Franco enters the war!
October 1940 – Franco agrees to Hitler’s request for Spain to enter the war in January 1941.
December 1940 – One German Panzer Division is sent to Libya to aid in the Italian defence of the colony.
German airpower is also sent to the area.
January 1941 – After the capture of the Rock, the Spaniards are assisted in closing the Straits with German airpower.
The Canaries and Spanish Morocco are reinforced by air.
The British attack and capture the Canary Islands but suffer heavy loses with on going air attacks by German planes flying from French and Spanish Morocco.
February 1941 – The British advance in Libya is stopped and pushed back with Benghazi still in Axis hands.
The remains of the Italian Tenth army are saved.
The British seize the Azores and Madeira from Portugal.
This prompts a German invasion of Portugal.
Salazar orders his troops not to resist the invasion.
Salazar becomes a German puppet and joins the Tripartite pact.
All Portuguese territory in Asia is taken by the British.
Afrika Korps drives the British out of Libya.
Tobruk falls to Axis forces.
March 1941 – Angola and Mozambique are captured by British forces.
Hitler despatches three more Panzer Divisions to Libya.
April 1941 -Forces of Germany, Hungary, and Italy, moving through Rumania and Hungary, initiate the invasions of Yugoslavia and Greece.
The Italian Army is driven out from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Yugoslavia surrenders.
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia is split up by Germany and Italy. The Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH) is established under Ante Pavelić and his Ustaša.
Athens is occupied by German troops. Greece surrenders.
The Canary Islands re-taken by the Axis forces with the assistance of the Italian navy and heavy air support.
The German navy breaks out into the Atlantic before heading for Vichy France.
May 1941 – Egypt captured by Axis forces.