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. This battle was so costly for Germany that they stopped using large airborne attacks for the rest of the war. Some historians believe Germany’s focus on the Balkans delayed their invasion of the Soviet Union, which later caused big problems for them.

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, tying down many Axis soldiers. 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, but faced more challenges in the years ahead.

Greco-Italian War

Main article: Greco-Italian War

On October 28, 1940, Italy invaded Greece from Albania. At first, the Italian army made some progress, but the Greek army stopped them and even 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 as Italy hoped, Greece could move more troops to the front. On November 14, the Greeks launched a counterattack and moved into Albania, capturing many cities despite cold weather and poor supplies.

By January, Greek forces had taken over part of Albania, but their advance slowed down. Germany decided to help Italy because of the situation. In March 1941, Italy tried one last big attack under the leadership of its leader, but it failed. By April, with Germany also attacking, the Greek army had to retreat and lost much of the land they had gained in Albania.

German invasion

Further information: Battle of Greece

On April 6, 1941, Germany started its attack on Greece and Yugoslavia. This attack, called "Unternehmen Marita," led to what is known as the Battle of Greece. The battle ended on April 30 when the town of Kalamata in the Peloponnese fell, and the Axis powers fully occupied the Greek mainland.

The German forces first attacked the Greek defenses known as 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 were then allowed to surrender 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 signed agreements 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 had been 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. Severe losses to British ships occurred from German air attacks. 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. The Germans suffered heavy losses in this battle, which led Adolf Hitler to stop further large airborne attacks.

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

Occupation

The Greek Resistance played a big role 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 in these battles, and the country faced hard times, including food shortages that caused many deaths.

Conquered Greece was split into three zones controlled by Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria. Each country had its own area to watch over. The Italians were in charge of most of the countryside, where resistance groups grew stronger over time. As the resistance increased, the Germans sent in more troops to help control the situation.

Some Greeks worked with the occupying forces, forming groups known as Security Battalions. These groups mainly fought against resistance movements. However, many Greeks joined the resistance, showing strong opposition to 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.

Like in Greece, these soldiers faced 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. They later took part in conflicts against certain groups during a civil war in Greece.

Aftermath

After the war, Greece faced big problems. The country was hurt by the German occupation and had many fights between different groups, which 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 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.