskov, Ivan Petrov, Alexander Rodimtsev, Konstantin Rokossovsky... Combatants Germany Romania Finland Italy Hungary Slovakia  Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Fedor von Bock Gerd von Rundstedt Heinz Guderian Günther von Kluge Franz Halder Ion Antonescu C.G.E. Mannerheim Giovanni Messe, CSIR Italo Garibaldi, ARMIR Iosef Stalin Kliment Voroshilov Semyon Timoshenko Fyodor Kuznetsov...

Prelude

Greco-Italian War

For more details on this topic, see Greco-Italian War.

At the outbreak of World War II, Ioannis Metaxas, the Prime Minister of Greece, sought to maintain a position of neutrality. However, Greece was increasingly subject to pressures from Italy, which culminated in the Italian submarine Delfino's torpedoing of the Greek cruiser Elli on August 15, 1940.^[11] Mussolini was irritated that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had not consulted with him on his war policy, and wished to establish his independence,^b[›] and to match the military success of the Germans through a victorious attack on Greece, a country he regarded as an easy opponent.^[12] On October 15, 1940, Mussolini and his closest advisers decided to invade Greece.^c[›] In the early hours of October 28, Italian Ambassador Emmanuel Grazzi presented Metaxas with a three-hour ultimatum, in which he demanded free passage for troops to occupy unspecified "strategic sites" within Greek territory.^[13] Metaxas rejected the ultimatum (the refusal is commemorated as Okhi Day, a national holiday in Greece), but even before its expiration, Italian troops had invaded Greece through Albania.^d[›] The principal Italian thrust was directed at Pindus, near the city of Ioannina, and initially made progress. The Italians then crossed the Thyamis (Kalamas) river, but were driven back and pursued into Albania.^[14] Within three weeks, Greek territory was clear of the invaders, and a successful counterattack was underway.^[15] A few villages of South Albania fell to Greek forces, and neither a change in Italian commanders, nor the arrival of a substantial number of reinforcements had much effect.^[16] Ioannis Metaxas (Greek Ιωάννης Μεταξάς, April 12, 1871 – January 29, 1941) was a Greek General and the Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. ... Note on Greek names: There is no firm convention for the rendering of Greek personal names into English. ... A neutral country takes no side in a war between other parties, and in return hopes to avoid being attacked by either of them. ... Elli (Greek: Κ/Δ Ελλη) was a 2,600 ton Greek light cruiser (in greek Εύδρομο (interwar period term) or Ελαφρύ Καταδρομικό (World War II terminology)) named for a naval battle of the First Balkan War in which Greece was victorious. ... is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Hitler redirects here. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Greco-Italian War. ... The Pindus (Greek: Πίνδος, Albanian: Pino) mountains are a range located in northern Greece, roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2636 m (8650 ft), along the border of Thessaly and Epirus. ... This article is about the Greek city. ... The River Thyamis is a river in the Epirus region of Greece. ...

After weeks of inconclusive winter warfare, the Italians launched a full-scale counterattack across the entire front on March 9, 1941, which, despite the superiority of the Italian armed forces, failed. After one week and 12,000 casualties, Mussolini called off the counterattack, and left Albania twelve days later.^[17] Modern analysts believe that the Italian campaign failed because Mussolini and his generals initially allocated meagre military resources to the campaign (an expeditionary force of 55,000 men),^[18] failed to reckon with the autumn weather, and launched an attack without the advantage of surprise and without the support of the Bulgarians.^[19] Even elementary precautions, such as the issue of winter clothing had not been taken.^[20] Nor had Mussolini taken into consideration the recommendations of the Italian Commission of War Production, which had warned that Italy would not be able to sustain a full year of continuous warfare until 1949.^[21] Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ...

During the six month fight against Italy, the Greek army made local gains by eliminating enemy salients. Nevertheless, Greece did not have a substantial armaments industry, and both its equipment and ammunition supplies relied on stocks captured by British forces from defeated Italian armies in North Africa. In order to feed the battle in Albania, the Greek command was forced to make withdrawals from Eastern Macedonia and Western Thrace. Anticipation of a German attack expedited the need to reverse the position; the available forces were proving unable to sustain resistance on both fronts. The Greek command decided to support its success in Albania, regardless of how the situation might develop under the impact of a German attack from the Bulgarian border.^[22] Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... This article is about the region of Greece. ... Thrace or Greek Thrace or West Thrace or Western Thrace (Greek Θράκη or Ελληνική Θράκη or Δυτική Θράκη, Thrákı or Ellınıki Thrákı or Dıtıki Thrákı; Turkish Trakya or Yunan Trakyası or Batı Trakya) is the part of Thrace located between the rivers Nestos and Evros in northeastern Greece. ...

Hitler's decision to attack and British aid to Greece

Hitler intervened on November 4, 1940, four days after the British took both Crete and Lemnos. The Führer ordered his Army General Staff to prepare for an invasion of Northern Greece via Romania and Bulgaria. His plans for this campaign were incorporated into a master plan aimed at depriving the British of their Mediterranean bases.^[24] On November 12, the German Armed Forces High Command issued Directive No. 18, in which they scheduled simultaneous operations against Gibraltar and Greece for the following January. However, in December 1940, German ambition in the Mediterranean underwent considerable revision when Spain's General Francisco Franco rejected plans for an attack on Gibraltar.^[25] Consequently, Germany's offensive in Southern Europe was restricted to the campaign against Greece. The Armed Forces High Command issued Directive No. 20 on December 13, 1940. The document outlined the Greek campaign under the code designation "Operation Marita", and planned for German occupation of the northern coast of the Aegean Sea by March, 1941. It also planned for the seizure of the entire Greek mainland, if that became necessary.^[26] During a hastily called meeting of Hitler's staff after the unexpected March 27 coup d'état against the Yugoslav government, orders for the future campaign in Yugoslavia were drafted, as well as changes to the plan for the attack on Greece. On April 6, both Greece and Yugoslavia were to be attacked.^[27] is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term Briton may have the following meanings: in a historical context: an inhabitant of Great Britain in pre-Roman times a descendant of Britons during a later period (e. ... For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ... Lemnos (mod. ... Nazi propaganda poster. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The command flag for the Chief of the High Command of the German Armed Forces (1938 - 1941) The command flag for a Generalfeldmarschall as the Chief of the High Command of the German Armed Forces (1941 - 1945) The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or OKW (Wehrmacht High Command, Armed Forces High Command... “Franco” redirects here. ... The southern half of Europe is shown in shades of red. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up Aegean Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Coup redirects here. ... Motto: One nation, one king, one country Anthem: Medley of Bože pravde, Lijepa naÅ¡a domovino, and Naprej zastava slave Capital Belgrade Language(s) Serbo-Croato-Slovenian (see: Serbo-Croat and Slovenian) [1] Government Value specified for government_type does not comply King  - 1918-1921 Peter I  - 1921-1934 Alexander... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Australian soldiers in Alexandria, Egypt embarking for Greece (Australian War Memorial, Canberra).

Britain was bound to assist Greece by the declaration of 1939, which stated that in the event of a threat to Greek or Romanian independence, "His Majesty's Government would feel themselves bound at once to lend the Greek or Romanian Government [...] all the support in their power."^[29] The first British effort was the deployment of RAF squadrons commanded by John d'Albiac, which were sent in November 1940.^[30] With the consent of the Greek government, British forces were dispatched to Crete on October 31 to guard Suda Bay, enabling the Greek government to redeploy the 5th Cretan Division to the mainland.^[31] Image File history File links Australiantroopsembarking. ... Image File history File links Australiantroopsembarking. ... This article is about the city in Egypt. ... The Australian War Memorial is Australias national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... RAF redirects here. ... Air Marshal Sir John Henry DAlbiac KCVO KBE CB DSO (28 January 1894 – 20 August 1963) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II. DAlbiac was educated at the Seabrook Lodge School in Kent, Framlingham College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Suda Bay is a harbor on the northwest coast of Crete. ...

On November 17, 1940, Metaxas proposed to the British government the undertaking of a joint offensive in the Balkans with the Greek strongholds in South Albania as the base of the operations. The British side however was reluctant to discuss Metaxas' proposal, because the deployment of the troops the implementation of the Greek plan demanded would seriously endanger the Commonwealth military operations in North Africa.^[32] During a meeting of British and Greek military and political leaders in Athens on January 13, 1941 General Alexandros Papagos, Commander-in-Chief of the Hellenic Army, asked Britain for nine fully-equipped divisions and corresponding air support. The British responded that, because of their commitment to the fight in North Africa, and all they could offer was the immediate dispatch of a small token force of less than divisional strength. This offer was rejected by the Greeks who feared that the arrival of such a contingent would precipitate a German attack without giving them any sizable assistance.^e[›] British help would be requested if and when German troops crossed the Danube from Romania into Bulgaria.^[33] 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of Greece. ... is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Bust of an unidentified strategos with Corinthian helmet; Hadrianic Roman copy of a Greek sculpture of c. ... Alexander Papagos (in Greek:Αλέξανδρος Παπάγος, Alexandros Papagos). ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... This article is about the land force of the modern nation of Greece. ...

Churchill held to his ambition to recreate a Balkan Front comprising Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey,^[34] and ordered Anthony Eden and Sir John Dill to resume negotiations with the Greek government. A meeting attended by Eden and the Greek leadership, including King George II, Prime Minister Alexandros Koryzis—the successor of Metaxas, who had died on January 29, 1941—and Papagos took place in Athens on February 22. There the decision to send a British Commonwealth expeditionary force was made.^[35] German troops had been massing in Romania and on March 1, 1941, Wehrmacht forces began to move into Bulgaria. At the same time, the Bulgarian Army mobilized and took up positions along the Greek frontier.^[34] On March 2 Operation Lustre, the transportation of troops and equipment to Greece, began and 26 troopships arrived at the port of Piraeus.^[36] On April 3, during a meeting of British, Yugoslav, and Greek military representatives, the Yugoslavs promised to block the Strimon valley in case of a German attack across their territory.^[37] During this meeting, Papagos laid stress on the importance of a joint Greco-Yugoslavian offensive against the Italians, as soon as the Germans launched their offensive against the two countries.^f[›] Until April 24, more than 62,000 Commonwealth troops (British, Australians, New Zealanders, Palestinians and Cypriots) were sent to Greece, comprising the 6th Australian Division, the New Zealand 2nd Division, and the British 1st Armoured Brigade.^[38] The three formations later became known as 'W' Force, after their commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson.^g[›] For the eponymous hat, see Anthony Eden hat. ... Field Marshal Sir John Greer Dill, GCB, CMG, DSO (25 December 1881 - 4 November 1944) was a British commander in World War I and World War II who played a significant role in the formation of the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States. ... George II, King of the Hellenes (Greek: Γεώργιος Î’ [Geōrgios] Βασιλεύς των Ελλήνων) (20 July 1890–1 April 1947) ruled Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947. ... Alexandros Koryzis (Greek: , 1885 – April 18, 1941) was the Prime Minister of Greece briefly in 1941. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of Greece. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The straight-armed Balkenkreuz, a stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Wehrmacht. ... The Bulgarian Army (Bulgarian: Българска армия) represents the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria. ... is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... During World War II, Operation Lustre was the dispatch of British, Australian, New Zealand and Polish troops from Egypt to Greece in March and April 1941, in response to the failed Italian invasion and the new German threat revealed through Ultra. ... USS John Land (AP-167) in San Francisco Bay sometime in 1945-46; soldiers crowd the decks in anticipation of homecoming. ... It has been suggested that Kaminia (Piraeus), Greece be merged into this article or section. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Struma (Bulgarian: Струма, Greek: Strimonis, Turkish: Karasu (meaning black water in Turkish)) is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... New Zealand is a country of two major islands and a number of smaller islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. ... The Palestinian flag, adopted in 1948, is a widely recognized modern symbol of the Palestinian people. ... The most well-known 6th Division in the Australian Army was a unit in the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) during World War II. (The 6th Division name was previously used for a short-lived World War I unit, formed from First Australian Imperial Force troops in England, in... The New Zealand 2nd Division was that countrys major land formation during much of World War II. Commanded for much of its existence by Lieutenant General Sir Bernard Freyberg. ... The 1st Armoured Brigade was a regular British Army unit formed from the redesignation of the 1st Light Armoured Brigade on 3rd September 1939 . ... Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson of Libya (5 September 1881 - 31 December 1964), better known as Jumbo Wilson was a senior British General during World War II. He saw active service in the Boer War and the First World War. ...

