 Nhau dzechiuto dzeGirisi munguva yeHondo Yenyika II dzakatanga musi wa 28 Gumiguru 1940, apo Mauto eItaly akapinda kubva kuAlbania, achitanga Hondo yeGreco-Italy. Mauto echiGiriki akakwanisa kumisa kurwisa kwenguva pfupi uye kudzosera vaItaly kuAlbania. Kubudirira kweGirisi kwakamanikidza Nazi Germany kupindira. VaGermany vakapinda muGreece neYugoslaviamusi wa6 April 1941, ndokupinda munyika dzose dziri mbiri mukati memwedzi mumwe, pasinei nokubatsira kweBritain kuGreece muchimiro cheboka revashandi. Kukundwa kweGirisi kwakapedzwa muna Chivabvu nekubatwa kweKrete kubva mudenga, kunyangwe hazvo Fallschirmjäger varwi veGerman vakatambura kurasikirwa kwakanyanya mukuita uku zvekuti Oberkommando der Wehrmacht German High Command yakasiya mashandiro makuru emhepo kweanosara ehondo. Kutsauswa kwezviwanikwa zveGermany muBalkan kunofungidzirwawo nevamwe vanyori venhau dzakaitika kuti kwakanonoka kutanga kwekupinda kweSoviet Union nemwedzi wakakosha, iyo yakazove nenjodzi apo Mauto eGermany akakundikana kutora Moscow. 