Operation 25 and Operation Marita

By: Ella Hinkelman, Mariya Bikanerwala, Rachel Bacon, and Reilee Butcher

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An Axis Victory- the battles Germany didn’t TANK

(Get it?)

April 6th, 1941

Thesis:

In attempt to enact lebensraum, Hitler invaded Yugoslavia due to a dishonoring of the Tripartite Pact by the Yugoslav government in order to annex Greece to Germany, ultimately causing the dismemberment of Yugoslavia and the surrendering of Greece.

Remember--- Lebensraum means: German desire for more space, as the Aryans are the “best race”according to Hitler

Causes for Operations Marita and 25 and How They Relate

25- Yugoslav King signed Tripartite Pact with general discontentment… leading to a coup overthrowing the government, backing out of the Pact, leading Hitler to be wary of Yugoslavia.

Marita- Greece was seen as an easy target, so Italy attempted to take Greece but failed, even losing some land. Hitler stepped in when the campaign failed, and successfully invaded Greece.

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Essentially, Hitler wanted to gain more land and power in the war.

Both began on April 6, 1941

Operation 25, a.k.a Invasion of Yugoslavia

• Yugoslav population before the war:
• Split between Serbs and Croats, as well as many other ethnic groups
• “Ethically Divided Yugoslavia”
• Successful coup overthrew monarch, dissolving pact with axis powers
• Named Operation 25 because it was Hitler’s 25th directive:
• “Führer Directive 25: Plan of Attack on Yugoslavia”

Background- Operation 25

• German-led attack on Yugoslavia by Axis powers
• Issued by Adolf Hitler
• Tripartite Pact: bound axis powers, debate over signing in Yugoslav government
• Germany put pressure on Yugoslavia to join the axis powers
• Unhappy government in Yugoslavia; disagreements over pact
• Hitler viewed Yugoslavia as a hostile state
• Air raid on Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Key Players-25

• Germany and Italy invaded Yugoslavia with the assistance of Hungarian and Bulgarian military units
• Ruler of Yugoslavia- Prince Paul
• Pro Tripartite Pact
• After the coup on Prince Paul, 17-year old King Peter
• -abrogated pact which infuriated Hitler

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Battle Map- Operation 25

Battle Strategies-25

• Sought to win their battles with series of short campaigns
• Blitzkrieg tactics required the concentration of offensive weapons like tanks, planes, and artillery along a narrow front
• This would breach the enemy defenses
• massive shock and disorganization

Battle Strategies- 25

• Sent planes attacking Belgrade followed by infantry advancement which prevented the enemy from adequately resupplying materials and reinforcements
• Failure to seal breaches
• German military encircled the opposing troops and forced surrender

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The Invasion- - April 6, 1941

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• Hitler got aggravated, ordered air raid on Belgrade, Yugoslavia
• Involved German, Italian, Hungarian, and Belgian troops
• Killing thousands of civilians, instituting an invasion
• 11 days later Yugoslavia had no choice but to surrender due to the disconnect and lack of nationalism

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Operation 25 pictures

Pictures from United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Key Players- Marita

Sides- Nazi Germany and the Axis powers v. Greece and the allied powers (Britain).

Axis leaders include Hitler and Mussolini. Mussolini went to take Greece and failed, so Hitler successfully did it himself. Wilhelm List was also an important Military leader for Germany.

Ioannis Metaxas was the leader in Greece. Another important figure was Georgios Siantos- part of the Greek Communist Party.

Map of Operation Marita- http://www.balkanwarhistory.com/2016/05/german-operation-marita.html

Background- Marita

• At the start of WWII Greece hoped to maintain a neutral position
• Also at this time, Mussolini wanted to gain as much land as Germany and gain independence from Hitler
• Mussolini chose Greece as an easy target

• On October 15th, 1940, Mussolini invaded Greece
• Italy gained no territory in Greece, and even lost some of Albania
• The campaign was failing so Hitler stepped in
• Later, this turned into the 1941 battle between the Allied Forces (Greece and Britain) and Axis (Nazi Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria)

Battle Plan

• Deprive the British of their Mediterranean bases
• Take the Aegean Sea, and possibly the whole Greek mainland
• Use Blitzkrieg strategies (“Lightning War”) for a strong offense and to avoid a stalemate
• Attack ground troops with help from the air and rapidly take the territory

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The Battle

• Germany invaded Greece on April 6th 1941
• Germany severed a rail line, cutting off Greek allies and gaining land beneficial for offensive strikes
• They took the city of Thessaloniki and destructed the Greek Second Army
• Germany planned to take Central Greece, but left a gap open and came in contact with the Allied troops

• After heavy fighting, Germany broke through the defensive
• Germany pushed further into Greek land and Greek forces retreated
• They captured Greece’s final supply route
• Greek forces surrendered to Germany
• Italy was included in an armistice and Greek soldiers were allowed to go home, not made prisoners of war

Timeline- Both Marita and Operation 25:

1941:

March 25- Tripartite Pact announced

March 27- Military officers overthrew government, back out of pact

April 6th- Germany first invades Greece, also invades Yugoslavia by bombing the city of Belgrade

April 8th- Germany gains land and remains in the offensive position

April 10th- The Allied troops are able to stop Germany and protect Central Greece

April 13th- Germany continues and Greek/ British forces retreat

April 17th- Yugoslav army forced to surrender to axis powers; could not stop invasion

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April 19th- Greece’s supply route is disrupted

April 20th- Greek forces surrender for Germany- an Axis win!

April 23rd- Italy, Germany, and Greece create an armistice, and Greek soldiers are freed

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Operation Marita Images

Impact on WWII/ Analysis- Marita and Operation 25

Both operation 25 and Marita were successes for the Axis powers. This showed Germany’s future strength regarding ground forces and equipment. It also revealed that the Allied powers did not have strong communication.

Long Term Effects- Marita and Operation 25

Germany gained more land for their idea of “lebensraum” and continued to spread throughout Europe. These battles also led to the battle of Crete, a major loss for Britain. Ultimately, the territories from the treaty of Versailles were again altered by WWII and specifically in Operations Marita and 25.

Works Cited

“Adolf Hitler World War II Führer Headquarters Directives.” Biography: Adolf Hitler World War II Führer Headquarters Directives

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“Axis Invasion of Yugoslavia.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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“Battle of Greece.” Battle of Greece - New World Encyclopedia

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Hart, Dr Stephen A. “History - World Wars: Partisans: War in the Balkans 1941 - 1945.” BBC, BBC, 17 Feb. 2011

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“The Nazi Invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece.” Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, 16 Mar. 2018

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Blitzkrieg (Lightning War).” Holocaust Encyclopedia, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

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