Military preparations

Topography

To enter Northern Greece, the German army was compelled to cross the Rhodope mountains, which possessed few river valleys or passes capable of accommodating the movement of large military units. Two invasion courses were located west of Kyustendil; another was along the Yugoslav-Bulgarian border, via the Strimon valley to the south. Greek border fortifications had been adapted for the terrain, and a formidable defense system covered the few available roads. The Strimon and Nestos rivers cut across the mountain range along the Greek-Bulgarian frontier, and both of their valleys were protected by strong fortifications, as part of the larger Metaxas Line. This system of concrete pillboxes and field fortifications was constructed along the Bulgarian border in the late 1930s, and was based on principles similar to those applied to the Maginot Line. Its strength resided mainly in the inaccessibility of the intermediate terrain leading up to the defense positions.^[39] Landscape of the Rhodopes near the village of Hvoyna View from the Belintash Rock towards the village of Vrata The Rhodopes (Bulgarian: , Rodopi, usually used with a definite article: Родопите, Rodopite, sometimes also called Родопа, Rodopa or Родопа планина, Rodopa planina; Greek: , Rodopi, red aspect) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over... Kyustendil Coat of arms Kyustendil (Bulgarian: , historically , Velbazhd, Turkish: ) is a town in the very west of Bulgaria, and the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 47,196 (2005 calculation). ... The Struma (Bulgarian: Струма, Greek: Strimonis, Turkish: Karasu (meaning black water in Turkish)) is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. ... A view of Mesta a view of the greek part of Nestos The Mesta (Bulgarian: Места) or Nestos (Greek: Νέστος) is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. ... The Metaxas Line was a chain of fortifications constructed along the line of the Graeco-Bulgarian border, designed to protect Greece in case of a Bulgarian invasion during World War II. It was named after Ioannis Metaxas, the then dictatorial ruler of Greece, and chiefly consists of tunnels that led... The Maginot Line (IPA: [maÊ’inoː], named after French minister of defence André Maginot) was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defences which France constructed along its borders with Germany and with Italy, in the light of experience from World War I, and...

Strategic factors

The mountainous terrain of Greece favored a defensive strategy, and the high ranges of the Rhodope, Epirus, Pindus, and Olympus mountains offered many opportunities to stop an invader. However, sufficient air power was required to prevent defending ground forces from becoming trapped in the many defiles. Although an invading force from Albania can be stopped by a relatively small number of troops positioned in the high Pindus mountains, the northeastern part of the country was difficult to defend against an attack from the north.^[40] Epirus, spanning Greece and Albania. ... The Pindus (Greek: Πίνδος, Albanian: Pino) mountains are a range located in northern Greece, roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2636 m (8650 ft), along the border of Thessaly and Epirus. ... This article is about the Greek mountain. ...

Following a conference in Athens that March, the British command believed that they would combine with Greek forces to occupy the Haliacmon Line—a short front facing northeastward along the Vermion Mountains, and the lower Haliacmon river. Papagos awaited clarification from the Yugoslav government, and later proposed to hold the Metaxas Line—by then a symbol of national security to the Greek populace—and not withdraw any of his divisions from Albania.^[41] He argued that to do so would be seen as a concession of victory to the Italians. The strategically important port of Thessaloniki lay practically indefensible, and transportation of British troops to the city remained dangerous.^[42] Papagos proposed to take advantage of the area's difficult terrain and prepare fortifications, while at the same time protecting Thessaloniki. The Vermion Mountains are a mountain range in Imathia Prefecture in west-central Greek Macedonia. ... Map showing location of the Haliacmon The Haliacmon (Attic Haliákmōn, Ionic Aliákmōn, modern Greek Αλιάκμονας Aliákmonas, South Slavic Бистрица Bistritsa, Turkish Ä°nce Karasu) is the longest river in Greece, with a total length of 322 km (200 miles). ... Thessaloniki or Salonica (Greek: ) is Greeces second-largest city and the capital of Macedonia, the largest Region of Greece. ...

Winston Churchill believed it was vital for the UK to take every measure possible to support Greece. On January 8, 1941, he stated that "there was no other course open to us but to make certain that we had spared no effort to help the Greeks who had shown themselves so worthy."^[43]

General Dill described Papagos' attitude as "unaccommodating and defeatist",^[44] and argued that his plan disregarded the fact that Greek troops and artillery were capable of only token resistance. The British believed that the Greek rivalry with Bulgaria—the Metaxas line was designed specifically for use in the event of war with Bulgaria—as well as their traditionally good terms with the Yugoslavs, left their north-western border largely undefended.^[45] Despite their concerns over the vulnerability of the border system, and their awareness that it was likely to collapse in the event of a German thrust from the Strimon and Axios rivers, the British eventually conceded to the Greek command. On March 4, Dill accepted the plans for the Metaxas line, and on March 7, agreement was ratified by the British Cabinet.^[46] The overall command was to be retained by Papagos, and the Greek and British commands resigned themselves to fighting a delaying action in the northeastern part of the country.^[40] Nevertheless, the British did not move their troops, because General Wilson regarded them as too weak to maintain such a broad front line. Instead, he took a position some forty miles west of the Axios, across the Haliacmon Line.^[47] The two main objectives in establishing this position were to maintain contact with the Greek First Army in Albania, and to deny German access to Central Greece. This had the advantage of requiring a smaller force than other options, while still allowing more time for preparation. However, it meant abandoning nearly the whole of Northern Greece, and was thus unacceptable to the Greeks for both political and psychological reasons. Moreover, the left flank of the line was susceptible to flanking from Germans operating through the Monastir gap in Yugoslavia.^[48] However, the possibility of a rapid disintegration of the Yugoslav Army, and a German thrust into the rear of the Vermion position, was not taken into consideration.^[40] PD image from http://www. ... PD image from http://www. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Vardar in Skopje Axios redirects here. ... is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... In British politics, the Cabinet is comprised of the most senior government ministers, most of them heads of government departments with the title Secretary of State. The Cabinet is actually a committee of the Privy Council and all Cabinet members are also Privy Councillors and therefore have the prefix of... Monastir could be a city in the Republic of Macedonia now called Bitola Monastir, Italy - a village near Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, famous for fruit production. ... // THE MUNICIPALITY OF VERMIO, Western Macedonia, Greece Total population: 3483 permanent inhabitants(2001) About the municipality: The municipality of Vermio consists of four municipal departments; Komnina which is the largest and the seat of Vermios town hall, Anatoliko, Pyrghi and Mesovouno. ...

The German strategy was based on utilization of the blitzkrieg tactics which had proved successful during the invasions of Western Europe, and confirmed their effectiveness during the invasion of Yugoslavia. The German command planned to couple an attack of ground troops and tanks with support from the air, and make a rapid thrust into the territory. Once Thessaloniki was captured, Athens and the port of Piraeus would be the next principal targets. With Piraeus and the Isthmus of Corinth in German hands, the withdrawal and evacuation of British and Greek forces would be fatally compromised.^[40] This article is about the military term. ... “April War” redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Kaminia (Piraeus), Greece be merged into this article or section. ... The Isthmus of Corinth is the narrow landbridge which connects the Peloponnesos peninsula with the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. ...

Defense and attack forces

Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Blamey, commander of Australian I Corps, Lieutenant General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, commanding general of the Commonwealth expeditionary force ('W' Force), and Major General Bernard Freyberg, commander of the New Zealand 2nd Division, in 1941 in Greece. (Australian War Memorial, Canberra)

The Fifth Yugoslav Army was given responsibility for the defense of the southeastern border between Kriva Palanka and the Greek border. At the time of the German attack, the Yugoslav troops were not yet fully mobilized, and lacked a sufficient amount of modern equipment or weapons to be fully effective. Following the entry of German forces into Bulgaria, the majority of Greek troops were evacuated from Western Thrace. By this time, the total strength of the Greek forces defending the Bulgarian border totaled roughly 70,000 men, under the command of the Greek Second Army. The remainder of the Greek forces—the First Army, composed of fourteen divisions—was committed in Albania.^[49] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... See also Field Marshal (Australia) Field Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey GBE KCB CMG DSO ED (24 January 1884 – 27 May 1951) was an Australian General of World War II, and Australias first (and only) Field Marshal. ... I Corps of the Australian Army was the main frontline corps of the army during World War II. Various Australian and other Allied divisions came under its control at various times. ... The Rt Hon. ... The municipality of Kriva Palanka is located in the northeastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. ... Thrace or Greek Thrace or West Thrace or Western Thrace (Greek Θράκη or Ελληνική Θράκη or Δυτική Θράκη, Thrákı or Ellınıki Thrákı or Dıtıki Thrákı; Turkish Trakya or Yunan Trakyası or Batı Trakya) is the part of Thrace located between the rivers Nestos and Evros in northeastern Greece. ... The Greek First Army was a Greek field army that fought in Southern Europe during World War II. On October 28, 1940, Italy attacked Greece from bases in Albania, which it had annexed in 1939. ...

On March 28, the Greek forces in Central Macedonia—the 12th and 20th Infantry Divisions—were put under the command of General Wilson, who established his headquarters northwest of Larissa. The New Zealand division took a position north of Mount Olympus, while the Australian division blocked the Haliacmon valley up to the Vermion range. The Royal Air Force continued to operate from airfields in Central and Southern Greece; however, few planes could be diverted to the theater. The British forces were near to fully motorized, but their equipment was more suited to desert warfare than to the steep mountain roads of Greece. There was a shortage of tanks and anti-aircraft guns, and the lines of communication across the Mediterranean were vulnerable, because each convoy had to pass close to enemy-held islands in the Aegean; despite the fact that the British Navy dominated the Aegean Sea. These logistical problems were aggravated by the limited availability of shipping and capacity of the Greek ports.^[50] is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Larissa (Greek: Λάρισα, Lárisa) is the capital city of the Thessaly periphery of Greece, and capital of the Larissa Prefecture. ... Look up Aegean Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up Logistics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The German Twelfth Army, under the command of Field Marshal Wilhelm List, was charged with the execution of Operation Marita. His army was composed of six units: This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Wilhelm List (Siegmund Wilhelm von List) (May 14, 1880 - August 17, 1971), was a German Field Marshal during World War II. He entered the Army in 1898 and served as a staff officer in the First World War. ...

1. First Panzer Group, under the command of General Ewald van Kleist.
2. XL Panzer Corps, under Lieutenant General Georg Stumme.
3. XVIII Mountain Corps, under Lieutenant General Franz Böhme.
4. XXX Infantry Corps, under Lieutenant General Otto Hartmann.
5. L Infantry Corps, under Lieutenant General Georg Lindemann.
6. 16th Panzer Division, deployed behind the Turkish-Bulgarian border to support the Bulgarian forces in case of a Turkish attack.^[51]

XL Panzer Corps was a tank corps in the German Army during World War II. The XL Panzer Corps fought at Kharkov, the advance to the Don, and to the Terek in the Caucasus. ... Georg Stumme (1886-1942) was a World War Two German general most remembered for his brief command of the German-Italian forces during the Second Battle of El Alamein. ... Franz Friedrich Böhme (15 April 1885 Austria – 29 May 1947) was a general in the German Army, serving as Commander of the Twentieth Mountain Army and Commander-in-Chief in Norway. ... Georg Lindemann (1884 - 1963) was a German cavalry officer and field commander who served in the Heer during The Great War and World War II. He survived the Second World War and after several years incarceration, was released. ...

German plan of attack and assembly

The German plan of attack was informed by their army's experiences during the Battle of France. Their strategy was to create a diversion through the campaign in Albania, thus stripping the Greek Army of sufficient manpower for the defense of their Yugoslavian and Bulgarian borders. By driving armored wedges through the weakest links of the defense chain, the ability to penetrate into enemy territory would be more easily achieved, and would not necessitate the maneuver of their armor behind an infantry advance. Once the weak defense system of Southern Yugoslavia were overrun by German armor, the Metaxas Line could be outflanked by highly mobile forces thrusting southward from Yugoslavia. Thus possession of Monastir and the Axios valley leading to Thessaloniki became essential for such an outflanking maneuver.^[52] Combatants  France  United Kingdom  Canada  Czechoslovakia  Poland  Belgium  Netherlands  Luxembourg Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) Leopold III H.G. Winkelman Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di...

