Geopolitics and Markets Review – 13th May 2024

WW2 In The Balkans

Contents

1. Introduction

2. WW2 - Events and Consequences In The Balkans

3. The Soviets In WW2

4. The Turning Tide

5. The Balkan Liberation

6. Emergence From WW2

7. Concluding Remarks

8. Other News

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Bitesize Edition

• World War Two in the Balkans began with Italy’s invasion of Albania. They took Albania in a week and then set their eyes on Greece.

• The Greeks proved a tougher challenge and started to regain territory against the Italians in Albania. This got the attention of the other Axis powers. The Germans entered the Balkans along with the Bulgarians and the British forces were evacuated from their positions in Greece. The Balkans were completely under the control of the Axis Powers after a coup d’etat in March 1941 was followed by German occupation in the following month.

• The territory in the Balkans was divided among the Axis Powers. Once this control had been established, the Nazis eyed an invasion of the Soviet Union. Many of us know the key events of this story, but revisiting it ties into the remainder of the Second World War for the Balkans.

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Introduction

We ended last week in 1939, with Italy’s invasion of Albania and the establishment of the Italian protectorate of Albania. The aspirations of the Italians to form an Italian Empire had begun, and it took them just a week to annex Albania. Let’s see where the Italians headed next, and when Nazi Germany got involved in the Balkan campaign in World War Two.