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    You are at:Home»Society»Military»A Modern Greek Epic: The Beginning of the End for Hitler and the Axis Powers
    Military

    A Modern Greek Epic: The Beginning of the End for Hitler and the Axis Powers

    Theodoros IIBy Theodoros IIOctober 28, 2013Updated:October 28, 201935 Comments5 Mins Read
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    A Brief History

    Greece celebrates October 28 as a national holiday commemorating the entry of Greece into World War II (WW2).  The Greco-Italian war of 1940 was a military conflict between Greece and Italy lasting from October 28, 1940 until April 23, 1941 that became the Axis powers’ first defeat.

     Digging Deeper

    This war was the result of the expansionist policy of the fascist regime that Benito Mussolini had established in Italy.  In 1940, Mussolini, fascinated and jealous of the conquests and accomplishments of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi control of most parts of Europe, wanted to prove to his idol Adolf Hitler that the Axis allies could play a significant role in furthering Germany’s plans.  He was determined to demonstrate that fascist Italy (which was a military superpower at the time) could have successes in the battlefield similar to Germany’s.  Italy had already easily conquered Albania in the spring of 1939 and had conquered several British bases in Africa by the summer of 1940, but none of these military victories were similar in scale to those of Nazi Germany.

    Mussolini wearing the commander-in-chief uniform

    Mussolini also wished to strengthen the interests of Italy in the Balkans since he felt threatened by the German policies in the area, especially after Romania had accepted German protection for its oilfields.  Greece looked like the ideal victim – easy prey for Mussolini.  In the early hours of 28 October 1940, the Italian Ambassador to Greece, Emanuele Grazzi, handed an ultimatum to the Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas, demanding the free passage of the Italian army through Greek soil, as well as the surrender of strategic points (such as ports, airports and other facilities) to supply the requirements of materials supporting the Italian army in Africa.  The Greek prime minister refused with an historic response, saying in French, “Alors, c’est la guerre” – which translates as “Well, this means war.”

    Ioannis Metaxas, prime minister and dictator of Greece 1936-1941

    The Greek Army, outnumbered by three to one and having only 77 aircraft against Italy’s 463 aircraft and 163 light tanks, counterattacked and forced the Italian army to retreat.  By December of 1940, nearly a quarter of the territory of Albania was occupied by the Greeks.  Italy’s invasion had literally been destroyed by fewer – but braver – Greek soldiers and, humiliated by this defeat, Mussolini had to beg Hitler for help, which taxed the Nazi forces heavily.

    Greek counter-offensive and stalemate (14 November 1940 – 23 April 1941)

    The repulse of the Italian invasion was the first victory of the Allies against the Axis powers during the Second World War and earned the widespread admiration of people all over the globe.

    Winston Churchill said, “Formerly we said that the Greeks fight like heroes.  Now we shall say that heroes fight like Greeks.”  General Charles de Gaulle, leader-in-exile of the Free French, said, “I am unable to express the proper breadth of gratitude I feel for the heroic resistance of the people and the leaders of Greece.”   Even Hitler was forced to admit, in a speech he delivered to the Reichstag on 4 May 1941, “For the sake of historical truth I must verify that only the Greeks, of all the adversaries who confronted us, fought with bold courage and the highest disregard of death.”  The most impressive statement of all, however, came from the American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who wrote, “Greece has set the example which every one of us must follow until the despoilers of freedom everywhere have been brought to their just doom.”

    Original color transparency of FDR taken at 1944 Official Campaign Portrait session by Leon A. Perskie, Hyde Park, New York, August 21, 1944

    Many historians today believe that the victory of the Greek forces against the Fascist Italian army played a significant role in the outcome of the entire war.  Greece’s heroic resistance to the Nazis forced Germany to postpone its planned attack against the Soviet Union in order to help their Italian allies.  This delay meant that Hitler’s forces ultimately became trapped in the harsh Russian winter, leading to their defeat in the Battle of Moscow, one of the most decisive events of the war.

    Question for students (and subscribers): How important was the Greek contribution the overall Allied victory?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    There have been numerous books written about the epic Greco-Italian war.  The most informative and detailed is Heroes Fight Like Greeks, The Greek Resistance Against the Axis Powers in WWII by Ronald J. Drez

    You can also access more information about this event here.  Click here for more facts and quotes about the Greek resistance during WW2.

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    Theodoros II

    Theodoros II graduated with a degree in Law from the historic University of Athens in Greece, and holds a Master’s in Legal History from the Law University of Pisa, Italy.

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    <span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="447 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=447">35 Comments

    1. Ann on October 28, 2013 2:27 am

      First Greece creates Western civilization, then afterwards saves it.

      As long as people know their own history, they will know Greece.

      Reply
      • Alina Karasavva on October 28, 2013 4:42 am

        Beautiful your comment Ann 🙂

        Reply
        • Ann on October 28, 2013 4:59 am

          Why, TY!

          If anyone should know “beautiful,” it would be a Supermodel like you.
          You see? I read about you. Your fame has spread everywhere. 🙂

          Reply
          • Alina Karasavva on October 30, 2013 5:02 am

            Thank you Ann :-D, you are such a special person xxx

            Reply
    2. Hestie Barnard Gerber on October 28, 2013 2:51 am

      Great article – loved it!