The Yugoslav coup d'etat led to a sudden change in the plan of attack, and confronted the Twelfth Army with a number of difficult problems. According to the March 28 Directive No. 25, the Twelfth Army was to regroup its forces in such a manner that a mobile task force would be available to attack via Niš toward Belgrade. With only nine days left before D-Day, every hour became valuable, and each fresh assembly of troops would need time to mobilize. By the evening of April 5, each attack force intended to enter either Southern Yugoslavia or Greece had been assembled.^[53] Nis redirects here. ... For other uses, see Belgrade (disambiguation). ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

German invasion

Thrust across Southern Yugoslavia and drive to Thessaloniki

German advance until April 9, 1941, when the 2nd Panzer Division seized Thessaloniki.

On the dawn of April 6, the German armies invaded Greece, while the Luftwaffe began an intensive bombardment of Belgrade. The XL Panzer Corps—which had been intended for use in an attack across southern Yugoslavia—began their assault at 05:30 a.m., and made thrusts across the Bulgarian frontier at two separate points. By the evening of April 8, the 1st SS Division Adolf Hitler captured Prilep, thus severing an important rail line between Belgrade and Thessaloniki, and isolating Yugoslavia from its allies. The Germans were now in possession of terrain which was favorable to the continuation of the offensive. On the evening of April 9, General Stumme deployed his forces north of Monastir, in preparation for the extension of the attack across the Greek border toward Florina. This position threatened to encircle the Greeks in Albania and W Force in the area of Florina, Edessa, and Katerini.^[54] While weak security detachments covered the rear of his corps against a surprise attack from central Yugoslavia, elements of the 9th Panzer Division drove westward to link up with the Italians at the Albanian border.^[55] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... For other uses, see Belgrade (disambiguation). ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (German for Adolf Hitlers Bodyguard Regiment) was a unit of the SS. It was a Waffen SS security and combat formation which saw action on both the Eastern and Western fronts during World War II. As its name suggested, the Leibstandarte started life in... Nickname: Location of the city of Prilep (red) within the Republic of Macedonia Coordinates: , Government  - Mayor Marjan Risteski Area  - City 1,194. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Florina (disambiguation). ... Localization of Edessa Edessa (Greek: ) is an ancient town of 25,000 inhabitants in Central part of Macedonia, in Greece, and the capital of the Pella prefecture and is also the provincial capital of the province of the same name. ... Katerini (Greek: Κατερίνη) is a town in Northern Greece, the capital of Pieria prefecture. ... The German 9th Panzer Division (Neunte Panzerdivision) came into existence after 4th Light Division was reorganized in January 1940. ...

The 2nd Panzer Division (XVIII Mountain troops) entered Yugoslavia from the east on the morning of April 6, and advanced westward through the Strimon Valley. It encountered little enemy resistance, but was delayed by road clearance demolitions, land mines, and muddy roads. Nevertheless, the division was able to reach the objective of the day, the town of Strumica. On April 7, a Yugoslav counter attack against the northern flank of the division was repelled, and the following day the division forced its way across the mountains and overran the Greek 19th Motorized Infantry Division Units stationed south of Doiran lake. Despite many delays along the narrow mountain roads, an armored advance guard dispatched in the direction of Thessaloniki succeeded in entering the city by the morning of April 9. The seizure of Thessaloniki took place without struggle, following the collapse of the Greek Second Army.^[56] The 2nd Panzer Division () was created in 1935, and stationed in Austria after the Anschluss. ... “Minefield” redirects here. ... Strumica (Macedonian/Bulgarian: Струмица, Greek: Στρώμνιτσα Stromnitsa, Turkish: Usturumca) is a city of about 55,000 people in southeastern Republic of Macedonia. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... Dojran Lake (Macedonian: Доjранско Езеро; Greek: λίμνη Δοϊράνη) is a lake with an area of 43. ...

Metaxas Line

Greek soldiers leaving their positions after the surrender of the Greek Army in Macedonia. In the front, a Greek and a Bulgarian soldier support a wounded Greek.

The Metaxas Line was defended by the Eastern Macedonia Army Section, which comprised the 7th, 14th and 17th Infantry Divisions under the command of Lieutenant General Konstantinos Bakopoulos. The line ran for c.170 km along the river Nestos to the east, and then to the east following the Bulgarian border as far as Mount Beles near the Yugoslav border. The fortifications were designed to garrison an army of over 200,000 troops, but due to a lack of available manpower, the actual number was roughly 70,000. As a result of the low numbers, the line's defenses were thinly spread.^[57] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1148x708, 456 KB)Greek soldiers leaving their positions after the surrender of the Greek Army in Macedonia, April 1941. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1148x708, 456 KB)Greek soldiers leaving their positions after the surrender of the Greek Army in Macedonia, April 1941. ... Hellenic Army - IV Army Corps // Τώ ξιφεί τόν δεσμό λελύσθαι Solve the knot with the sword The IV Army Corps was established in December, 1914 at Kavala, East Macedonia and took part in the operations against the Germans and the Bulgarians during World War I. At the Greco-Turkish War it was renamed Thracian Army... Belasica (Macedonian and Bulgarian: Беласица, also transliterated as Belasitsa or Belasitza; Greek: Μπέλες or Κερκίνη) is a mountain range in the region of Macedonia in Southeastern Europe, shared by northwestern Greece (about 50%), southeastern Republic of Macedonia (30%) and southwestern Bulgaria (20%). The area is particularly famous for the Battle of Kleidion of...

The initial German attacks against the line were undertaken by a single German infantry unit reinforced by two mountain divisions of the XVIII Mountain Corps. These first forces encountered strong resistance, and had limited success.^[58] A German report at the end of the first day described how the German 5th Mountain Division "was repulsed in the Rupel Pass despite strongest air support and sustained considerable casualties".^[59] Of the twenty-four forts which made up the Metaxas Line, only two had fallen, and then only after they had been destroyed.^[60] The German 5th Mountain Division was established in the fall of 1940, from a mountain regiment taken from the 1st Mountain Division and an infantry regiment taken from the 10th Infantry Division. ...

The line was penetrated following a three-day struggle during which the Germans pummeled the forts with artillery and dive bombers. The main credit for this achievement must be given to the 6th Mountain Division, which crossed a 7,000-foot (2,100 m) snow-covered mountain range and broke through at a point that had been considered inaccessible by the Greeks. The force reached the rail line to Thessaloniki on the evening of April 7. The other XVIII Mountain Corps units advanced step by step under great hardship. The 5th Division, together with the reinforced 125th Infantry Regiment, penetrated the Strimon defenses on April 7, and attacked along both banks of the river, clearing one bunker after another as they passed. Nevertheless the unit suffered heavy casualties, to the extent that it was withdrawn from further action after it had reached its objective location. The 72d Infantry Division advanced from Nevrokop across the mountains, and, although it was handicapped by a shortage of pack animals, medium artillery, and mountain equipment, it managed to break through the Metaxas Line on the evening of April 9, when it reached the area northeast of Serres.^[61] Even after General Bakopoulos surrendered the Metaxas Line, isolated fortresses held out for days, and were not taken until heavy artillery was utilised against them. Some field troops and soldiers manning the frontier continued to fight on, and as a result a number were able to evacuate by sea.^[62] For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ... A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy. ... The German 6th Mountain Division was established in June of 1940, and was deployed to France for occupation duties. ... Goce Delchev location in Bulgaria Gotse Delchev (Гоце Делчев), population 23,573, is a town in Southwestern Bulgaria (Pirin Macedonia). ... Serres (Greek: Σέρρες, older form: Σέρραι, Turkish: Serez or Siroz, Slavic: Серез/Serez, Сяр/Syar or Сер/Ser) is a city in the Greek region of Macedonia. ...

Capitulation of the Greek Second Army

The XXX Infantry Corps on the deft wing reached its designated objective on the evening of April 8, when the 164th Infantry Division captured Xanthi. The 50th Infantry Division advanced far beyond Komotini towards the Nestos river, which both divisions reached on the next day. On April 9, the Greek Second Army capitulated unconditionally following the collapse of Greek resistance east of the Axios river. In an April 9 estimate of the situation, Field Marshal List expressed the opinion that as a result of the swift advance of the mobile units, his 12th Army was now in a favorable position to gain access to Central Greece by breaking the enemy buildup behind the Axios river. On the basis of this estimate List requested the transfer of the 5th Panzer Division from First Panzer Group to the XL Panzer Corps. He reasoned that its presence would give additional punch to the German thrust through the Monastir gap. For the continuation of the campaign he formed two attack groups, an eastern one under the command of XVIII Mountain Corps, and a western group led by XL Panzer Corps.^[63] April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Xanthi (Greek: Ξάνθη) is a city in northern Greece, in the East Macedonia and Thrace periphery. ... Komotini or Komotene (Greek: Κομοτηνή, Turkish: Gümülcine) is a city in north-eastern Greece. ... XL Panzer Corps was a tank corps in the German Army during World War II. The XL Panzer Corps fought at Kharkov, the advance to the Don, and to the Terek in the Caucasus. ...

Breakthrough to Kozani

See also: Battle of Vevi (1941)

The dispositions of forces in the Florina Valley, April 10, 1941. The blue arrows indicate German advances and the Allied lines are shown in red. Vevi and the Klidi Pass are upper centre, the Australian 19th Brigade HQ is in the centre and Mackay Force HQ is at Perdika, lower centre.

By the morning of April 10, the XL Panzer Corps had finished its preparations for the continuation of the offensive, and continued the advance in the direction of Kozani. Against all expectations, the Monastir gap had been left open, and the Germans exploited their chance. First contact with Allied troops was made north of Vevi at 11:00 a.m. on April 10. SS troops seized Vevi on April 11, but were stopped at the Klidi Pass just south of the town, where a mixed Commonwealth-Greek formation, known as Mackay Force, was assembled to, as Wilson put it, "....stop a blitzkrieg down the Florina valley."^[64] During the next day the SS regiment reconnoitered the enemy positions, and at dusk launched a frontal attack against the pass. Following heavy fighting, the Germans overcame the enemy resistance, and broke through the defense.^[65] By the morning of April 14, the spearheads of the 9th Panzer Division reached Kozani. Combatants Australia United Kingdom New Zealand Greece Germany Commanders Iven Mackay (operational); George Vasey (infantry) Fritz Witt Strength About 2,000 personnel, including some artillery support About 1,500 personnel, including artillery support and some tanks (see below) Casualties Australian: about 25 dead N.Z.: about 12 dead; U.K... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 598 pixelsFull resolution‎ (904 × 676 pixels, file size: 173 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)The dispositions of Allied forces in the Florina Valley, northern Greece, on April 10, 1941. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 598 pixelsFull resolution‎ (904 × 676 pixels, file size: 173 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)The dispositions of Allied forces in the Florina Valley, northern Greece, on April 10, 1941. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Kozani (Greek: ), is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani Prefecture and of West Macedonia periphery. ... Vevi, rarely Veve (Greek Βεύη, Macedonian Баница - Banitsa) is a village located in Greek Macedonia (Northern Greece). ... Vevi, rarely Veve (Greek Βεύη, Macedonian Баница - Banitsa) is a village located in Greek Macedonia (Northern Greece). ... is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Iven Giffard Mackay CMG, KBE, DSO, VD (7 April 1882 - 30 September 1966) was a prominent Australian soldier. ... is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The German 9th Panzer Division (Neunte Panzerdivision) came into existence after 4th Light Division was reorganized in January 1940. ...

Olympus and Servia passes

Front line on April 15, 1941

Wilson faced the prospect of being pinned by Germans operating from Thessaloniki, while being flanked by the German XL Panzer Corps descending through the Monastir Gap. On April 13, he decided to withdraw all British forces to the Haliacmon river, and then to the narrow pass at Thermopylae.^[66] On April 14 the 9th Panzer Division established a bridgehead across the Haliacmon river, but an attempt to advance beyond this point was stopped by intense enemy fire. This defense had three main components: the Platamon tunnel area between Olympus and the sea, the Olympus pass itself, and the Servia pass to the southeast. By channelling the attack through these three defiles, the new line offered far greater defensive strength for the limited forces available. The defenses of the Olympus and Servia passes consisted of the 4th New Zealand Brigade, 5th New Zealand Brigade, and the 16th Australian Brigade. For the next three days the advance of the 9th Panzer Division was stalled in front of these resolutely held positions.^[67] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A front line is a line of confrontation in an armed conflict, most often a war. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the clipper ship, see Thermopylae (clipper). ... Platamon (Greek: Πλαταμώνας), also spelled as Platamonas, is a town and sea-side resort in south Pieria prefecture, Central Macedonia, Greece. ... Servia is a town in the prefecture of Kozani, Macedonia, Greece. ...

