 The Battle of Greece ( also known as Operation Marita , German : Unternehmen Marita ) is the common name for the invasion of Allied Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941 during World War II . Concomitant to the stalled Greco @-@ Italian War , it is usually distinguished from the Battle of Crete , which came after mainland Greece had been subdued . These Axis operations were part of the greater Balkan Campaign of Germany . 
