Operation "Marita" is the German code name for the operation carried out in the area of Balkan in the period from 6 to 29 April 1941. The main opponents of the Axis forces (Germany, Italy, Bulgaria) in this conflict were the Yugoslav and Greek troops supported by British, Australian and New Zealand units. It is worth adding that the plan initially assumed actions only against Greece, but due to the change of government in Yugoslavia to anti-German, the plan was hastily modernized and also aimed at this country. The main burden of campaigning on the side of the Axis powers rested with the German army, which operated against both Yugoslavia and Greece. As in the course of the campaign in Poland (1939) and France (1940), the German side applied the Blitzkrieg doctrine, concentrating significant air and armored forces to operate. As a result of the very clear superiority of the Axis forces on land and in the air, Yugoslavia capitulated on April 17, 1941, and Greece fought until April 23 of the same year. As a result of the operation, the German army lost only about 2,000 killed and about 4,200 wounded. On the other hand, about 370,000 Yugoslav soldiers and about 220,000 Greek soldiers were taken prisoner! However, it should be remembered that the campaign in the Balkans delayed the German attack on the USSR, which, according to some researchers of the topic, was one of the indirect reasons for the German defeat in the Soviet Union. It is also worth remembering that the occupation of Yugoslavia and Greece involved about 250,000 German, Italian and Bulgarian soldiers
Gebirgsjäger (often referred to in Poland as Alpine Riflemen) are selected Austrian and German light infantry units designed to operate in the mountains. It is assumed that the history of Gebirgsjäger in the German army began in November 1914, when the first battalions of this type were formed. During World War II, the German army still had units of this type, forming a total of as many as 10 divisions, which were used in combat with varying intensity. The equipment of Gebirgsjäger units during World War II was similar to traditional infantry formations, but generally Alpine shooters had more machine guns (light and heavy - e.g. MG34 or MG42) and a greater amount of light artillery and mortars. Their equipment was also adapted to operating in high mountain terrain and in very low temperatures, and their training was much more difficult than that of an ordinary walker. Gebirgsjäger units were used on a large scale during the fighting in Norway in 1940, during the fighting in the Balkans and Crete in 1941, but also in the Italian campaign (1943-1945) and on the Eastern Front, especially in the Caucasus (1942 -1943) and in its northern part, on the Finnish-Soviet border. It is worth adding that the distinguishing sign of the German Gebirgsjäger is the insignia of the edelweiss (German: Edelweiss). It is worth adding that the traditions of Gebirgsjäger are now continued in the German Bundeswehr.
