✦ History

Balkans campaign (World War II)

October 28, 1940 – June 1, 1941

Result Axis victory

Italy invaded Greece in 1940 and failed, and Germany then invaded Yugoslavia and Greece in April 1941. The Axis occupied the Balkans, including Crete, by June 1941.

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Battles 3

October 28, 1940 – April 23, 1941
Greco-Italian War Albania Benito Mussolini, Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, Shefqet Vërlaci
April 1941 – April 30, 1941
German invasion of Greece Axis victory Kingdom of Greece Alexandros Papagos, Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, Giovanni Messe
May 20 – June 1, 1941
Battle of Crete Axis victory Crete Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, Robert Laycock, Kurt Student

Key commanders

Allies 8

Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg military commander Robert Laycock military commander Alexandros Papagos military commander Ioannis Metaxas military commander Dušan Simović military commander Milorad Petrović military commander Thomas Blamey military commander Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson military commander

Axis 11

Kurt Student military commander Walter Koch military commander Francesco Mimbelli military commander Pietro Badoglio military commander Ugo Cavallero military commander Walther von Brauchitsch military commander Wilhelm List military commander Vittorio Ambrosio military commander Giovanni Messe military commander Maximilian von Weichs military commander Sepp Dietrich military commander

Axis powers 7

Benito Mussolini belligerent leader Victor Emmanuel III of Italy belligerent leader Shefqet Vërlaci belligerent leader Giovanni Messe belligerent leader Pietro Badoglio belligerent leader Ugo Cavallero belligerent leader Wilhelm List belligerent leader

Allies of World War II 5

Alexandros Koryzis belligerent leader Georgios Tsolakoglou belligerent leader Alexandros Papagos belligerent leader Ioannis Metaxas belligerent leader George II of Greece belligerent leader