Operation Marita & Operation 25 (Greece & Yugoslavia) by Liewser, Aussie, Muscle Miko XXS, RAAAAAYYYYEEEE, and Amartya Ragananananananananananananbananathan

Thesis Mussolini’s failed campaigns in Greece and the successful coup against Yugoslavia’s monarchy caused Hitler to perceive the Balkans as a threat and, as a result, initiate Operation Marita and Operation 25. The ensuing battles, and rapid Axis victories, allowed Hitler to annex the southern Balkans but delayed Operation Barbarossa.

CAUSES: Battle of Greece Mussolini catches everyone by surprise by invading Greece First Objective: Prove his potential as Axis power Second Objective: Obtain passage through Greece and weaken Britain Germany ends up having to capture Greece instead Main motive is not helping Italy, but rather Romanian oil fields Main goal is to attack USSR (Operation Barbarossa) Securing Greece helps form southern Balkan attack flank

Battle: Battle of Greece Germany begins invasion of Greece on April 6, 1941 Attacks Greece via Bulgaria Germany used efficient army and blitzkrieg tactics whereas Greece and Britain struggled to communicate Ends with the formation of three zones under Axis rule on April 27, 1941

TIMELINE: Battle of Greece

Impact on WWII: Battle of greece Axis powers now have control over Greece Possible delay of Operation Barbarossa (Controversial) Churchill and General Alan Brooke regretted supporting Greece Quickness testified for effectiveness of “blitzkrieg” Germany threatens British power in pursuit of a beneficial peace

Causes: Invasion of Yugoslavia Yugoslavian Prince Paul’s regents ally with Axis, providing gateway towards Greece (March 25, 1941) Large population of Yugoslavia unhappy with Tripartite Pact, causes coup d'etat New government under King Peter II dissolved pact Therefore Hitler is angry about betrayal Ethnic separation within Yugoslavia predominantly between Serbs and Croats Peter is a looker

Battle: Invasion of Yugoslavia Begins with German bombing of Belgrade (April 6, 1941) Followed by attack on three fronts (Romania, Hungary and the Third Reich) Yugoslavian military not up to date, cannot compete with German Predicting Axis invasion, Yugoslavia invents escape plan Connect with Allies in the South Ultimately fails Fall of Yugoslavia takes only 11 days

Map

Timeline: Invasion of Yugoslavia

Impact on WWII: Invasion of Yugoslavia Key impact was formation of Yugoslav Partisans Responsible for German complications in the Balkans Made Operation Barbarossa more difficult for Germans Contributed to the invasion of Italy

The Yugoslavian Resistance The Yugoslav Partisans were led by Josip Tito, a communist leader in Yugoslavia Founded shortly after German invasion in 1941 Forewarned German attack on Russia, Operation Barbarossa June 27th: Partisan army officially created, July 4th: Call to action against German Occupation Used guerilla warfare to combat German numerical superiority In November 1942, resistance army evolved into more modern People’s Liberation Army In 1943, Tito gained the support of the Allies By the withdrawal of Germany from Yugoslavia, Tito had gained complete control

Tie back to thesis Both Greece and Yugoslavia, which Hitler did not initially plan to attack, stalled attacks Representative of Hitler’s ideals overall in the war Hitler uses blitzkrieg to a startling effect Delays Germany by crucial 2 months

Therefore (Due to the delay of Operation barbarossa) Hitler becomes very...

Heartbroken :’(

Thank You for Listening! Any Remaining Questions?

Works Cited Axelrod, Alan. "Invasion of Greece during World War II." Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 1. Facts On File, History Research Center. Web. 20 Apr Axelrod, Alan. "Yugoslavia during World War II." Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 2. Facts On File, History Research Center. Web. 20 Apr Baker, Lee, Jr. "Tripartite Pact: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, Web. 20 Apr "Fact File: Greece Campaign." BBC. BBC, n.d. Web. 20 Apr "Germany Invades Yugoslavia and Greece." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 20 Apr Hart, Stephen A., Dr. "Partisans: War in the Balkans " BBC. BBC, 17 Feb Web. 20 Apr "Invasion of Yugoslavia (April 6, 1941) Summary – WWII German Attack." Totally History Invasion of Yugoslavia Comments. Totallyhistory.com, Web. 20 Apr "Italy Invades Greece." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 20 Apr "Operation 25 - German Invasion of Yugoslavia." Operation 25 - German Invasion of Yugoslavia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr "PART TWO." THE GERMAN CAMPAIGN IN THE BALKANS (SPRING 1941): PART II. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr "The Resistance Movement in Yugoslavia - History Learning Site." History Learning Site. History Learning Site, Web. 20 Apr "WW2 Map of Europe." World Map. Maps of the World, n.d. Web. 21 Apr

More outcomes Greece is bankrupt 太好了！ Quack