With the arrival of spring in 1941, the Germans were ready to bail out the Italians

from the messes they had gotten themselves into in Greece and in Egypt.

But speaking of messes, politics in the Balkans is seldom neat and tidy.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

The 20th century.

Music Episode 340. Episode 342, Operation Marita I've already told you about the back and forth in North Africa

between the Italians in Libya and the British in Egypt.

After some initial reluctance, the Italian side agreed to accept German reinforcement

in the form of a Panzer Corps commanded by Ervin Rommel. Romel ranked as perhaps Hitler's

favorite military commander, following his dashing escapades in France,

where he had turned Hitler's planned surprise assault through the Ardennes into an astonishing reality.

By March 1941, Rommel was on site in Libya and directing preparations for an Axis Offensive to push the British back out of Libya, which would commence later that month.

Then there was the other problem, the disastrous Italian decision to attack Greece.

Months of fighting had led to a humiliating Italian withdrawal.

The Greek army was now in control over a peace of southern Albania.

The British government, you'll recall, had pledged to come to Greece's aid in the event of an

attack by one of the Axis powers,

and now Churchill felt honor-bound to fulfill that pledge.

The Greek dictator, Johannes Metaxas, declined British aid on the front line against Italy,

fearing it would provoke the Germans into entering the fight,

but Metaxos did agree to allow some RAF planes to be based in Greece

and consented to British army units occupying Crete.

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