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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