World War 2 Into the Balkans

Into the Balkans: On the eve of Hitler's invasion of Russia, Mussolini, the Italian Dictator, decided to invade Albania, fearful that the Germans were conquering all of Europe and that there would nothing left for him to conquer. So, he launched his "eight million bayonets" across the Adriatic into Albania, with an eye towards claiming all of the Balkans for Italy. The small Albanian army fought his forces to a standstill, eventually bringing the Greeks into the war against him. Hitler, furious at him, came to his rescue by subduing all of the Balkans, but this operation caused the Germans to delay the invasion of Russia and and forced them to station garrison troops in the conquered areas. A decision that would come back to haunt the Germans on the frozen stepps of Russia.