Part 9/13:
The Timing and Delays of Historic Campaigns
The Balkan campaign, which was executed before Barbarossa, was partly justifiable as a means to security and strategic positioning. However, this campaign also caused delays, making a June 1941 attack on the Soviet Union more logistically feasible.
If the Germans had opted to attack Turkey first—either through invasion or political pressure—they would risk revealing their intentions to Stalin and losing surprise. The German military leadership was aware that such an action would complicate their operational timetable, pushing the timeline back into 1942 or further.