A ruined castle dominated the ridge across which the coastal pass led to Platamon. During the night of April 15 a German motorcycle battalion supported by a tank battalion attacked the ridge, but the Germans were repulsed by the 21st New Zealand Battalion under Colonel Macky, which suffered heavy losses in the process. Later that day a German armored regiment arrived and struck the coastal and inland flanks of the battalion, but the New Zealanders held their ground. After being reinforced during the night of the 15th-16th, the Germans managed to assemble a tank battalion, infantry battalion, and motor cycle battalion. The German infantry attacked the New Zealanders' left company at dawn, while the tanks attacked along the coast several hours later.^[68] is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Zealand 2nd Division was that countrys major land formation during much of World War II. Commanded for much of its existence by Lieutenant General Sir Bernard Freyberg. ...

Australian anti-tank gunners resting, soon after their withdrawal from the Vevi area.

The New Zealand battalion withdrew, crossed the Pineios river, and by dusk reached the western exit of the Pineios Gorge, suffering only light casualties.^[68] Macky was informed that it was "essential to deny the gorge to the enemy till April 19 even if it meant extinction".^[69] He sank the crossing barge at the western end of the gorge once all his men were across and began to set up defenses. The 21st battalion was reinforced by the Australian 2/2nd Battalion and later by the 2/3rd, this force became known as Allen force after Brigadier "Tubby" Allen. The 2/5th and 2/11th battalions moved to the Elatia area south-west of the gorge and were ordered to hold the western exit possibly for three or four days.^[70] Image File history File links AWM_007647_vevi. ... Image File history File links AWM_007647_vevi. ... The Pineiós (Greek: Πηνειός, also Peneus) is a river in Thessaly, Greece. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The 2/2nd Battalion was raised at Victoria Barracks, Sydney on 24 October 1939 as part of the 16th Brigade of the 6th Australian Division. ... The 2/3rd Australian Infantry Battalion was a battalion of the 6th Australian Division raised as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force for World War II. It was raised Victoria Barracks, New South Wales on 24 October 1939. ... Hammana, Lebanon. ... The 2/5th Australian Infantry Battalion was a battalion of the 6th Australian Division raised as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force for World War II. It was raised Puckapunyal, Victoria on 2 November 1939. ... The 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion was a battalion of the 6th Australian Division raised as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force for World War II. It was raised at Northam, Western Australia mber 1939. ... Elatia (Ελάτια) is a municipality on the island of Zakynthos, Greece. ...

On April 16 General Wilson met General Papagos at Lamia and informed him of his decision to withdraw to Thermopylae. General Blamey divided responsibility between generals Mackay and Freyberg during the leapfrogging move back to Thermopylae. Mackay would protect the flanks of the New Zealand Division as far south as an east-west line through Larissa and would control the withdrawal through Domokos to Thermopylae of the Savige and Zarkos Forces, and finally of Lee Force; the 1st Armored Brigade would cover the withdrawal of Savige Force to Larissa and thereafter the withdrawal of the 6th Division under whose command it would come; Freyberg would control the withdrawal of Allen Force which was to move along the same route as the New Zealand Division. The British Commonwealth forces remained under constant attack throughout the entire withdrawal.^[71] is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, VC, GCMG, KCB, KBE, DSO and three Bars (March 21, 1889 — July 4, 1963), arguably New Zealands most famous soldier and military commander, also served as Governor-General of New Zealand. ... Domokos (Δομοκός) is a municipality in Phthiotis, Greece. ... Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige KBE, CB, DSO, MC (June 26, 1890 – May 15, 1954), was a decorated soldier of the Australian Imperial Force in World War I, and later a general in the Australian Army during World War II. Sir Stanley Savige was instrumental in the establishment of... The 1st Armoured Brigade was a regular British Army unit formed from the redesignation of the 1st Light Armoured Brigade on 3rd September 1939 . ...

On the morning of April 18 the struggle for the Pineios gorge was over, when German armored infantry crossed the river on floats and the 6th Mountain Division troops worked their way around the New Zealand battalion, which was subsequently annihilated. On April 19 the first XVIII Mountain Corps troops entered Larissa and took possession of the airfield, where the British had left their supply dumps intact. The seizure of ten truckloads of rations and fuel enabled the spearhead units to continue their drive without ceasing. The port of Volos, at which the British had re-embarked numerous units during the last few days, fell on April 21; there, the Germans captured large quantities of valuable diesel and crude oil.^[72] is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about Volos, Greece. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Withdrawal and surrender of the Greek First Army

Tsolakoglou discusses in Thessaloniki (April 23, 1941) the third and final protocol of surrender of the Greek Army of Epirus with German General Alfred Jodl and Italian General Ferrero.

As the invading Germans advanced deep into Greek territory, the Greek First Army operating in Albania was reluctant to retreat. General Wilson described this unwillingness as "the fetishistic doctrine that not a yard of ground should be yielded to the Italians."^[73] It was not until April 13 that the first Greek elements began to withdraw toward the Pindus mountains. The Allies' retreat to Thermopylae uncovered a route across the Pindus mountains by which the Germans might flank the Greek army in a rearguard action. An SS regiment was given the mission of cutting off the Greek First Army's line of retreat from Albania by driving westward to the Metsovon pass, and from there to Ioannina.^[74] On April 14, heavy fighting took place at Kastoria pass, where the Germans blocked the Greek withdrawal. The withdrawal extended across the entire Albanian front, with the Italians in hesitant pursuit.^[75] Image File history File links Tsolakoglou-jodl-ferrero-1941-04-23. ... Image File history File links Tsolakoglou-jodl-ferrero-1941-04-23. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Alfred Jodl (May 10, 1890 – October 16, 1946) was a German military commander, attaining the position of Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, or OKW) during World War II, acting as deputy to Wilhelm Keitel. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Metsovo (Greek: Μέτσοβο, Aromanian: Aminciu) or Metsovon is a town in Epirus on the mountains of Pindus in Northern Greece, between Ioannina to the north and Meteora to the south. ... is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

General Papagos rushed Greek units to the Metsovon pass where the Germans were expected to attack. On April 18, a pitched battle between several Greek units and the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler brigade—which had by then reached Grevena— erupted.^[75] The Greek units lacked the equipment necessary to fight against a motorised unit and were soon encircled and overwhelmed. The Germans advanced further and on April 19 captured Ioannina, the final supply route of the Greek First Army.^[76] Allied newspapers dubbed the Greek army's fate as a modern day Greek tragedy. Historian and former war-correspondent, Christopher Buckley, when describing the fate of the Greek army, states that "one experience[d] a genuine Aristotelian catharsis, an awe-inspiring sense of the futility of all human effort and all human courage."^[77] is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Grevena (Greek: Γρεβενά) is a town and municipality in Greece, capital of the Grevena Prefecture. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Tragedy is one of the oldest forms of drama. ... Catharsis is the Greek Katharsis word meaning purification or cleansing derived from the ancient Greek gerund καθαίρειν transliterated as kathairein to purify, purge, and adjective katharos pure or clean (ancient and modern Greek: καθαρός). // The term in drama refers to a sudden emotional breakdown or climax that constitutes overwhelming feelings of great...

On April 20, the commander of the Greek forces in Albania, General Georgios Tsolakoglou, realized the hopelessness of the situation and offered to surrender his army, which then consisted of fourteen divisions.^[75] World War II historian John Keegan writes that Tsolakoglou "was so determined [...] to deny the Italians the satisfaction of a victory they had not earned that [...] he opened quite unauthorized parley with the commander of the German SS division opposite him, Sepp Dietrich, to arrange a surrender to the Germans alone."^[78] On strict orders from Hitler negotiations were kept secret from the Italians, and the surrender was accepted.^[75] Outraged by this decision Mussolini ordered counterattacks against the Greek forces, which were repulsed. It took personal representation from Mussolini to Hitler to bring together an armistice in which Italy was included on April 23.^[79] Greek soldiers were not treated as prisoners of war, and were allowed instead to go home after the demobilization of their units, while their officers were permitted to retain their side arms.^[80] is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Georgios Tsolakoglou (Greek: , Agrafa, April 1886 - Athens, May 1948) was a Greek military officer who became the countrys first quisling Prime Minister during the Axis Occupation in 1941-1942. ... Sir John Keegan OBE (born 1934) is a British military historian, lecturer and journalist. ... SS-Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich Josef Sepp Dietrich also known as Ujac (May 28, 1892–April 21/22, 1966) was a German Waffen-SS general, an SS-Oberstgruppenführer, and one of the closest men to Hitler. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ...

Thermopylae position

For more details on this topic, see Battle of Thermopylae (1941).

As early as April 16, the German command realized that the British were evacuating troops on ships at Volos and Piraeus. The whole campaign had taken 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 from action due to a lack of mobility. The 2d and 5th Panzer Divisions, the 1st SS Motorized Infantry Regiment, and both mountain divisions launched a pursuit on enemy forces.^[81] Combatants ANZAC Corps, Australian Forces Nazi Germany Commanders General Bernard Freyberg George Vasey  ??? The Battle of Thermopylae during World War II occurred in 1941 following the retreat from the Olympus and Servia passes. ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

To allow an evacuation of the main body of British forces, Wilson ordered the rear guard to make a last stand at the historic Thermopylae pass, the gateway to Athens. General Freyberg was given the task of defending the coastal pass, while Mackay was to hold the village of Brallos. After the battle Mackay was quoted as saying "I did not dream of evacuation; I thought that we'd hang on for about a fortnight and be beaten by weight of numbers."^[82] When the order to retreat was received on the morning of April 23 it was decided that each of the two positions was to be held by one brigade each. These brigades, the Australian 19th and 6th New Zealand were to hold the passes as long as possible, allowing the other units to withdraw. The Germans attacked on April 24 at 11:30 a.m., met fierce resistance, lost fifteen tanks and sustained considerable casualties.^[83] The Allies held out the entire day; with the delaying action accomplished, they retreated in the direction of the evacuation beaches and set up another rearguard at Thebes.^[84] The Panzer units launching a pursuit along the road leading across the pass made slow progress because of the steep gradient and a large number of difficult hairpin bends.^[85] is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

German Drive on Athens

After abandoning the Thermopylae area, the British rear guards withdrew to an improvised switch position south of Thebes, where they erected a last obstacle in front of Athens. The motorcycle battalion of the 2d Panzer Division, which had crossed to the island of Euboea to seize the port of Chalcis, and had subsequently returned to the mainland, was given the mission of outflanking the British rear guard. The motorcycle troops encountered only slight resistance, and on the morning of April 27, 1941, the first Germans entered Athens, followed by armored cars, tanks, and infantry. They captured intact large quantities of POL (petroleum, oil and lubricants) several thousand tons of ammunition, ten trucks loaded with sugar and ten truckloads of other rations in addition to various other equipment, weapons, and medical supplies.^[87] The people of Athens had been expecting the Germans to enter the city for several days and kept themselves confined to their homes with their windows shut. The previous night Athens Radio had made the following announcement: Thebes (Demotic Greek: Θήβα — Thíva; Katharevousa: — Thêbai or Thívai) is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. ... For the Greek mythological figures see Euboea Euboea, or Negropont or Negroponte (Modern Greek: Εύβοια Évia, Ancient Greek Eúboia), is the second largest of the Greek Aegean Islands and the second largest Greek island overall in area and population (after Crete). ... Coordinates 38°28′ N 23°36′ E Country Greece Periphery Central Greece Prefecture Euboea Population 53,584 source (2001) Area 30. ... is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Military armored cars A French VBL reconnaissance vehicle. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I Infantry or footmen are very highly disciplined and trained soldiers who fight primarily with small arms(rifles), but are trained to use everything from their bare hands to missle systems in order to neutralize... Petro redirects here. ... Synthetic motor oil For other uses, see Oil (disambiguation). ... A lubricant (colloquially, lube) is a substance introduced between two moving surfaces to reduce the friction and wear between them. ...

