THE INVASION OF THE BALKANS AND GREECE

OCTOBER, 1940 – MAY, 1941

THE BALKAN PENINSULA (2009)

BACKGROUND HITLER NOT ORIGINALLY INTERESTED IN BALKAN/GREEK

OCCUPATION HITLER DIDN’T EVEN ENCOURAGE AN ITALIAN INVASION WHY NOT?

HITLER WANTED LEBENSRAUM IN EASTERN EUROPE (Poland, Russia, etc.)

HITLER WAS CONTENT TO ALLOW ITALY TO DOMINATE THE BALKANS & GREECE

MILITARY INVOLVEMENT THERE WOULD REQUIRE NAVAL RESORUCES GERMANS DIDN’T WANT TO DRAIN NAVAL RESOURCES FROM

ATLANTIC HITLER EVENTUALLY SUPPORTS ITALIAN INVASION OF GREECE WHY?

BENITO MUSSOLINI WAS DESPERATE TO ACHIEVE “GREAT” VICTORIES

AXIS MILITARY ACTION WOULD PUT MORE PRESSURE ON BRITS. HOW?

BRITS. & GREEKS ARE ALLIES – BRITS. HAS TROOPS IN GREECE ATTACK WOULD DISRUPT BRIT. MILITARY ACTION IN NORTH AFRICA

BENITOMUSSOLINI

MUSSOLINI

ITALIAN INVASION OF GREECE

WHEN? OCTOBER, 1940 WHERE? GREECE & ALBANIA WHY?

MUSSOLINI WANTS MILITARY “VICTORIES” LIKE HITLER CONTROL OF BOTH COUNTRIES COULD GIVE AXIS CONTROL OF THE

ADRIATIC SEA BALKANS POSSESSED SOME IMPORTANT RESORUCES (Oil, metals, etc.) MUSSOLINI BELIEVED BOTH NATIONS WERE WEAK

WHAT? ITALIAN INVASION DOESN’T GO WELL HITLER FORCED TO “RESCUE” ITALIANS GERMANS MOVE GROUND / AIR UNITS TO BALKANS

OPERATION “MARITA” BEGINS, APRIL 1941 GERMAN INVASION OF THE BALKANS YUGOSLAVIA INVADED FIRST – WHY? TO SECURE BASES FOR INVASION

OF GREECE YUGOSLAVIA IS ETHNICALLY DIVIDED AND MILITARILY WEAK

EFFECT: GERMANS NOW FIGHTING BRITS. IN AREAS FAR FROM BRITAIN DELAYS GERMAN INVASION OF RUSSIA

OPERATION MARITA SPRING, 1941

INVASIONOF THE BALKANS (cont’d.) WHY DID ITALIANS FAIL?

MUSSOLINI DOESN’T HAVE A GOOD REASON TO INVADE

RESULT?: ITALIAN TROOPS ARE UNINSPIRED TO FIGHT

ITALIAN LEADERSHIP IS SUBSTANDARD WHY DOES GERMANY MOVE IN?

HITLER CAN’T ALLOW AXIS HUMILIATION BRITISH IN GREECE ARE A CONSTANT THREAT TO

HIS OTHER AXIS ALLIES EX.: BULGARIA, RUMANIA, HUNGARY

BRITS. COULD THREATEN AXIS RESOURCES IN THESE COUNTRIES EX.: OIL FIELDS IN RUMANIA

BRITS. IN GREECE COULD THREATEN AXIS TROOPS IN NORTH AFRICA

INVASION OF THE BALKANS (cont’d.)

KEY PROBLEM / QUESTION: TRANSFERRING FORCES TO THE BALKANS

WILL DELAY THE INVASION OF RUSSIA UNTIL SUMMER, 1941

SO WHAT? OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: YUGOSLAVIA

YUGOSLAVIAN GUERILLA MOVMENT DEVELOPS “PARTISANS”: GUERILLA ARMY DEVELOPED

BY JOSIP BROZ TITO COMMUNIST GUERILLA ARMY WHICH IS NOT

CONTROLLED BY THE SOVIETS WHY IMPORTANT?

JOSIP BROZ TITO

CRETE WHAT?

FIRST, and ONLY, LARGE-SCALE GERMAN AIRBORNE OPERATION OF WWII ONE OF THE FEW GERMAN CAMPAIGNS RUN BY THE LUFTWAFFE

22,000 TROOPS 600 TROOP TRANSPORT PLANES 280 BOMBERS 200 FIGTHERS 150 STUKAS

WHEN? MAY, 1941 (1 MONTH BEFORE GERMANS INVADE RUSSIA) WHY?

