Special Forces Commander by Michael Scott

Author:Michael Scott
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781844685837
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2012-10-21T16:00:00+00:00

Axis Occupation of the Balkans

War in the Balkans had been precipitated by Italy’s invasion of Greece in October 1940. Greece, like Yugoslavia and Albania, had been a monarchy up until 1939, and all three countries were destined to come under enemy occupation. Although all three kings were fortunate enough to escape, only those from Greece and Yugoslavia would take an active part in leading their respective governments in exile. With strong communist elements at work, introduced by the Moscow Comintern, all three countries were also destined to endure civil war.

In March 1939 Mussolini had occupied Albania, a country in which Italy had had a presence for some years. After limited resistance King Zog fled to Greece and, with Albania now in Italian hands, it appeared that Greece would be Mussolini’s next target. He launched an invasion of Greece from Albania on 28 October. Mussolini had anticipated an easy victory and had refused Hitler’s offer of German troop assistance. However, under the extremely effective leadership of the German-trained General Ioannis Metaxas, who had assumed dictatorial power on 4 August 1936, the Greeks quickly drove the invading Italian forces from their country and pursued them deep into Albania. His finest hour secured for posterity, Metaxas was to die suddenly three months later.

In anticipation of a German invasion of Greece, British and Commonwealth troops had started to land there on 7 March 1941. This Allied W Force, under ‘Jumbo’ Wilson, would come to consist of a New Zealand division, two Australian divisions and a British armoured brigade. Following a coup on 27 March, Yugoslavia signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union and made friendly overtures to Britain. This infuriated Hitler, who invaded on 6 April. The Yugoslav forces were in no position to resist the German onslaught and the occupation was complete by 27 April.

Hitler next turned his attention to Greece. There was little the Greek or British and Commonwealth forces could do against the German blitzkrieg tactics employed in Operation MARITA. The Greeks were overrun and the Allies were forced to evacuate to Crete and Egypt.

Following the Allied evacuation, Crete then entered a sustained period of resistance against German occupation, much of which was orchestrated and led by the SOE. The exploits of British agents, among them Paddy Leigh-Fermor, Xan Fielding, Billy Moss and Dennis Circlitira became legendary. Perhaps the most notorious was the capture in spring 1944 of Major General Karl Kreipe, commander of the German 22nd Division, by Leigh-Fermor and Moss, and his abduction from the island by submarine. This feat of derring-do was subsequently immortalized in Moss’s book Ill Met by Moonlight, and in the film of the same name.12

In Greece the Germans established a puppet government under Tsolakoglou, the general who had betrayed his country by signing an armistice with the German and Italian high commands at Salonika on 23 April. The British Government continued to recognize and support the exiled King George II of the Hellenes and his monarchist, right-wing government, under Prime Minister Emmanouil Tsouderos.

Hitler’s

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