You are listening to the voice of Greece. Greeks, stand firm, proud, and dignified. You must prove yourselves worthy of your history. The valor and victory of our army has already been recognized. The righteousness of our cause will also be recognized. We did our duty honestly. Friends! Have Greece in your hearts, live inspired with the fire of her latest triumph and the glory of our army. Greece will live again and will be great, because she fought honestly for a just cause and for freedom. Brothers! Have courage and patience. Be stouthearted. We will overcome these hardships. Greeks! With Greece in your minds you must be proud and dignified. We have been an honest nation and brave soldiers.^[88]

Damage from the German bombing of Piraeus on April 6, 1941(Australian War Memorial, Canberra).

The Germans drove straight to the Acropolis and raised the Nazi flag. According to the most popular account of the events, the Evzone soldier on guard duty, Konstantinos Koukidis, took down the Greek flag, refusing to hand it to the invaders wrapped himself in it, and jumped off the Acropolis.^[89] Whether the story was true or not, many Greeks believed it and viewed the soldier as a martyr.^[90] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The Acropolis of Athens is the best known acropolis (high city, The Sacred Rock) in the world. ... Ratio 3:5 The swastika flag came into use initially as the banner of the NSDAP after its foundation. ... Greek Evzone soldiers marching in formation Evzones changing the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Greek Evzones changing guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier Evzones in Athens gaurding the grave of the Unknown Soldier. ... Flag ratio: 7:12 The Flag of Greece is based on nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. ... For other uses, see Martyr (disambiguation). ...

Evacuation of Commonwealth forces

In the morning of April 15, 1941, Wavell sent to Wilson the following message: "We must of course continue to fight in close cooperation with Greeks but from news here it looks as if early further withdrawal necessary."^[92]

General Archibald Wavell, the commander of British Army forces in the Middle East, when in Greece on April 11–13, had warned Wilson that he must expect no reinforcements, and had authorised Major General Freddie de Guingand to discuss evacuation plans with certain responsible officers. Nevertheless, the British could not at this stage adopt or even mention this course of action; the suggestion had to come from the Greek Government. The following day Papagos made the first move when he suggested to Wilson that W Force should be withdrawn. Wilson informed Middle East Headquarters and on 17 April Rear admiral H. T. Baillie-Grohman was sent to Greece to prepare for the evacuation.^[93] That day Wilson hastened to Athens where he attended a conference with the King, Papagos, d'Albiac and Rear admiral Turle. In the evening, Koryzis after telling the King that he felt he had failed him in the task entrusted to him, committed suicide.^[94] On April 21 the final decision for the evacuation of the Commonwealth forces to Crete and Egypt was taken, and Wavell, in confirmation of verbal instructions, sent his written orders to Wilson.^[95] A War Cabinet is committee formed by a government in time of war. ... Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, KT, AK, CH, FRS, QC (20 December 1894 – 15 May 1978), Australian politician, was the twelfth and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia, serving eighteen and a half years. ... Image File history File links Archibald_Wavell. ... Image File history File links Archibald_Wavell. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, GCB, GCSI, GCIE, CMG, MC, PC (May 5, 1883 – May 24, 1950) was a British field marshal and the commander of British Army forces in the Middle East during World War II. He led British forces to victory over the Italians, only... Major General Freddie De Guingand, 1900-1979, served with Montgomery from Alemain to the surrender of the Wermacht in the West. ... The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ...

5,200 men, most of which belonged to the 5th New Zealand Brigade were evacuated on the night of April 24 from Porto Rafti of East Attica, while the 4th New Zealand Brigade remained to block the narrow road to Athens, which was dubbed the 24 Hour Pass by the New Zealanders.^[96] On April 25 (Anzac Day), the few RAF squadrons left Greece (d'Albiac established his headquarters in Heraklion, Crete), and some 10,200 Australian troops were evacuated from Nauplion and Megara.^[97] 2,000 more men had to wait until April 27, because Ulster Prince ran aground in shallow waters close to Nauplion. Because of this event, the Germans realized that the evacuation was also taking place from the ports of East Peloponnese.^[98] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... East Attica is one of the prefectures of Greece. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... ANZAC Day is commemorated by Australia and New Zealand on 25 April every year to remember members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who in the Battle of Gallipoli landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. ANZAC Day is also a public holiday in the... For other uses, see Heraklion (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ... Náfplio (Ναύπλιον) is a town on the Peloponnese in Greece. ... Megara (Greek: Μέγαρα (Big Houses); see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. ... is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On April 25, the Germans staged an airborne operation to seize the bridges over the Corinth canal, with the double aim of both cutting off the British line of retreat and securing their own way across the isthmus. The attack met with initial success, until a stray British shell destroyed the bridge.^[100] The 1st SS Motorized Infantry Regiment, assembled at Ioannina, thrust along the western foothills of the Pindus Mountains via Arta to Messolonghi, and crossed over to the Peloponnese at Patras in an effort to gain access to the isthmus from the west. Upon their arrival at 5:30 p.m. on April 27 the SS forces learned that the paratroops had already been relieved by Army units advancing from Athens.^[87] is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The Corinth Canal The Corinth Canal is a canal connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. ... The Isthmus of Corinth is the narrow landbridge which connects the Peloponnesos peninsula with the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. ... Arta (Greek: Άρτα) is a city with a rich history in north-western Greece, capital of the Arta Prefecture which is part of the Epirus province. ... Messolonghi is a town of about 12,000 people (as of 1991 census) in central Greece. ... Patras (Demotic Greek: Πάτρα, Pátra, Classical Greek: Πάτραι, Pátrai, Latin: , Ottoman Turkish: Ballıbadra) is the third-largest city of Greece and the capital of the prefecture of Achaea, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers to the west of Athens. ... is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The erection of a temporary span across the Corinth canal permitted 5th Panzer Division units to pursue the enemy forces across the Peloponnese. Driving via Argos to Kalamata, from where most Allied units had already begun to evacuate, they reached the south coast on April 29, where they were joined by SS troops arriving from Pyrgos.^[87] The fighting on the Peloponnese consisted merely of small-scale engagements with isolated groups of British troops who had been unable to make ship in time. The attack came a few days too late to cut off the bulk of the British troops in Central Greece, but did manage to isolate the Australian 16th and 17th Brigades.^[101] By April 30 the evacuation of about 50,000 soldiers was completed,^a[›] but was heavily contested by the German Luftwaffe, which sank at least twenty-six troop-laden ships. The Germans captured around 7–8,000 Commonwealth (including 2,000 Cypriots and Palestinians) and Yugoslav troops in Kalamata who had not been evacuated, while liberating many Italian prisoners from POW camps.^[102] This article is about the city in Greece. ... Kalamata (Greek, Modern: Καλαμάτα, Ancient/Katharevousa: -ai), older forms: Kalamai is a city in southern Greece, on the Peloponnesos, by the Mediterranean. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Pyrgos (Greek: Πύργος) is the capital of the Prefecture of Elis in Greece. ... From left to right, a Chinook, Blackhawk and Tiger helicopter The 16th (Aviation) Brigade currently commands most of the Australian Armys aviation units. ... The current Australian 17 Combat Service Support Brigade (or 17 CSS Brigade or simply 17 Brigade) is the home of the Australian Armys deployable logistics elements. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ...

Aftermath

The three occupation zones:          Italian          German          Bulgarian Image File history File links Download high resolution version (899x917, 107 KB) Map showning the zones of control of the three occupying powers in Greece during WW2, from 1941 to 1944. ...

Triple occupation

For more details on this topic, see Axis occupation of Greece during World War II.

On April 13, 1941, Hitler issued his Directive No. 27, which illustrated his future occupying policy in Greece.^[103] He finalized jurisdiction in the Balkans with his Directive No. 31 issued on June 9.^[104] Mainland Greece was divided between Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria. German forces occupied the strategically more important areas, namely Athens, Thessaloniki with Central Macedonia, and several Aegean islands, including most of Crete. They also occupied Florina, which was claimed by both Italy and Bulgaria.^[105] On the same day that Tsolakoglou offered his surrender, the Bulgarian Army invaded Thrace. The goal was to gain an Aegean Sea outlet in Western Thrace and Eastern Macedonia. The Bulgarians occupied territory between the Strimon river and a line of demarcation running through Alexandroupoli and Svilengrad west of Evros river.^[106] The remainder of Greece was left to Italy. Italian troops started occupying the Ionian and Aegean islands on April 28. On June 2 they occupied the Peloponnese, on June 8 Thessaly, and on June 12 most of Attica.^[104] German soldiers raising the Reich War Flag over the Acropolis. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 160th day of the year (161st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of Greece. ... Thessaloniki or Salonica (Greek: ) is Greeces second-largest city and the capital of Macedonia, the largest Region of Greece. ... Central Macedonia is one of the thirteen peripheries of Greece, being the central part of Greek Macedonia. ... Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  Thrace (Bulgarian: , Greek: , Attic Greek: ThrāíkÄ“ or ThrēíkÄ“, Latin: , Turkish: ) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. ... The Struma (Bulgarian: Струма, Greek: Strimonis, Turkish: Karasu (meaning black water in Turkish)) is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. ... Alexandroupoli (also Alexandroupolis, Greek: Αλεξανδρούπολη, Turkish: DedeaÄŸaç) is a city of Greece and the capital of the Evros Prefecture in Thrace. ... Svilengrad (Cyrillic: Свиленград) is a municipality in Bulgaria situated at the border of Turkey and Greece. ... For other uses, see Maritsa (disambiguation). ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Map showing Thessaly periphery in Greece Thessaly (Θεσσαλια; modern Greek Thessalía; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Attica (in Greek: Αττική, Attike; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a periphery (subdivision) in Greece, containing Athens, the capital of Greece. ...

The occupation of Greece, during which civilians suffered terrible hardships, and died from privation and hunger, proved to be a difficult and costly task. It led to the creation of several resistance groups, which launched guerilla attacks against the occupying forces and set up espionage networks.^[107] An ELAS fighter The Greek Resistance (Greek: , i. ...

Battle of Crete

German paratroopers land in Crete.

Map of the German assault on Crete.

For more details on this topic, see Battle of Crete.

On April 25, 1941, King George II and his government left the Greek mainland for Crete, which was attacked by Nazi forces on May 20, 1941.^[108] The Germans employed parachute forces in a massive airborne invasion, and launched their offensive against three main airfields of the island in Maleme, Rethymno, and Heraklion. After seven days of fighting and tough resistance, Allied commanders decided that the cause was hopeless, and ordered a withdrawal from Sfakia. By June 1, 1941, the evacuation of Crete by the Allies was complete and the island was under German occupation. In light of the heavy casualties suffered by the élite 7th Flieger Division, Hitler forbade further airborne operations.^[109] General Kurt Student would dub Crete "the graveyard of the German paratroopers" and a "disastrous victory."^[109] During the night of May 24, George II and his government were evacuated from Crete to Egypt.^[35] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1973x1359, 254 KB) Summary Description: German paratroopers land in Crete, May 1941 Source: From collection of Wiki-Eds great uncle, probably traded Date: 1940s Author: Arthur Conry (digitised and edited by Wiki-Ed) Permission: GFDL Licensing I, the creator of... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1256x956, 178 KB) Description: German assault on Crete - May 1941 Source: www. ... Combatants Greece United Kingdom New Zealand Australia Nazi Germany Kingdom of Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength United Kingdom: 15,000 Greece: 11,000 Australia: 7,100 New Zealand: 6,700 Total: 40,000 (10,000 without fighting capacity[2]) Germany: 14,000 paratroopers 15,000 mountain troopers 280... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Maleme (Greek: Μάλεμε) is a town and airport 16km to the west of Chania, in North Western Crete, Greece. ... Rethymno (IPA ), also Rethimno, Rethymnon, Réthymnon, and Rhíthymnos) (Greek: Ρέθυμνο, in Turkish Resmo), a city of approximately 40,000 people, is the capital of Rethymno Prefecture in the island of Crete. ... For other uses, see Heraklion (disambiguation). ... The village of Hóra Sfakíon Sfakiá (Greek Σφακιά) is a beautiful, traditional, mountainous area to the South West of the island of Crete, in the Chania prefecture. ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The German 1st Parachute Division was a German military parachute-landing Division that fought during World War II. A division of paratroopers was termed a Fallschirmjäger Division. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Assessments

