Editing Waffen-SS (section)

====Balkans====
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-158-0094-35, Balkan, PKW der Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler.jpg|thumb|Troops of the [[1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler|''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler'' Division]] advancing into the [[Balkans]], 1941]]
In March 1941, a major Italian counterattack against Greek forces failed, and Germany came to the aid of its ally. [[German invasion of Greece|Operation Marita]] began on 6 April 1941, with German troops invading Greece through [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]] and [[Yugoslavia]] in an effort to secure its southern flank.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=153}}

''Reich'' was ordered to leave France and head for [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]], and the {{lang|de|Leibstandarte}} was ordered to Bulgaria. The {{lang|de|Leibstandarte}}, attached to the [[XXXX Panzer Corps|XL Panzer Corps]], advanced west then south from Bulgaria into the mountains, and by 9 April had reached [[Prilep]] in Yugoslavia, 30 miles from the Greek border.{{sfn|Flaherty|2004|p=163}} Further north the ''Reich'' Division, with the [[XXXXI Panzer Corps|XLI Panzer Corps]], crossed the Romanian border and advanced on [[Belgrade]], the Yugoslav capital. [[Fritz Klingenberg]], a company commander in the ''Reich'', led his men into Belgrade, where a small group in the vanguard accepted the surrender of the city on 13 April. A few days later the [[Royal Yugoslav Army]] surrendered.{{sfn|Flaherty|2004|pp=162, 163}}{{sfn|Weale|2012|p=297}}

The {{lang|de|Leibstandarte}} had now crossed into Greece, and on 10 April engaged the [[6th Division (Australia)|6th Australian Division]] in the [[Battle of Vevi (1941)|Battle of the Klidi Pass]]. For 48 hours they fought for control of the heights, often engaging in hand-to-hand combat, eventually gaining control with the capture of Height 997, which opened the pass and allowed the German Army to advance into the Greek interior.{{sfn|Flaherty|2004|p=165}} This victory gained praise from the OKW: in the order of the day they were commended for their "unshakable offensive spirit" and told that "the present victory signifies for the {{lang|de|Leibstandarte}} a new and imperishable page of honour in its history."{{sfn|Flaherty|2004|p=165}}

The {{lang|de|Leibstandarte}} continued the advance on 13 May. When the Reconnaissance Battalion under the command of [[Kurt Meyer]] came under heavy fire from the Greek Army [[Capture of Klisura Pass|defending the Klisura Pass]], they broke through the defenders and captured 1,000 prisoners of war at the cost of only six dead and nine wounded.{{sfn|Flaherty|2004|p=165}} The next day, Meyer captured [[Kastoria]] and took another 11,000 prisoners of war. By 20 May, the {{lang|de|Leibstandarte}} had cut off the retreating Greek Army at [[Metsovo]] and accepted the surrender of the Greek Epirus-Macedonian Army.{{sfn|Flaherty|2004|p=165}} As a reward, the {{lang|de|Leibstandarte}} was nominally redesignated as a full motorised division, although few additional elements had been added by the start of the Soviet campaign and the "division" remained effectively a reinforced brigade.