With the Italian army heavily engaged in the war with Greece and the Allied forces providing military assistance, Adolf Hitler made the decision to intervene on the Italian side. The German military launched a simultaneous assault on Greece and Yugoslavia. The German attack commenced on April 6th, coinciding with the majority of the Greek army being deployed on the Albanian border, engaged in combat with the Italian army. The German assault encompassed both air and ground operations. From the ground, they attacked from Bulgaria, where the Italian forces had a limited presence. The German military swiftly breached the Metaxas defensive line. The Allied forces, comprising British, Australian, and New Zealand troops, were insufficient to halt the German advance. Consequently, the Allied forces withdrew to the Thermopylae position, which served as the defensive line for Athens. They held this position for a few days, facilitating the withdrawal of Allied troops to the beaches. Athens ultimately fell to the Nazi forces on April 27th, and the southern shores of Greece were captured on April 30th, resulting in the capture of 7,000 Allied forces who had not been evacuated.