The Greek campaign ended in a complete German victory. The British did not have the necessary military resources in the Middle East to permit them to carry out simultaneous Iarge-scale operations in North Africa and the Balkans. Moreover, even if they had been able to block the German advance into Greece, they would have been unable to exploit the situation by a counterthrust across the Balkans. In enumerating the reasons for the complete German victory in Greece, the following factors seem to have been of the greatest significance: is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The straight-armed Balkenkreuz, a stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Wehrmacht. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Xanthi (Greek: Ξάνθη) is a city in northern Greece, in the East Macedonia and Thrace periphery. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Thessaloniki or Salonica (Greek: ) is Greeces second-largest city and the capital of Macedonia, the largest Region of Greece. ... The Metaxas Line was a chain of fortifications constructed along the line of the Graeco-Bulgarian border, designed to protect Greece in case of a Bulgarian invasion during World War II. It was named after Ioannis Metaxas, the then dictatorial ruler of Greece, and chiefly consists of tunnels that led... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Combatants Australia United Kingdom New Zealand Greece Germany Commanders Iven Mackay (operational); George Vasey (infantry) Fritz Witt Strength About 2,000 personnel, including some artillery support About 1,500 personnel, including artillery support and some tanks (see below) Casualties Australian: about 25 dead N.Z.: about 12 dead; U.K... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Henry Maitland Wilson, Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean. ... Map showing location of the Haliacmon The Haliacmon (Attic Haliákmōn, Ionic Aliákmōn, modern Greek Αλιάκμονας Aliákmonas, South Slavic Бистрица Bistritsa, Turkish Ä°nce Karasu) is the longest river in Greece, with a total length of 322 km (200 miles). ... For the clipper ship, see Thermopylae (clipper). ... The Greek First Army was a Greek field army that fought in Southern Europe during World War II. On October 28, 1940, Italy attacked Greece from bases in Albania, which it had annexed in 1939. ... The Pindus (Greek: Πίνδος, Albanian: Pino) mountains are a range located in northern Greece, roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2636 m (8650 ft), along the border of Thessaly and Epirus. ... German soldiers raising the Reich War Flag over the Acropolis. ... is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The German 9th Panzer Division (Neunte Panzerdivision) came into existence after 4th Light Division was reorganized in January 1940. ... Kozani (Greek: ), is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani Prefecture and of West Macedonia periphery. ... Kastoria is a city in northern Greece in the periphery of West Macedonia. ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Alexander Papagos (in Greek:Αλέξανδρος Παπάγος, Alexandros Papagos). ... is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The Pineiós (Greek: Πηνειός, also Peneus) is a river in Thessaly, Greece. ... The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (German for Adolf Hitlers Bodyguard Regiment) was a unit of the SS. It was a Waffen SS security and combat formation which saw action on both the Eastern and Western fronts during World War II. As its name suggested, the Leibstandarte started life in... Grevena (Greek: Γρεβενά) is a town and municipality in Greece, capital of the Grevena Prefecture. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Larissa (Greek: Λάρισα, Lárisa) is the capital city of the Thessaly periphery of Greece, and capital of the Larissa Prefecture. ... This article is about the Greek city. ... is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Georgios Tsolakoglou (Greek: , Agrafa, April 1886 - Athens, May 1948) was a Greek military officer who became the countrys first quisling Prime Minister during the Axis Occupation in 1941-1942. ... The Bulgarian Army (Bulgarian: Българска армия) represents the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria. ... Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  Thrace (Bulgarian: , Greek: , Attic Greek: ThrāíkÄ“ or ThrēíkÄ“, Latin: , Turkish: ) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ... This article is about Volos, Greece. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Benito Mussolini created a fascist state through the use of propaganda, total control of the media and disassembly of the working democratic government. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Combatants ANZAC Corps, Australian Forces Nazi Germany Commanders General Bernard Freyberg George Vasey  ??? The Battle of Thermopylae during World War II occurred in 1941 following the retreat from the Olympus and Servia passes. ... Thebes (Demotic Greek: Θήβα — Thíva; Katharevousa: — Thêbai or Thívai) is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... East Attica is one of the prefectures of Greece. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... RAF redirects here. ... Náfplio (Ναύπλιον) is a town on the Peloponnese in Greece. ... Megara (Greek: Μέγαρα (Big Houses); see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. ... The Corinth Canal The Corinth Canal is a canal connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. ... is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: Ιόνια νησιά, Ionia nisia; Ancient Greek: , Ionioi NÄ“soi) are a group of islands in Greece. ... Aegean Sea Islands: map showing island groups. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Greece and the Peloponnese The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus (Greek: Πελοπόννησος Peloponnesos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large peninsula in southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth. ... Pyrgos (Greek: Πύργος) is the capital of the Prefecture of Elis in Greece. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

1. Germany's superiority in ground forces and equipment;^[110]
2. German supremacy in the air combined with the inability of the Greeks to provide to the RAF more airfields;^[111]
3. Inadequacy of the British expeditionary force, since the Imperial force available was small;^[110]
4. Poor condition of the Greek Army and its shortage of modern equipment;^[111]
5. Inadequate port, road and railway facilities;^[112]
6. Absence of a unified command and lack of cooperation between the British, Greek, and Yugoslav forces;^[111]
7. Turkey's strict neutrality;^[111] and
8. The early collapse of Yugoslav resistance.^[111]

After the defeat of the Allies, the decision to send British forces into Greece was met with fierce criticism in the UK. Field Marshal Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War II, considered intervention in Greece to be "a definite strategic blunder", as it denied Wavell the necessary reserves to complete the conquest of Italian-held Libya, or to successfully withstand Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps March offensive. It thus prolonged the North African Campaign, which otherwise might have been successfully concluded within 1941.^[113] In 1947 de Guingand asked the British government to recognize the mistakes it made when it laid out its strategy in Greece.^[114] Buckley, on the other hand, argued that, if the UK had not answered its commitment of 1939 to defend Greece's independence, it would have severely damaged the ethical rationalizations of its struggle against Nazi Germany.^[115] According to Professor of History, Heinz Richter, Churchill tried through the campaign in Greece to influence the political atmosphere in the United States, and he insisted on this strategy even after the defeat.^[116] According to John Keegan, "the Greek campaign had been an old-fashioned gentlemen's war, with honor given and accepted by brave adversaries on each side", and the Greek and Allied forces, being vastly outnumbered, "had, rightly, the sensation of having fought the good fight."^[117] Statue of Field Marshal The Viscount Alanbrooke, MoD Building, Whitehall, London Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, KG, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO (July 23, 1883 - June 17, 1963) was a British Field Marshal during World War II. He also served as Lord High Constable during the coronation of... Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) was the title of the professional head of the British Army from 1908 to 1964. ... For a full treatment of the Italian invasion of 1911, see Italian invasion of Libya. ... Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ) (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was one of the most famous German field marshals of World War II. He was the commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps and also became known by the nickname “The Desert Fox” (Wüstenfuchs,  ) for the skillful military campaigns he... The seal of the Deutsches Afrikakorps. ... During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from September 13, 1940 to May 13, 1943. ... Sir John Keegan OBE (born 1934) is a British military historian, lecturer and journalist. ...

Freyberg and Blamey had also serious doubts about the feasibility of the operation, but failed to advise their governments of their reservations and apprehensions.^[118] The campaign caused a furor in Australia, when it became known that, when he received his first warning of the move to Greece on February 18, 1941, General Blamey was worried but had not informed the Australian Government, having been told by General Wavell that Prime Minister Menzies had already given his approval of the plan.^[119] Indeed, the proposal had been accepted by a meeting of the War Cabinet in London at which Mr Menzies was present, but the Australian Prime Minister had been told by Churchill that both Freyberg and Blamey approved of the expedition.^[120] On March 5, in a letter to Menzies, Blamey said that "the plan is, of course, what I feared: piecemeal dispatch to Europe", and the next day he called the operation "most hazardous". However, thinking that he was agreeable, the Australian Government had already committed the Australian Imperial Force to the Greek Campaign.^[121] is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... This article describes the national government of Australia. ... The Prime Minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. ... Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, KT, AK, CH, FRS, QC (20 December 1894 – 15 May 1978), Australian politician, was the twelfth and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia, serving eighteen and a half years. ... This article is about the day. ...

In 1942 members of the British Parliament characterized the campaign in Greece as a "political and sentimental decision". Eden rejected the critics, argued that the UK's decision was unanimous, and asserted that the Battle of Greece delayed the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union.^[122] This is an argument that some historians, such as Keegan have also used, in order to prove that Greek resistance may have been a turning point in World War II.^[123] According to Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler said that "if the Italians hadn't attacked Greece and needed our help, the war would have taken a different course. We could have anticipated the Russian cold by weeks and conquered Leningrad and Moscow. There would have been no Stalingrad".^[124] Despite his reservations, Brooke seems also to have conceded that the start of the offensive against the Soviet Union was in fact delayed because of the Balkan Campaign.^[113] John N. Bradley and Thomas B. Buell conclude that "although no single segment of the Balkan campaign forced the Germans to delay Barbarossa, obviously the entire campaign did prompt them to wait."^[125] On the other hand, Richter calls Eden's arguments a "falsification of history".^[126] Basil Liddell Hart and de Guingand asserted that, even if Operation Marita delayed the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, this is not enough to vindicate the decision of the British government, because this was not its initial strategic goal.^[127] In 1952 a scientific research of the Historical Branch of the UK Cabinet Office concluded that the Balkan Campaign had no influence on the launching of Operation Barbarossa.^[127] According to Robert Kirchubel, "the main causes for deferring Barbarossa's start from May 15 to June 22 were incomplete logistical arrangements, and an unusually wet winter that kept rivers at full flood until late spring."^[128] The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... Helene Bertha Amalie Leni Riefenstahl (August 22, 1902 – September 8, 2003) was a German film director, dancer and actress, and widely noted for her aesthetics and advances in film technique. ... Belligerents Germany Romania Italy Hungary Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Friedrich Paulus # Erich von Manstein Wolfram von Richthofen Petre Dumitrescu Constantin Constantinescu Italo Garibaldi Gusztáv Vitéz Jány Josef Stalin Vasiliy Chuikov Aleksandr Vasilyevskiy Georgiy Zhukov Semyon Timoshenko Konstantin Rokossovskiy Rodion Malinovskiy Andrei Yeremenko Strength Army Group B... The military historian Basil Liddell Hart. ... is the 135th day of the year (136th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Homage to the Greek resistance

In a speech made at the Reichstag in 1941, Hitler expressed his admiration for the Greek resistance,^h[›] saying of the campaign: "Historical justice obliges me to state that of the enemies who took up positions against us, the Greek soldier particularly fought with the highest courage. He capitulated only when further resistance had become impossible and useless." The Führer also ordered the release, and repatriation of all Greek prisoners of war, as soon as they had been disarmed, "because of their gallant bearing."^[130] According to Hitler's Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, the Führer "wanted to give the Greeks an honorable settlement in recognition of their brave struggle, and of their blamelessness for this war: after all the Italians had started it."^i[›] Inspired by the Greek resistance during the Italian and German invasions, Churchill said, "Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks".^[131] In response to a letter from George II dated December 3, 1940, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that "all free peoples are deeply impressed by the courage and steadfastness of the Greek nation".^k[›] Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (September 22, 1882–October 16, 1946) was a German field marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) and a senior military leader during World War II. // Keitel was born in Helmscherode, Brunswick, German Empire, the son of Carl Keitel, a middle-class landowner, and his wife Apollonia Vissering. ... is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... FDR redirects here. ...

