Central and Eastern Europe

1939: Annexations and wars before September

March – April 1939 · 2 battles

In the spring of 1939 the Munich settlement fell apart within a few weeks. Germany seized the Czech lands and Memel, Hungary took Carpatho-Ukraine and a strip of Slovakia, and Italy took Albania. The short wars of that spring, waged against states that could count on no one’s help, showed that the Axis powers would take by force what they had not been given at the negotiating table. Britain and France answered with guarantees to Poland, Romania and Greece, and with them appeasement came to an end.

23–31 March 1939The Slovak–Hungarian WarFrom 23 to 31 March 1939 Hungary fought newly created Slovakia over a strip of land in its east. Germany did not help the Slovaks and Hungary kept its gains.
7–12 April 1939The Italian invasion of AlbaniaBetween 7 and 12 April 1939 Mussolini's Italy occupied Albania. King Zog fled to Greece and Victor Emmanuel III accepted the Albanian crown.