The first of two volumes on the Axis campaigns in the Balkans, exploring Mussolini's fateful decision to move against Greece in October 1940. The Greek President Metaxas rejected the Italian ultimatum with a famous 'Oxi' ('No'), and what followed was Italy's first debacle in World War II. In the wake of Italy's rapid annexation of Albania in April 1940, Mussolini's decision to attack Greece in October that year is widely acknowledged as a fatal mistake, leading to a domestic crisis and to the collapse of Italy's reputation as a military power (re-emphasized by the Italian defeat in North Africa in December 1940). The Italian assault on Greece came to a stalemate in less than a fortnight, and was followed a week later by a Greek counter-offensive that broke through the Italian defences before advancing into Albania, forcing the Italian forces to withdraw north before grinding to a half in January 1941 due to logistical issues. Eventually, the Italians took advantage of this brief hiatus to reorganize and prepare a counteroffensive, the failure of which marked the end of the first stage of the Axis Balkan campaign. The first of two volumes examining the Axis campaigns in the Balkans, this book offers a detailed overview of the Italian and Greek armies, their fighting power, and the terrain in which they fought. Complimented by rarely seen images and full colour illustrations, it shows how expectations of an easy Italian victory quickly turned into one of Mussolini's greatest blunders.

First full-length analysis of Norman military organisation in the Balkans: events, strategy, and tactics.

The Wehrmacht's last Blitzkrieg campaign was indeed a lightning war, since German forces were required to seize both Yugoslavia and Greece before redeploying immediately to the East ready to attack the Soviet Union in a matter of weeks. Although the plans for the conquest of Yugoslavia were developed in haste, the campaign was extremely successful: in a short space of time, both Yugoslavia and Greece had fallen, accompanied by the capture of large numbers of British, Australian and New Zealand troops. The 1941 Balkan campaign was an apparently brilliant military accomplishment that demonstrated once again the superiority of the Wehrmacht, and its cutting-edge campaigning skills. This superbly detailed work details the opposing forces that took part in this campaign, documents their weapons and analyzes the effectiveness of their tactics. It explores the initial Axis campaign against Yugoslavia, the breakthrough of the Metaxas Line and advance into Macedonia and the withdrawal of Allied troops south. Detailed battlescenes depict key moments in the land, sea and air battles that took place in the Balkans, vividly bringing to life events of almost 80 years ago.

"Ben Shepherd ... uses Austro-Hungarian Army records to consider how the personal experiences of many Austrian officers during the Great War played a role in brutalizing their behavior in Yugoslavia. A comparison of Wehrmacht counter-insurgency divisions allows Shepherd to analyze how a range of midlevel commanders and their units conducted themselves in different parts of Yugoslavia, and why"--Jacket.

Justinian's Balkan Wars reconstructs military and diplomatic relations between Justinian's eastern Roman Empire and the Germanic, Hunnic and Slavic peoples north of the Danube frontier. It uses contemporary sources to chart barbarian raids, imperial campaigns, and consolidation of the region by administrative reforms and infrastucture development.

This report examines the prospect of the Balkan countries achieving sustainable economic growth, and what the donor community and international institutions can do to help.

Argues that the Balkans are on the cusp of a historic socio-political transformation rather than renewed ethnic strife

A bloody rebellion by Albanian guerrillas demanding equal rights in Macedonia has killed and wounded thousands of people and led to fears that the crisis will embroil Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria and Greece. International intervention brought an uneasy halt to the blood-letting last summer, but hardline Macedonian nationalists have blocked full implementation of the peace agreement and there are now fears that the National Liberation Army will renew its campaign, leading to more ethnic cleansing in the heart of Europe. Phillips covers the front line fighting as well as the behind-the-scenes diplomacy in Skopje and shows just how damaging the present conflict is for any hope of a lasting Balkan peace.