On April 6, 1941, from the territory of Bulgaria, the Third Reich begins operations "Aufmarsch 25" and "Marita". This was the simultaneous attack of Yugoslavia and Greece.
In a matter of days, the two Balkan countries capitulated,
The Neuilly shackles were torn apart with the help of German weapons.
On April 20, Easter, the Bulgarian army was welcomed as a liberator in White Sea Thrace, Vardar Macedonia and the Western Suburbs, and Pirot, Vranja, Skopje, Veles, Ohrid, Bitola, Kukush, Syar, Dedeagach - again free and Bulgarian.
To this day, legends are told how in 1941 in some of the liberated villages and towns there was no fruit harvest – the blossoms of the trees were laid on the roads along which the Bulgarian army passed.
The German invasion of Greece, known by the code name Operation Marita (in German: Unternehmen Marita), was a part of World War II, which took place in the mainland of Greece and the southern part of Albania. German military operations began on 6 April 1941 with the entry of German troops into Greece through Bulgaria. The combined forces of Greece and the British Commonwealth fought fierce battles, but finally the Greek and British troops were defeated. Athens fell on 27 April. However, the British managed to evacuate about 50,000 soldiers. The Greek campaign ended with a quick German victory with the fall of Kalamata in the Peloponnese.
On 13 April 1941 Hitler issues Directive No. 27,
in which he illustrates the future of policy in Greece. He ends jurisdiction in the Balkans with Directive No. 31, issued on 9 June. The mainland of Greece is divided between Germany, Italy and Bulgaria. German forces occupy strategically important areas, namely Athens, Thessaloniki with Central Macedonia, as well as several islands in the Aegean Sea, including the island of Crete. They also occupy Lerin, to which Bulgaria and Italy have claims.
In late April and early May, in accordance with its commitments under the agreements with Germany, the Bulgarian army enters Western Thrace without encountering resistance and occupies the area between the Struma River and the demarcation line passing through Dedeagach and Svilengrad west of the Maritsa River. The rest of Greece remains in Italy. Italian troops began occupying the Ionian Sea and the islands in the Aegean Sea on April 28. On June 2, they occupied the Peloponnese, Thessaly on June 8, and on June 12, they occupied most of Athens.