      Reply
    3. Penelope Kara on October 28, 2013 5:22 am

      Long live the heroes!!!

      Reply
    4. Baby Socrates on October 28, 2013 6:35 am

      Thank you very much everybody. The co-owner of this site and owner of Toptenz, Shell Harris, is part Greek too 🙂

      Reply
      • Ann on October 28, 2013 9:23 am

        Those of us who use technology (which is supported by math) are part Greek too.
        Those of us who use reason and logic to think, to discuss, to plan — we are part Greek too.
        When we reap the bounties of science, we are part Greek too.
        Those of us who desire democracy, or who vote — we are part Greek too.
        When we enjoy the arts, we are part Greek too.

        The intellectual and spiritual blood of Greece flows through the veins of all of us, and has even overflowed Western Civilization so that it has influenced every culture around the globe.

        It’s not just Shell who is part Greek.
        Anyone who is a beneficiary of the arts and sciences of humankind is part Greek too.

        Reply
        • Baby Socrates on October 28, 2013 11:58 am

          Very well said, Ann…..Very WELL!

          Reply
    5. Kate Eustace on October 28, 2013 2:18 pm

      Looks like we owe Greece a whole lotta respect!

      Reply
    6. AR on November 7, 2013 11:17 pm

      World War 2 was a lot like the Trojan Wars because we decided to attack neighboring areas to gain land in our own. Also, we have sneak attacks, like the Trojan Horse stunt to help us out.

      Reply
    7. Madison Wright on April 8, 2014 4:31 pm

      Greece never ceases to amaze!

      Reply
    8. BY on April 8, 2014 6:30 pm

      Thanks to Greece for being so strong against the Nazi party!

      Reply
    9. Luke Lyden on April 8, 2014 7:34 pm

      Greece showed the world how they get things done. They showed a bunch of courage in fighting against the axis power of Italy.

      Reply
    10. J Green on April 8, 2014 8:21 pm

      Greece really set the stage for the Allie powers and showed the Nazis that they should not be messed with. Very interesting article.

      Reply
    11. jprokay on April 8, 2014 8:51 pm

      Never knew grease had that big of a roal in the outcome of the war

      Reply
    12. Morgan Wade on April 8, 2014 10:03 pm

      Pretty awesome that they were seen as easy targets and were highly outnumbered yet still managed to come out in a victory!

      Reply
    13. Mb on April 8, 2014 10:33 pm

      This article was very interesting. I found it pretty cool that Greece was the target but ended up coming out with the victory, and fought strong against the Nazi.

      Reply
    14. kelseysherman on April 9, 2014 11:27 am

      I didn’t realize Greece was as involved as they were!

      Reply
    15. Matt M on April 9, 2014 8:58 pm

      Greece made a statement. And proved that they are brave and are not backing down.

      Reply
    16. JHanna on April 9, 2014 11:54 pm

      I had no idea Greece played such a significant role in WWII

      Reply
    17. Sarah Guenther on April 10, 2014 1:35 pm

      I had no clue that Greece had such a great impact!

      Reply
    18. Jessie Richter on April 10, 2014 6:49 pm

      I didn’t know that Greece had that much impact. I found this article interesting.

      Reply
    19. Jessica Savage on April 11, 2014 1:45 pm

      How impressive is Greece! They truly did fight like heroes and who knows what would have happened if they were unable to resist Mussolini’s forces!

      Reply
    20. Katlyn Denissoff on April 13, 2014 4:17 pm

      I found out that this article showed that Greece had a huge impact, which I didn’t know.

      Reply
    21. RScott on April 15, 2014 11:47 am

      Greece really made an impact on WWII. I never knew hoe important there truly were.

      Reply
    22. Nate Shifley on April 20, 2014 4:21 pm

      Yeah, you go Greece! Its nice to know you made a name for yourself in this War.

      Reply
    23. Autumn Harmon on April 20, 2014 7:02 pm

      I did not know how much of an impact Greece had on WWII

      Reply
    24. A Thomas on April 23, 2014 2:15 pm

      Greece had a huge impact! Sweet!

      Reply
    25. Natalyn B on April 24, 2014 4:13 pm

      Greece made a lot bigger of an impact than I had realized.

      Reply
    26. Halee Heironimus on April 27, 2014 5:05 pm

      I had no idea Greece had such a big impact on WWII. Props to them!

      Reply
    27. Hannah Brewer on April 29, 2014 11:18 am

      It is always nice to learn about the underdogs. Congrats to Greece!

      Reply
    28. Sadie Zegarac on May 1, 2014 1:02 am

      Greece isn’t often talked about when speaking about the war, so I was surprised that they had such an impact.

      Reply
    29. Samantha Carson on May 8, 2014 5:13 pm

      I thought that this article was amazing and that more people should know about this! absolutely amazing! Go Greece!

      Reply
    30. Christian g on October 30, 2016 4:43 pm

      It’s surprising that the Greek army was outnumbered 3 to 1 and still managed to make the Italian army retreat.

      Reply

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