Balkans Campaign timeline
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Italy Invades Albania
On April 7 Mussolini's troops invaded Albania. The operation was led by General Alfredo Guzzoni. The invasion force was divided into three groups,... Read more
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Greek Forces Withdraw to Pindus to Fight Pitched Battle against Italian Invaders
The position of the Greek First Army, still fighting in Albania, was seriously jeopardized by the rapid advance of the XL Panzer Corps via... Read more
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Italian Forces Invade Greece
On 28 October 1940, after Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas rejected an Italian ultimatum demanding the occupation of Greek territory, Italian forces... Read more
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Greek Forces Launch Counter-offensive on Italians
Greek reserves started reaching the front in early November, while Bulgarian inactivity allowed the Greek High Command to transfer the majority of... Read more
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Battle of Cape Matapan
The Battle of Cape Matapan (Greek: Ναυμαχία του Ταίναρου) was a World War II naval battle fought from March 27 to March 29, 1941. The cape is on... Read more
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Axis Powers Begin Invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia with the Bombing of Belgrade
At the end of March 1941 the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was forced to join the Axis, which ignited a popular revolution in the country; this led to a... Read more
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Battle of Fort Roupel
Like the Maginot Line on the Franco-German border, the Metaxas Line was outflanked by German forces specifically when the Germans invaded Greece in... Read more
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Yugoslav Army Begins Albanian Offensive
In accordance with the Royal Yugoslav Army’s war plan, R-41, a strategy was formulated that, in the face of a massive Axis attack, a retreat on all... Read more
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German Forces Seize 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... Read more
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Battle of Vevi (1941)
The Klidi Pass is between 100 metres (0.062 mi) and 500 metres (0.31 mi) wide, a winding defile, with steep, rocky and treeless sides up to 1,000... Read more
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Belgrade is Captured by German Forces
Since three separate attack forces were converging on Belgrade simultaneously, the Army High Command was not immediately able to determine which... Read more
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Yugoslav Air Forces Evacuate King Petar II and Members of Government to Greece
On 6 April, Luftwaffe dive-bombers and ground-attack fighters destroyed 26 of the Yugoslav Dorniers in the initial assault on their airfields, but... Read more
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Official Surrender of Greek Forces in Albania to Axis Powers
On April 20, the commander of the Greek forces in Albania, General Georgios Tsolakoglou, realized the hopelessness of the situation and offered to... Read more
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Battle of Thermopylae (1941)
The Battle of Thermopylae during World War II occurred in 1941 following the retreat from the Olympus and Servia passes. British Commonwealth... Read more
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Germany Launches Airborne Attack on the Island of Crete
The Battle of Crete (German: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek: Μάχη της Κρήτης) was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. The... Read more
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British Forces Launch Naval Attack through the Kaso Strait
Admiral Andrew Cunningham, determined that no German troop transports should reach Crete, sent Admiral King's Force C (three cruisers and four... Read more
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Allies Begin Retreat Southward Across Crete
Fighting against a constant supply of fresh enemy troops, the Allies began a series of retreats working southward across Crete. The 5th... Read more
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Evacuations of Allied Forces from Crete Begins
Over four nights, 16,000 troops were evacuated to Egypt by ships including the light cruiser HMS Ajax. The majority of these troops embarked from... Read more
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Island of Crete Surrenders to Germany
Of course, General you know that after Crete we shall never do another Airborne operation. The parachute arm is one that relies entirely on... Read more
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German Forces Completely Destroy Cretan Village of Kandanos as Reprisal for Popular Resistance
The Razing of Kandanos (Greek: Καταστροφή της Καντάνου) or the Holocaust of Kandanos (Greek: Ολοκαύτωμα της Καντάνου) refers to the complete... Read more