 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. MaGermany akapinda muGreece neYugoslavia musi wa6 April 1941, ndokukunda nyika dzose dziri mbiri mukati memwedzi mumwe, pasinei nokubatsira kweBritain kuGreece muchimiro cheuto rokufambisa. Kukundwa kweGirisi kwakapedzwa muna May nokutorwa kweKretekubva mudenga, kunyange zvazvo Fallschirmjäger varwi veparamende vokuGermany vakatambura nokurasikirwa kwakakura kwazvo mubasa iri zvokuti Oberkommando der Wehrmacht German High Command yakasiya mabasa makuru emhepo nokuda kwehondo yasara. 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. 