Military history of Greece during World War II

The military history of Greece during World War II began on 28 October 1940, when the Italian Army invaded Greece from Albania, starting the Greco-Italian War. The Greek Army stopped the invasion and pushed the Italians back into Albania. This success made Nazi Germany decide to get involved.

On 6 April 1941, Germany and its allies invaded Greece and Yugoslavia. Despite help from British forces, Greece was taken over within a month. The Germans also captured the island of Crete using soldiers dropped from airplanes. Some historians believe Germany’s focus on the Balkans delayed their invasion of the Soviet Union.

After the invasion, Greece was split and controlled by Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria. The king and government went to live in Egypt. Even though early attempts to fight back were stopped, a strong Resistance movement grew. Sadly, Greece was badly damaged by the war, and many people lost their lives. After Germany pulled out in 1944, the country began to recover.

Greco-Italian War

Main article: Greco-Italian War

In October 1940, Italy invaded Greece from Albania. At first, Italy made some progress, but the Greek army stopped them and pushed them back into Albania. The Greeks fought very bravely, especially in the Elaia–Kalamas area and the Pindus Mountains. Because Bulgaria did not attack Greece, Greece could send more troops to fight. In November, the Greeks attacked back and moved into Albania, capturing many cities even though the weather was cold and supplies were low.

By January, Greek forces had taken over part of Albania, but they moved more slowly after that. Germany decided to help Italy. In March 1941, Italy tried one last big attack, but it failed. By April, Germany also attacked, and the Greek army had to pull back and lost much of the land they had won in Albania.

German invasion

Further information: Battle of Greece

On April 6, 1941, Germany attacked Greece and Yugoslavia. This attack was called "Unternehmen Marita," and it led to the Battle of Greece. The battle ended on April 30 when the town of Kalamata in the Peloponnese fell, and the Axis powers took over the Greek mainland.

The German forces attacked the Greek defenses called the "Metaxas Line" from Bulgarian territory, using artillery and airplanes. Though the Greek soldiers fought bravely, they could not stop the Germans. The quick defeat of Yugoslavia allowed German tanks to move through and capture the important port city of Thessaloniki on April 9. This cut off the Greek forces at the forts, who then surrendered the next day. As the fighting continued, German troops broke through more defenses and moved south. The Greek army, which was also fighting against Italian forces in the north, had to retreat. Some Greek generals decided to stop fighting and agreed to surrender. Soon after, the Germans took control of Athens and most of the Greek islands.

Battle of Crete

Main article: Battle of Crete

In May 1941, after much of Greece was taken over, the island of Crete was still free. It was defended by Allied troops, including British, Australian, New Zealand, and some remaining Greek soldiers, but they lacked heavy equipment. The German army planned a big attack called "Unternehmen Merkur", the first large-scale use of paratroopers in history.

The attack began on May 20, 1941, with German soldiers dropping from the sky to capture three main airfields on the island, at Maleme, Rethimnon, and Heraklion. They faced strong resistance from the defenders and local people. After a day of fighting, none of the German goals had been reached.

The next day, the Germans captured Maleme airfield due to some mistakes in communication among the Allied leaders. This allowed them to bring in more troops and take control of western Crete. After a week of battle, the Allied forces realized they could no longer win and began to leave Crete by June 1, 1941. The island then came under German control.

After taking Crete, German forces took harsh actions against local people in several places. In response, Cretans began to work together in resistance groups to attack the German forces successfully for the rest of the war.

Occupation

The Greek Resistance was important during World War II. They fought against soldiers from Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria, who had taken over parts of Greece. Many brave Greek fighters were lost, and the country had hard times, like not enough food.

Greece was divided into three parts, with Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria each controlling one part. Italy controlled most of the countryside, where resistance groups grew. As the resistance got bigger, Germany sent more soldiers to help keep control.

Some Greeks worked with the occupying forces, forming groups called Security Battalions. These groups fought against the resistance. But many Greeks joined the resistance to oppose the occupation.

Main articles: Axis Occupation of Greece and Great Famine (Greece)

Main articles: Greek Resistance and Political Committee of National Liberation

Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East (exile)

Main article: Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East

After Greece was taken over by the Axis powers, some Greek soldiers escaped to areas controlled by Britain in the Middle East. There, they joined forces with the Greek government in exile and continued fighting with the Allies. The Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East took part in several important battles, including the North African Campaign, the Italian Campaign, especially in the Battle of Rimini, and the Dodecanese Campaign. They also carried out special missions against German troops in Greece and helped protect supply routes in the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The Greek navy was also involved in the Operation Overlord in Normandy.

These soldiers faced some political problems, leading to a disagreement in April 1944. After this was settled, the military was reorganized. When German troops left mainland Greece in October 1944, these forces returned home and became the core of the new Greek army.

Aftermath

After the war, Greece had many problems. The country was hurt by the German occupation and had fights between different groups. This led to the Greek Civil War. This was one of the first wars of the Cold War.

Greece wanted to get back some lands from Albania, Bulgaria, and Italy. But they only got the Dodecanese islands. The new leaders in Albania and Bulgaria had support from the Soviet Union, so Greece could not get the other areas.

In popular culture

The time when Germany and its allies took over Greece during World War II has been shown in many books and movies. Some famous stories include Ill Met by Moonlight, The Cretan Runner, The Guns of Navarone, Escape to Athena, The Magus, They Who Dare, and Captain Corelli's Mandolin. These stories are based on real events or are made up for the movies. In Greece, there are also movies about this time, like Ochi, What did you do in the war, Thanasi?, and Ipolochagos Natassa.