Notes

Citations

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... USACMH Logo The U.S. Army Center of Military History: A Brief History Terrence J. Gough From: ARMY HISTORY, PB-20-96-2 (No. ... Flag Seal Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 328th day of the year (329th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Paul Joseph Goebbels (German pronunciation: IPA: ; English generally IPA: ) (October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945) was a German politician and Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda during the National Socialist regime from 1933 to 1945. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... Hitler redirects here. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Sir John Keegan OBE (born 1934) is a British military historian, lecturer and journalist. ... Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (September 22, 1882–October 16, 1946) was a German field marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) and a senior military leader during World War II. // Keitel was born in Helmscherode, Brunswick, German Empire, the son of Carl Keitel, a middle-class landowner, and his wife Apollonia Vissering. ... Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, KT, AK, CH, FRS, QC (20 December 1894 – 15 May 1978), Australian politician, was the twelfth and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia, serving eighteen and a half years. ... Old Parliament House today Opening of Parliament House in May 1927 Old Parliament House, formerly known as the Provisional Parliament House, was the seat of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... FDR redirects here. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

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Battle of Greece

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v • d • e World War II
Western Europe · Eastern Europe · Africa · Mediterranean · Asia and the Pacific · Atlantic Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants  United Kingdom  United States Poland  France Canada Free France  Netherlands  Belgium Germany Italy Commanders Winston Churchill, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Harold Alexander, Bertram Ramsay, Bernard Montgomery, Lord Gort, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Franklin Roosevelt,, George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Jacob Devers, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Anders, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Sikorski, Stanis... Combatants Soviet Union,[1] Poland, Tannu Tuva (until 1944 incorporation with USSR), Mongolia Germany,[2] Italy (to 1943), Romania (to 1944), Finland (to 1944), Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain (to 1943, unofficial) Commanders Joseph Stalin, Aleksei Antonov, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky, Ivan Bagramyan, Kirill Meretskov, Ivan Petrov, Alexander Rodimtsev, Konstantin Rokossovsky... 219. ... The Mediterranean region. ... For other uses, see Pacific War (disambiguation). ... Combatants Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy United States Navy (1941–5) Kriegsmarine Regia Marina (1940–3) Commanders Sir Percy Noble Sir Max K. Horton Percy W. Nelles Leonard W. Murray Ernest J. King Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz Casualties 30,248 merchant sailors 3,500 merchant vessels 175 warships 28...
Major participants ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ...			Timeline For events preceding September 1, 1939, see the timeline of events preceding World War II. This is a timeline of events that stretched over the period of World War II. // 1: The Invasion of Poland begins at 4:30 a. ...		Aspects
To 1945 unless otherwise indicated. Principal co-belligerents in italics.			Prelude • Causes • in Asia • in Europe This article is concerned with the events that preceded World War II in Asia. ... In Europe, the origins of the war are closely tied to the rise of fascism, especially in Nazi Germany. ... 1937 • Invasion of China Combatants China  United States1 Soviet Union2  Empire of Japan Collaborationist Chinese Army3 Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Cheng, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren, Xue Yue, Bai Chongxi, Peng Dehuai, Joseph Stilwell, Claire Chennault, Aleksandr Vasilevsky Hirohito, Fumimaro Konoe, Hideki Tojo, Kotohito Kanin, Matsui Iwane, Hajime Sugiyama, Shunroku Hata... 1939 • Invasion of Poland • Phoney War • Winter War • Battle of the Atlantic5 For the Soviet Unions military action against Poland under the same alliance, see Soviet invasion of Poland (1939). ... British Ministry of Home Security Poster of a type that was common during the Phoney War The Phoney War was a phase in early World War II marked by few military operations in Continental Europe,[1] in the months following the German invasion of Poland and preceding the Battle of... Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov Semyon Timoshenko Strength 250,000 men 30 tanks 130 aircraft[1][2] 1,000,000 men 6,541 tanks [3] 3,800 aircraft[4][5] Casualties 26,662 dead 39,886 wounded 1,000 captured[6] 126,875 dead... Combatants Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy United States Navy (1941–5) Kriegsmarine Regia Marina (1940–3) Commanders Sir Percy Noble Sir Max K. Horton Percy W. Nelles Leonard W. Murray Ernest J. King Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz Casualties 30,248 merchant sailors 3,500 merchant vessels 175 warships 28... 1940 • Denmark and Norway • Battle of France • Battle of Britain • Libya and Egypt • British Somaliland • Occupation of the Baltic states • Bessarabia and Bukovina • Invasion of Indochina • Invasion of Greece Combatants Germany Denmark Norway Operation Weserübung was the German codename for Nazi Germanys assault on Denmark and Norway during World War II and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. ... Combatants  France  United Kingdom  Canada  Czechoslovakia  Poland  Belgium  Netherlands  Luxembourg Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) Leopold III H.G. Winkelman Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di... This article is about military history. ... Combatants  Australia Free France  New Zealand  Poland South Africa  United Kingdom India Italy Germany Commanders to June 22 1941: Archibald Wavell to August 8 1942: Claude Auchinleck to February 1943: Harold Alexander Ugo Cavallero Rodolfo Graziani Erwin Rommel The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War was the... Combatants United Kingdom British India British Somaliland N. Rhodesia British East Africa Italy Italian East Africa Commanders Alfred Godwin-Austen Arthur Chater Guglielmo Nasi Carlo De Simone Strength 4,000 24,000 Casualties 38 killed[1] 71 wounded[1] 49 missing[1] Total:205[2] Destroyed British convoy near Berbera... Molotov signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact The occupation of Baltic states refers to the occupation of the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) first by the Soviet Union under the provisions of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany, by Nazi Germany from 1941-1944, and again by... On June 28, 1940 Bessarabia and northern Bukovina were occupied by the Soviet Union. ... Combatants Empire of Japan Vichy France Commanders Akihito Nakamura Takuma Nishimura Maurice Martin Strength 34,000 men 2,000 men Casualties  ? 800 The Invasion of French Indochina ), also known as the Vietnam Expedition, the Japanese Invasion of Vietnam, was an attempt by the Empire of Japan, during the Second Sino... Combatants Italy Albania Greece United Kingdom Commanders Sebastiano Visconti Prasca Ubaldo Soddu Ugo Cavallero Giovanni Messe Alexander Papagos Strength 529,000 men Under 300,000 men Casualties 13,755 dead, 50,874 wounded, 25,067 missing, 12,368 incapacitated by frostbites, ca. ... 1941 • East Africa • Invasion of Yugoslavia • Invasion of the USSR • Middle East • Siege of Leningrad • Attack on Pearl Harbor Combatants United Kingdom Anglo-Egyptian Sudan British Somaliland British East Africa British India Gold Coast Nigeria N. Rhodesia S. Rhodesia Union of S. Africa Belgium Belgian Congo Free France Ethiopian irregulars Italy Italian East Africa German Motorized Company Commanders Archibald Wavell William Platt Alan Cunningham Duke of Aosta Guglielmo Nasi... “April War” redirects here. ... Combatants Germany Romania Finland Italy Hungary Slovakia  Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Fedor von Bock Gerd von Rundstedt Heinz Guderian Günther von Kluge Franz Halder Ion Antonescu C.G.E. Mannerheim Giovanni Messe, CSIR Italo Garibaldi, ARMIR Iosef Stalin Kliment Voroshilov Semyon Timoshenko Fyodor Kuznetsov... The Middle East Campaign was a part of the Middle East Theatre of World War II. // This campaign included: The British police actions in Palestine. ... Combatants Germany Spanish Blue Division Soviet Union Commanders Wilhelm von Leeb Georg von Küchler Agustín Muñoz Grandes Kliment Voroshilov Georgiy Zhukov Strength 725,000 930,000 Casualties Unknown Red Army: 332,059 KIA 24,324 non-combat dead 111,142 missing 16,470 civilians 1 million civilians... This article is about the actual attack. ... 1942 • Battle of Midway • Battle of Stalingrad • 2nd Battle of El Alamein • Operation Torch • Guadalcanal campaign Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz Frank J. Fletcher Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto Chuichi Nagumo Tamon Yamaguchi† Strength 3 carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft 4 carriers, 7 battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties 1 carrier... Belligerents Germany Romania Italy Hungary Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Friedrich Paulus # Erich von Manstein Wolfram von Richthofen Petre Dumitrescu Constantin Constantinescu Italo Garibaldi Gusztáv Vitéz Jány Josef Stalin Vasiliy Chuikov Aleksandr Vasilyevskiy Georgiy Zhukov Semyon Timoshenko Konstantin Rokossovskiy Rodion Malinovskiy Andrei Yeremenko Strength Army Group B... Combatants British Eighth Army: United Kingdom Australia Free French Greece India New Zealand South Africa Panzer Army Africa: Germany Italy Commanders Harold Alexander Bernard Montgomery Erwin Rommel Georg Stumme Ettore Bastico Strength 220,000 men 1,100 tanks[1] 750 aircraft (530 serviceable) 116,000 men[1] 559 tanks[2... Combatants United States United Kingdom Free French Forces Vichy France Commanders Dwight Eisenhower Andrew Cunningham François Darlan Strength 73,500 60,000 Casualties 479+ dead 720 wounded 1,346+ dead 1,997 wounded Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in... Combatants Allied forces including: United States Australia New Zealand British Solomon Is. ...	1943 • End in Africa • Battle of Kursk • Solomon Islands campaign • Invasion of Sicily • Invasion of Italy5 Combatants United Kingdom United States France Germany Italy Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Harold Alexander Keneth Anderson Bernard Montgomery Albert Kesselring Erwin Rommel Hans-Jürgen von Arnim Giovanni Messe The Tunisia Campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia), was a series of World War II battles that took place... Combatants Nazi Germany Soviet Union Commanders Erich von Manstein Günther von Kluge Hermann Hoth Walther Model Georgiy Zhukov Konstantin Rokossovskiy Nikolay Vatutin Ivan Konyev Strength 2,700 tanks 800,000 infantry 2,000 aircraft 3,600 tanks 1,300,000 infantry and supporting troops 2,400 aircraft Casualties German... Combatants  United States  Australia New Guinea[1]  New Zealand  United Kingdom Colony of Fiji[2] Solomon Is. ... Combatants  United States  United Kingdom  Canada  Free French  Nazi Germany Italy Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Harold Alexander Bernard Montgomery George S. Patton Albert Kesselring Alfredo Guzzoni Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin Strength 160,000 men 14,000 vehicles 600 tanks 1,800 guns 365,000 Italians 40,000 Germans Casualties... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... 1944 • Cassino and Anzio • Battle of Normandy • Belorussia and Ukraine • Warsaw Uprising • Iassy-Kishinev Operation • Liberation of Paris • Operation Market Garden • Battle of Leyte Gulf Combatants United Kingdom United States Poland New Zealand Canada Free France India and others Germany Commanders Harold Alexander Mark Clark Oliver Leese Albert Kesselring Heinrich von Vietinghoff Frido von Senger Strength 105,000 80,000 Casualties 54,000 20,000 The Battle of Monte Cassino (also known as the Battle... Combatants United States, United Kingdom Germany Commanders Harold Alexander Mark W. Clark John P. Lucas Lucian Truscott Albert Kesselring Eberhard von Mackensen Strength 22 Jan 1944: 36,000 soldiers and 2,300 vehicles End May:150,000 soldiers and 1,500 guns 22 Jan 1944: 20,000 soldiers End May... The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ... Combatants Germany Soviet Union Commanders Ernst Busch (to 28 June), Walter Model (Army Group Centre) Georg-Hans Reinhardt (Third Panzer Army) Hans Jordan (Ninth Army) Kurt von Tippelskirch (Fourth Army) Walter Weiss (Second Army) Georgy Zhukov Konstantin Rokossovsky (3rd Belorussian Front) Hovhannes Bagramyan (1st Baltic Front) Ivan Chernyakhovsky (1st Belorussian... For other uses, see Warsaw Uprising (disambiguation). ... Combatants Soviet Union Germany Romania Commanders Rodion Malinovsky Fyodor Tolbukhin Johannes Friessner Ion Antonescu Strength 1,341,200, 1,874 tanks and assault guns ca. ... Combatants Free French Forces French Resistance Germany Commanders Philippe Leclerc Raymond Dronne Henri Rol-Tanguy Jacques Chaban-Delmas Dietrich von Choltitz # Strength 2nd Armoured Division, French resistance 20,000 Casualties 1,500 dead French resistance 71 dead, 225 wounded Free French Forces[1] 3,200 dead, 12,800 POW The... Combatants  United Kingdom  United States  Canada  Poland  Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Brian Horrocks Roy Urquhart James M. Gavin Maxwell Taylor StanisÅ‚aw Sosabowski Walter Model Wilhelm Bittrich Kurt Student Strength 35,000 20,000 Casualties 11,377 dead, wounded or missing 6,946 British MIA 2,000 Killed 6,000... Combatants  United States  Australia Empire of Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr (3rd Fleet) Thomas C. Kinkaid (7th Fleet) Takeo Kurita (Centre Force) Shoji Nishimura â€  (Southern Force) Kiyohide Shima (Southern Force) Jisaburo Ozawa (Northern Force) Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers and destroyer escorts... 