OPERATION MARITA HAD FAILED TO WIPE OUT BRIT. TROOPS IN GREECE BRITS. HAD RETREATED TO CRETE HITLER WAS ENCOURAGED TO TAKE CRETE BY HIS GENERALS GERMANS BELIEVE CRETE WILL BE A GOOD STAGING AREA FOR FUTURE

OPERATIONS IN MED. SEA. WHO?

C/O: GENERAL KURT STUDENT, LUFTWAFFE LUFTWAFFE “FALLSCHIRMJAGER” (PARATOOPERS) SUPPORT UNITS INCLUDED:

AIR UNITS (SEE ABOVE) ARMY “MOUNTAIN” UNITS

WHERE? ISLAND OF CRETE (GREEK – OWNED)

JUNKERS Ju-52 TRANSPORT

GERMAN TROOP-CARRYING GLIDER

LUFTWAFFE GENERAL KURT STUDENT,

COMMANDING OFFICER, GERMAN AIRBORNE

CRETE (cont’d.) GERMANS ARE VERY CONFIDENT BEFORE ATTACK WHY?

BELIEVE CRETE IS IDEAL TARGET (WHY?) BELIEVE BRITS. IN CRETE ARE SUBSTANDARD TROOPS DON’T KNOW BRITS. HAVE CRACKED THEIR

MILITARY CODES. RESULT?

BRITS. KNOW WHAT GERMAN PLANS ARE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE IS LOST WHY SO IMPORTANT?

GERMAN PLAN: AIRBORNE TROOPS WILL LAND & SEIZE AIRFIELDS SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT WILL BE FLOWN INTO SECURE

AIRFIELDS GERMANS WILL ADVANCE ALONG MAIN ROAD UNTIL

THEY HAVE SECURED ISLAND

CRETE (cont’d.) GERMAN PROBLEMS:

BRITS. HAVE DECODED INFORMATION ABOUT THE ATTACK EX.: BRITS KNEW WHAT SPECIFIC GERMAN

TARGETS ON CRETE WERE AIRBORNE ASSUALTS DEPEND ON SECRECY –

WHY? GEOGRAPHY OF CRETE WAS DIFFICULT (rocky,

uneven) FALLSCHIRMJAGERS HAVE DANGEROUS

EQUIPMENT (ex. parachute harnesses) LACK OF ‘CHUTE CONTROL = GERMANS OFTEN

LAND ON BREITISH POSITIONS RESULTS? VERY HIGH CASUALTIES

FALLSCHIRMJAGER EQUIPMENT

GERMAN AIRDROP, CRETE, 1941

GERMAN AIRDROPOVER BRITISH POSITIONS, CRETE, MAY 1941

GERMANS DESCENDING OVER CRETE

JUNKERS Ju-52

under AA fire

JUNKERS Ju-52 DEPLOYING TROOPS

CRETE (cont’d.)

BRITISH PROBLEMS: LITTLE / NO AIR COVER LACK OF RADIO EQUIPMENT LACK OF TRANSPORT VEHICLES LACK OF EQUIPMENT PARTS / SPARES

SO WHAT? BRITS ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER AIR ATTACK BRITS CAN’T COMMUNICATE TO EACH OTHER BRITS CAN’T MOVE TO REINFORCE EACH

OTHER BRIT. EQUIPMENT CAN’T BE EASILY REPAIRED

FALLSCHIRMJAGER MACHINE GUN CREW

Fallschirmjagerin combat, Crete, 1941

FALLSCHIRMJAGER ON CRETE, MAY 1941

CRETE (cont’d.) GERMANS CAN REINFORCE TROOPS (thanks to airpower) BRITS. CAN’T RESULTS:

GERMANS TAKE CRETE / BRITS. RETREAT CASUALTIES ARE HEAVY FOR BOTH SIDES:

GERMANS: KIA – 4000 220 OUT OF 600 TRANSPORT PLANES DESTROYED

BRITISH: KIA – 2000 P.O.W. – 12,000

HITLER IS FURIOUS ABOUT LOSSES ; NEVER ALLOWS ANOTHER LARGE-SCALE GERMAN AIRBORNE OPERATION

U.S. & BRIT. AIRBORNE UNITS LEARN VALUABLE LESSONS FROM CRETE OPERATION EX: NEVER DROP TROOPS DIRECTLY ON TOP OF AN

ENEMY POSITION