Collapse of the front in south-western Europe

Source: titoville.com Josip Tito inspecting partisan units on the Isle of Vis (Lissa), September 1944

On the heels of its summer offensive, the Red Army crosses Hungary’s borders on 6 October 1944, occupies Rumania and Bulgaria within a few weeks and, on 20 October  – with the support of partisan units under the leadership of Josip Tito –  finally marches into the Yugoslavian capital city of Belgrade. Leaders in Berlin are forced to withdraw their occupation troops from Greece. By spring of 1945 Army Group E will withdraw by way of Albania and Serbia into Croatia which is still allied with the Reich.