German Antiguerrilla Operations in the Balkans (1941-1944)/Appendix 1

by Robert M. Kennedy

APPENDIX I

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

	1940
October 1940
	28	Italian forces attack Greece from Albania.
	1941
April 1941
	3	Rommel opens his offensive in Libya.
	6	German forces intervene in the Greek-Italian conflict.
	6	German troops invade Yugoslavia.
	17	Yugoslav High Command forced to capitulate.
	20	General Tsolakoglou surrenders the Army of Epirus to the Germans.
	23	Greece surrenders to the Germans and Italians.
	27	German troops enter Athens.
May 1941
	29	Rommel stopped at the Egyptian frontier.
June 1941
	9	Field Marshal List, commander of Twelfth Army, appointed Armed Forces Commander, Southeast.
	22	Operation BARBAROSSA begins.
	late	Bulk of German combat troops shifted from Balkans to Russian theater; number of sabotage incidents in Balkans increases.
July 1941
	13	Inhabitants of Montenegro launch general attack on scattered Italian garrisons.
August 1941
	Early	Italian army headquarters redesignated area commands.
		Tito moves his headquarters into the field.
		Daily attacks on Serbian police stations.
September 1941
	5	WB Southeast transfers 125th Infantry Regiment (Separate) from Salonika area to Belgrade.
	16	Hitler issues directive ordering Marshal List to suppress revolt in Balkans.
October 1941
	25	Marshal List relinquishes duties because of illness; General Kuntze appointed acting Armed Forces Commander, Southeast.
	27	Headquarters, Twelfth Army (Armed Forces Commander, Southeast) moves from Athens to Salonika.
December 1941
	11	Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.
January 1942
	15–26	Major antiguerrilla operations in Croatia.
	18	Second British drive into Libya stopped.
March 1942
	1	Headquarters, LXV Corps Command and headquarters, Military Command, Serbia, merged.
April–May 1942
20 April–3 May		First major joint antiguerrilla operation launched by Italian, German, and Croatian troops.
May 1942
	27	Rommel opens second drive into Egypt.
July 1942
		General Robotti launches drive on Partisans in Slovenia.
		Total Yugoslavia guerrilla losses to date estimated at 45,000 dead.
August 1942
	8	General Kuntze relieved by General Loehr as Armed Forces Commander, Southeast.
October 1942
	23	Start of the Battle of El Alamein.
November 1942
	8	Allies invade North Africa.
	10	Russians launch Stalingrad counteroffensive.
	25	Guerillas blow up Gorgopotamos Bridge, some 100 miles north of Athens.
December 1942
	28	Hitler issues directive raising status of Armed Forces Commander, Southeast, to that of Commander-in-Chief, Southeast.
	1943
May 1943
	8–12	End of Axis resistance in North Africa.
June 1943
		EDES ceases active operations against Germans.
July 1943
	10	Allies establish lodgment in Sicily.
	25	Mussolini forced to resign.
	26	Directive No. 48 introduces major organizational changes and centralizes authority for defense of the Balkan Peninsula. Field Marshal von Weichs named new Commander-in-Chief, Southeast.
August 1943
	18	Resistance in Sicily collapses.
September 1943
	2	Allies land in southern Italy.
	3	Italy signs armistice.
September 1943
	17	Allies capture Foggia air base.
	19	Armed Forces High Command directive makes Rommel and Army Group B responsible for destroying guerilla forces in Istria.
	end	German forces in Balkans total 600,000 men.
October 1943
	1	Allies land at Salerno.
November 1943
	17	British and Italian garrison of Leros surrenders to the Germans
	1944
January 1944
	22	Allies land at Anzio,
March 1944
	26	Russian troops reach the Romanian border.
May 1944
	25	German airborne troops attack Tito's headquarters at Dvar.
June 1944
	4	Allied troops enter Rome.
	6	Invasion of Normandy.
	6–14	Operation GEMSBOCK.
July 1944
	3	EDES reopens hostilities. EDES forces attack German troops near Arta. Operation STEINADLER launched. Partisans advance into Macedonia. August 194.4 5 12 12 20 24 September Operation KREUZOTTER begins. Operation RUEBEZAUL gets under way. Florence captured by the Allies after heavy fighting. Russians launch deep drive into Romania. Romanian Government surrenders to the Soviet Union. 19 44 5 8 8-9 12 21 1.ate October 194.4 12 14 20 Soviet Union declares war on Bulgaria. Bulgaria asks Russians for armistice and declares war on Germany. General rising takes place in southern and central Greece. United States First Army crosses the German frontier. Marshal von Weichs considers Partisan units as equivalent to regular forces. Russians fighting north of Belgrade. 26,500 Germans still stranded on Crete, Rhodes, and other islands. Army Group E headquarters moves to Macedonia. Belgrade falls to the Russians and the I Partisan Corps. November 19.44 2 Last German units evacuate Greece.