World War II in the Balkans
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Balkans in World War II | |||||||
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Part of The Mediterranean and Middle East and European theatre of World War II | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
• Balkan Air Force
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
The Balkan region in World War II, had Yugoslavia, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and other countries participate on both the allied and axis side.
History
[change | change source]1940-1941
[change | change source]Greece was invaded by Italy in October of 1940, but the Greeks counter attacked, and pushed through Albania. Not long after in November, Hungary and Romania joined the axis.[1]
Yugoslavia joined the axis in march of 1941, but left after a coup, so both Yugoslavia and Greece were invaded by the axis powers. Both fell to the invasion shortly after, and resistance was formed.[2]
1944-1945
[change | change source]The Soviets invaded Romanian territory in March 1944, and in August, Romania and Bulgaria both capitulated. the Soviets helped the Yugoslav Partisans liberate Yugoslavia, and the British landed in Greece to liberate the country. In November, Albanian partisans liberated Albania, and set a provisional government. Soviet forces also invaded Hungary, encircling and eventually capturing Budapest.
In April, the Soviets and Partisans launched a final offensive into Axis territory. On the 8th of May, Germany officially surrendered. [3]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "War in the Balkans, 1941-45 | National Army Museum". www.nam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
- ↑ "World War II - Central Europe, Balkans, 1940-41 | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
- ↑ "German Surrender". encyclopedia.ushmm.org. Retrieved 2024-11-24.