ABSTRACT
Adolf Hitler ultimate territorial goal was to acquire lebensraum in the east. Hitler would have been free to invade the Soviet Union at his pleasure had the British caved in after the defeat of France. Hitler's motives for stopping his tanks can only be surmised. Some historians have suggested that he deliberately spared the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in hopes he could gain a negotiated peace with Great Britain. Hitler had mixed emotions about the British and on several occasions indicated that he had no wish to destroy their overseas empire, provided they would give him a free hand in Europe. Hitler initially approved of Mussolini's action but quickly regretted it when the Greeks sent Italian armies staggering in retreat. British aid to Greece prompted Hitler to rescue his ally, even though this meant diverting forces. Efforts to protect the German flanks for the campaign in Greece led, in turn, to a confrontation with Yugoslavia.
