In August 1940 German divisions began transferring to the occupied areas of Poland in order to reinforce the attenuated frontier defences. For the rest of the year the build up on the eastern front continued unabated. During this period the German forces in Poland were frequently regrouped to conceal their numbers. Before the storm could be unleashed there was another matter to be taken care of.
With the new year there arose an unexpected opportunity for the Blitzkrieg forces to test their expertise once more. Mussolini launched an ill-advised, ill-fated campaign in Greece, which left Italian forces floundering. Early in 1941 he turned to his ally Hitler for help.
Realising that their success in repelling the Italians was likely to bring German vengeance down upon them, the Greeks appealed to their British allies for aid. The reinforcements sent by Britain proved woefully inadequate. A declaration of war against Yugoslavia and Greece simultaneously was the signal that Blitzkrieg was about to be unleashed again. It burst over Yugoslavia on 6th April.
The same day Belgrade was heavily bombed and the Germans tore through the country. Zagreb, Sarajevo and Skopje fell in quick succession and just 12 days later Yugoslavia was occupied. Greece was now the front line.
After the short burst of activity which had characterised the lightning campaign through France, the long of barracks duty hung heavy on Wittmann, who was keen to see action again. He was not to get his wish until 6 April 1941, when the Balkans Campaign began. The German forces advanced through Yugoslavia to Greece where, in addition to Greek forces, their opponents included English and Commonwealth troops. Wittmann’s assault gun was involved in the fierce fighting for the Klidi Pass, which fell only after heavy resistance. Next, the Liebstandarte had to fight its way through the Klisswa Pass and on to Corinth and Olympia against fierce opposition from the Greek army. The fighting in Greece ended on 30 April 1941. After pausing to rest in Thessalia in May the Leibstandarte was sent through Yugoslavia to Camp Dieditz near Wischau, where they awaited the next phase of the war - the invasion of Russia.
Two German Corps had stormed into northern Greece from Bulgaria on the 6th April, followed on the 8th by the 2nd Panzer Division. Blitzkrieg was once again proving to be unstoppable as the invading armies drove towards the south with the British retreating before them. On the 19th the British forces had been overwhelmed and evacuated to Crete.
They were hardly given time to draw breath.
On 20th May the skies over Crete were suddenly filled with the German aircraft of Operation Merkur.
A relentless bombing raid on the island was the prelude to the first major airborne assault in history. An awesome sight met the eyes of the defenders as the departing aircraft left a cascade of parachutes behind them and the 7th Fliegerdivision dropped earthwards. What followed was due to the greatest failure of German intelligence up to that point in the war. The British were ready for the paratroopers and 50 percent of them were dead before they reached the ground.
The carnage was no help to the British, and was almost an irrelevance in the great Blitzkrieg push. Eight days later the British were being evacuated once more and Germany seemed invincible.
The succession of victories was unbroken and thus far German casualties overall had been comparatively small, so that the nation had scarcely felt itself to be at war. People were still full of wonder and admiration. Only a handful of the highest commanders were privy to the extraordinary cataclysm which was to come.