1945 • Battle of Okinawa • Battle of Berlin • Germany surrenders • Hiroshima and Nagasaki • Japan surrenders Combatants  United States  United Kingdom  Canada  Australia  New Zealand Empire of Japan Commanders Simon B. Buckner â€  Joseph W. Stilwell Ray Spruance Mitsuru Ushijima â€  Isamu Cho â€  Strength 548,000 soldiers, 1,300 ships,  ? aircraft 100,000 regulars and militia,  ? ships,  ? aircraft Casualties 12,513 dead or missing, 38,916 wounded, 33... Combatants Soviet Union Poland Nazi Germany Commanders 1st Belorussian Front – Georgiy Zhukov 2nd Belorussian Front – Konstantin Rokossovskiy 1st Ukrainian Front – Ivan Konev Army Group Vistula – Gotthard Heinrici then Kurt von Tippelskirch[2] Army Group Centre – Ferdinand Schörner Berlin Defense Area – Helmuth Reymann then Helmuth Weidling #[3] Strength 2,500... During the Battle for Berlin, the Red Flag was raised over the Reichstag, May 1945. ... The mushroom cloud over Hiroshima after the dropping of Little Boy. ... The Japanese representatives, Mamoru Shigemitsu and Yoshijiro Umezu, on board USS Missouri during the surrender ceremonies on 2 September 1945. ... • misc. military engagements USS Lexington explodes during the Battle of the Coral Sea. ... Aftermath and Consequences • Effects • Casualties • Expulsion of Germans • Occupation of Germany • Morgenthau plan • Territorial changes • Occupation of Japan • Franco-Vietnamese War • Cold War • in contemporary culture • Possible World War III The bumsItalic textBold text effects of World War II had far-reaching implications for the international community. ... Military and civilian deaths during World War II for the Allied and the Axis Powers. ... Germans expelled from the Sudetenland // The expulsion of Germans after World War II refers to the forced migration of people considered Germans (Reichsdeutsche and some Volksdeutsche) from various European states and territories during 1945 and in the first three years after World War II 1946-48. ... The C-Pennant Occupation zones in Germany (1945) Capital Berlin (de jure) Political structure Military occupation Governors (1945)  - UK zone F.M. Montgomery  - French zone Gen. ... The Morgenthau Plan showing the planned partitioning of Germany into a North State, a South State, and an International zone. ... The Oder-Neisse line (Polish: , German: ) marked the border between German Democratic Republic and Poland between 1950 and 1990. ... Capital Tokyo Language(s) Japanese Political structure Military occupation Military Governor  - 1945-1951 Douglas MacArthur  - 1951-1952 Matthew Ridgway Emperor  - 1926-1989 Hirohito Historical era Post-WWII  - Surrender of Japan August 15, 1945  - San Francisco Treaty April 28, 1952 At the end of the Second World War, Japan was occupied... Combatants France French Indochina Việt Minh Strength 500,000 at least 63,000, but estimates 100,000-950,000 Casualties 94,581 dead 78,127 wounded 40,000 captured 300,000+ dead 500,000+ wounded 100,000 captured The First Indochina War (also known as the French Indochina War... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... The influence of World War II has been profound and diverse, having an impact on many parts of life. ... A nuclear holocaust is often associated with World War III For other uses, see World War III (disambiguation). ...	• Attacks on North America • Blitzkrieg • Comparative military ranks • Cryptography • Home front • Military awards • Military equipment • Military production • Nazi plunder • Resistance • Technology • Total war Attacks on North America during World War II by the Axis Powers were rare, mainly due to the continents geographical separation from the central theaters of conflict in Europe and Asia. ... This article is about the military term. ... The following table shows comparative officer ranks of major Allied and Axis powers during World War II. For modern ranks refer to Comparative military ranks. ... Cryptography was used extensively during World War II, with a plethora of code and cipher systems fielded by the nations involved. ... Publicity photo of American machine tool worker in Texas. ... Military awards of World War II were presented by most of the combatants. ... // Aircraft List of aircraft of World War II List of World War II military aircraft of Germany List of aircraft of the Armée de lAir, World War II List of aircraft of the USAAF, World War II List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force, World War II... During World War II women worked in factories throughout much of the Western and Eastern United States. ... Nazi plunder stored in a church at Elligen, Germany, 1945 Nazi plunder refers to art theft and other items stolen as a result of the organized spoliation of European countries during the time of the Third Reich by agents acting on behalf of the ruling Nazi Party of Germany. ... Members of the Dutch Eindhoven Resistance with troops of the US 101st Airborne Division in front of the Eindhoven cathedral during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. ... Technology during World War II played a crucial role in determining the outcome of the war. ... Total war is a military conflict in which nations mobilize all available resources in order to destroy another nations ability to engage in war. ... Civilian impact and atrocities • Allied war crimes • German war crimes • Italian war crimes • Japanese war crimes • Soviet war crimes • The Holocaust • Bombing of civilians Allied war crimes were violations of the laws of war committed by the Allies of World War II against civilian populations or military personnel of the Axis Armed Forces. ... Germany committed war crimes in both World War I and World War II. The most notable of these is the Holocaust, where millions of people, about half of which were Jews, were murdered. ... This article needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... Japanese war crimes occurred during the period of Japanese imperialism. ... Soviet war crimes gives a short overview about serious crimes, which probably offend against international law, committed by the Red Armys (1918-1946, later Soviet Army) leadership and an unknown number of single members of the Soviet armed forces during in 1919 - 1990 including those in Eastern Europe in... “Shoah” redirects here. ... Strategic bombing during World War II was greater in scale than any wartime attack the world had previously witnessed. ...
Allies		Axis
at war from 1937  China This article is about the independent states that comprised the Allies. ... This article is about the independent states that comprised the Axis powers. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ... entered 1939  Poland  UK  India  France  Australia  New Zealand  South Africa  Canada Image File history File links Flag_of_Poland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links British_Raj_Red_Ensign. ... The Indian National Congress led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was opposed to Fascism, Nazism and colonialism. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Africa_1928-1994. ... entered 1940  Norway  Belgium  Netherlands  Greece Image File history File links Flag_of_Norway. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ...	entered 1941  Yugoslavia  USSR  USA  Czechoslovakia Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, Југославија in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia, or literary The Land of South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Czechoslovakia. ... entered 1942  Mexico  Brazil Image File history File links Flag_of_Mexico_(1934-1968). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... // Depression, coffee oligarchs, and the Revolution of 1930 The Great Depression The tenente rebellion (See History of Brazil (1889-1930)) did not mark the revolutionary breakthrough of Brazils bourgeois social reformers. ... entered 1943  Italy Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... entered 1944  Romania  Bulgaria  Finland Image File history File links Flag_of_Romania. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Finland. ... Combatants Germany Finland Commanders Lothar Rendulic Hjalmar Siilasvuo Strength 200,000 60,000 Casualties 950 killed 2,000 wounded 1,300 captured 774 killed 3,000 wounded 262 missing The Lapland War (Finnish: ; German: ; Swedish: ) is a name used for the hostilities between Finland and Germany between September 1944 and... • others This article is about the independent states that comprised the Allies. ...	at war from 1937  Japan  Manchukuo Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_-_variant. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Manchukuo. ... Flag Anthem National Anthem of Manchukuo Map of Manchukuo Capital Hsinking Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1932 - 1934 Datong (Chief Executive) (Aisingioro Puyi)  - 1934 - 1945 Kangde-Emperor (Aisingioro Puyi) Prime Minister  - 1932 - 1935 Zheng Xiaoxu  - 1935 - 1945 Zhang Jinghui Historical era World War II  - Established 1932  - Disestablished 1945 Manchukuo (, State of... entered 1939  Germany  Slovakia  USSR  (to 1941) Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Soviet_Union. ... Polish Defensive War of 1939 Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign or Defensive War of 1939 (Polish: Wojna obronna 1939 roku) was the conquest of Poland by the armies of Nazi Germany, the Soviet... entered 1940  Italy  (to 1943) Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... entered 1941  Bulgaria  (to 1944) Croatia Finland  (to 1944)  Hungary  Iraq  (to 1941)  Romania  (to 1944) Image File history File links Flag_of_Bulgaria_(1878-1944). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Croatia_Ustasa. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Finland. ... Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov Semyon Timoshenko Strength 250,000 men 30 tanks 130 aircraft[1][2] 1,000,000 men 6,541 tanks [3] 3,800 aircraft[4][5] Casualties 26,662 dead 39,886 wounded 1,000 captured[6] 126,875 dead... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hungary_1940. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iraq_1924. ... Combatants Kingdom of Iraq United Kingdom India Commanders Rashid Ali General Sir Edward Quinan Strength five divisions about two divisions Casualties 2,500 KIA, about 6,000 POWs 1,200 (KIA, MIA, WIA) The Anglo-Iraqi War is the name of hostilities between the United Kingdom and the Iraqi nationalist... Image File history File links Flag_of_Romania. ... entered 1942  Thailand Image File history File links Flag_of_Thailand. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... entered 1943  RSI Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Anthem Giovinezza (The Youth)¹ Capital Salò Language(s) Italian Religion Roman Catholicism Government Republic Head of State Benito Mussolini Historical era World War II  - Established September 23, 1943  - Disestablished April 25, 1945 ¹ External link The Italian Social Republic (Repubblica Sociale Italiana or RSI) was a Nazi puppet state led by... • others This article is about the independent states that comprised the Axis powers. ...
• Allied Leaders • Axis Leaders • Commanders This article does not cite any references or sources. ... // Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, the leaders of the two main Axis powers in Europe. ... The Commanders of World War II were for the most part career officers. ...
Resistance movements Austria · Baltic2 · Bessarabia1 · Czech lands · Denmark · Ethiopia · France · Germany · Greece · Italy · Jewish · Korea · Netherlands · Moldavia1 · Norway · Poland · Thailand · USSR · Slovakia4 · Ukraine3 · Vietnam · Yugoslavia · others Members of the Dutch Eindhoven Resistance with troops of the US 101st Airborne Division in front of the Eindhoven cathedral during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. ... The Forest Brothers (also: Brothers of the Forest, Forest Brethren; Forest Brotherhood; in Estonian: metsavennad, in Latvian meža brāļi, in Lithuanian miÅ¡ko broliai) were Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian partisans who waged guerrilla warfare against Soviet rule and for German Nazis during the Soviet invasion and occupation of... Czech resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II is a scarcely documented subject, by and large a result of little formal resistance and an effective German policy that deterred acts of resistance or annihilated organizations of resistance. ... The Jewish resistance during the Holocaust was the resistance of the Jewish people against Nazi Germany leading up to and through World War II. Due to the careful organization and overwhelming military might of the Nazi German State and its supporters, many Jews were unable to resist the killings. ... The Korean Liberation Army was the armed force of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and was created on September 17, 1941 in Chongqing, China. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, Југославија in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia, or literary The Land of South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Members of the Dutch Eindhoven Resistance with troops of the US 101st Airborne Division in front of the Eindhoven cathedral during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. ...
			Lists
			Category · Topics · Conferences // Military engagements For military topics (land, naval, and air engagements as well as campaigns, operations, defensive lines and sieges), please see List of military engagements of World War II. Political and social aspects of the war Causes of World War II Appeasement Occupation of Denmark Netherlands in World War II... List of World War II conferences of the Allied forces In total Churchill attended 14 meetings, Roosevelt 12, Stalin 5. ...
1 Anti-Soviet. 2 Anti-Soviet and anti-Nazi. 3 Anti-Nazi, anti-Polish, and anti-Soviet. 4 Anti-Magyar, anti-Nazi, and anti-Soviet. 5 Lasted to May 1945. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...		World War II at Wiktionary  WWII textbooks at Wikibooks      WWII quotes at Wikiquote  WWII source texts at Wikisource        WWII media at Commons  WWII news stories at Wikinews

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Image File history File links Wikibooks-logo. ... Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Image File history File links WikiNews-Logo. ...