This day in 1941, Germany invades Greece, supporting their Italian allies who failed to capture Greece months before. This led to weeks of delay of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which, according to Hitler, were crucial to achieve victory.
The German invasion of Greece on April 6th, 1941, also known as Operation Marita.
On April 6, 1941 Nazi Germany invades Greece through Yugoslavia and Bulgaria.
As a result of the failed Italian invasion of Greece in October 1940, which saw the Greek Army fight back, counter-attack and push the Italians back into Northern Albania, liberating the Greeks of Northern Epirus, Hitler was forced to postpone the planned German invasion of the Soviet Union and instead had to come to the aid of the Italians.
The majority of the Greek forces at the time of the German invasion were stationed on the Greek-Albanian front, who were holding steady and defending against any future attack from the Italians and their puppet Albanian fascist partners.
The Greek Army fought back courageously, but had insufficient manpower and resources in Macedonia and Thrace to adequately defend the German invasion, which by this stage included Bulgaria, who had joined in as an Ally of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
As a result, Greece had to face and withstand multiple threats and attacks, attacks which it unfortunately could not repel, thus succumbing to the brutal triple-occupation of Germany-Italy-Bulgaria for the remainder of the War.
