DK - World War II Map by Map

GERMANY PUSHES SOUTH 81

Ionian

Sea

Aegean

Sea

A d r i a t i c S e a

RO

MA N

IA

Y U G O S L A V I A G R E E C E

TU RK E Y

T

y

r

r

h

e

n

i a

n

S e

a

Gulf of

Taranto

Lake

Balaton

Drava

Sava

D

rin

a

Maritsa

Ti

sz

a

O

ltu

l

Is

ke

r

Jiu

l

Da

nu

be

Muresul

Crete

Paros

Khios

Lemnos

Thasos

Samothrace

Tinos

Euboea

Peloponnesus

Cerigo

Sicily

Malta

S

a

r

d

in

ia

Mount

Olympus

BULGARIA

HUNGARY

ALBANIA

ITALY

C

R

O

A

T

IA

G

R

EA

TE

R

G

ER

MA

NY

German

2nd Army

German

12th Army

British

W Force

Hungarian

3rd Army

German XLI

Panzer Corps

German XIV

Panzer Corps

German XL

Motorized Corps

Italian

2nd Army

Italian

9th Army

Italian

11th Army

German

Fliegerkorps

Greek

1st Army

Greek

2nd Army

Turnu-Severin

Alexandroupoli

Vibo Valentia

Stara Zagora

Salonika

Tirgu Mures

Bekescsaba

Kragujevac Alexandria

Banja

Luka

Dubrovnik

Ermoupoli

Klagenfurt

Krainitzi

Urba

Veszprem

Podgorica

Niksic

Timisoara

Polygyros

Kalamata

Monemvasia

Novi Sad

Peshkopi

Adrianople

Belgrade

Ljubljana

Chalcis

Karlovac

Subotica

Sarajevo

Palermo

Scutari

Razgrad

Maribor

Syracuse

Messina

Potenza Taranto Katerina

Ancona

Marsala

Catania

Salerno

Pescara

Cagliari

Valletta

Agrinio

Pristina

Brindisi

Zagreb

Corfu

Janina

Plovdiv

Mostar

Durazzo

Athens

Thebes

Thermopylae

Sibenik

Ragusa

Naples

Trieste

Larissa

Skopje

Pleven

Nafplio

Kavala

Krumovo

Belitza

Osijek

Foggia Tirana

Pirgos

Zara

Pitesti

Fiume Deta

Koritsa

Maleme Canea

Lecce

Monastir

Veles

Florina

Volos

Valona

Seres

Tuzla

Patras

Corinth

Megara

Arad

Graz

Sofia

Pecs Sibiu

Uzice

Valjevo

Pec

Nis

Piraeus

GREECE OVERRUN

APRIL 10–27, 1941

With the Germans threatening their rear from

Monastir, the British W Force began to withdraw

from the defensive Aliakmon Line on April 10, and

pulled back to Mount Olympus. Over the next

two weeks, the German forces pushed farther

south, driving a wedge between W Force and

the Greek 1st Army in Albania; by this time, the

Italians had also retaken their Albanian territories.

The Greek 1st Army surrendered on April 20.

3

Aliakmon Line

Axis advances

Apr 10–27

W Force position

Apr 16

British evacuation

routes Apr 22–28

Main evacuation ports

German paratrooper

assault May 25

THE BRITISH EVACUATION

APRIL 20–28, 1941

Facing the advancing German forces alone, the

British made plans to evacuate. W Force fell

back to Thermopylae, where its commander,

Lieutenant-General Henry Maitland Wilson,

planned to fight a rearguard action to protect the

withdrawing troops. Evacuations to Crete began

on April 22. Three days later, German paratroopers

landed at the Corinth Canal and crossed to Patras,

driving the last Allied forces from the Peloponnesus.

4

△ Athens falls

German soldiers ride a Stug III assault gun in

Athens, with the ruins of the Acropolis visible

in the background. The first German forces—

motorcycle troops—entered the city on April 27,

1941, and were followed by armor and infantry.

Apr 11–12 The Hungarian

Army overruns part of

northern Yugoslavia,

which is then annexed

by Hungary.

Apr 6 The German XIV

Panzer Corps invades

from Bulgaria; it reaches

Belgrade on April 12.

Apr 17 The Yugoslav

government is

evacuated to

Athens, before

moving to London.

Apr 25

German paratroopers

land in Corinth.

Apr 9 Trapped by the fall

of Salonika, the Greek 2nd

Army surrenders.

Apr 6–7 Piraeus is

virtually destroyed by

Luftwaffe bombing raids

and the explosion of

the British ammunition

ship Clan Fraser.

THE AXIS CAMPAIGN

IN THE BALKANS

Axis forces swiftly overwhelmed

Yugoslavia and Greece in April 1941.

The British were forced to retreat

to Crete, leaving the entire Balkans

in Axis hands.

APR 1, 1941 APR 15 MAY 1

1

2

3

4

TIMELINE

Axis territories, Apr 6, 1941 Axis armies

KEY

Allied armies

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