When we think of Greece' history most will think of that: Ancient Greece. Athens,
Sparta. But what about Greece's modern history? And specifically: Greece during the Second World War? What was
going on here at the time? You've come to the right channel. Cause I'm Stefan
and I run History Hustle: Greece during WW2.
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When WW2 came around Greece was under the rule of the so-called 4th of August Regime, led by General
Ioannis Metaxas. Do notice that Greece was still a kingdom though, with
King George II on the throne. Metaxas wasn't a pure fascist but he had fascist tendencies,
took inspiration from fascist Italy and Nazi Germany and was establishing a totalitarian state. However he didn't allign himself with the Axis Powers.
The story of Greece during WW2 started in 1940 with an invasion. Not a German invasion:
an Italian one. On 28 October 1940
The Italians gave Greece an ultimatum to surrender strategic posts and let
Italian troops pass unhindered through the country. It is said that Metaxas answered in one
single word: 'Ochi', which is Greek for 'no'. Overnight Metaxas became a national hero.
That day is a national holiday in Greece. More likely he didn't use the Greek word for 'no' as
the diplomatic language of that time was French. Anyway, Greece was now at war with the Italians. And the Italians invaded Greece via Italian-held Albania.
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini expected a quick victory but he was dissapointed. The Greeks put on
a stubborn defence. Soon the Italians were pushed back into Italian-held Albania. Yes, the Italians performed really poorly.
A stalemate set in. Metaxas passed away due to ill health in January 1941.
On 6 April 1941 the German invasion of Greece began.
Simultaneously the Germans invaded Yugoslavia. In the meanwhile Commonwealth troops had been sent
to Greece to bolster the country's defence. The German divisions crossed through Yugoslavia and
attacked from Bulgaria, crushing through the northern Metaxas Line as Salonica was taken
on 9 April. Greek forces fighting in Albania now found themselves surrounded. Other Greek defenders
hurled back in panic. It gave the Allied troops little time to prepare their defences as they
were pushed back by the Germans. To make matters worse prime minister of Greece Alexandros Koryzis
shot himself. On 27 April the Germans entered Athens and the swastika flag was raised on the
Acropolis. The Greek government and tens of thousands of Allied troops were evacuted.
The Greek island of Crete was the last Allied stronghold
in Greece. On 20 May the Germans undertook a massive airborn assault. New Zealand,
Australian and British troops, as well as local Cretans fought valliently,
inflicting huge losses on the incoming paratroopers. Yet, the Germans prevailed.
Greece was fully occupied now. The Greek king and the government had made their way to Egypt.
The Axis occupation of Greece was now a reality. It showed some similarities with what happened in Yugoslavia, but it's less complicated.
The bulk of the nation came under Italian administration. Smaller zones and key posts
such as the capital of Athens, Greece's second-largest city Thessaloniki,
the border areas with Turkey and Yugoslavia came under German control. And
a part in the north was given to the Bulgarians, who annexed it so they had access to the Aegean Sea.
“Hitler only ever took a passing interest in his new conquest. Unlike other conquered countries,
Greece seems to have been viewed by the Nazis as booty to be plundered and picked clean,
rather than as a going concern to be nurtured and maintained in their own interest.”
The Axis powers began taking the foodstuffs for their military and people back home.
Take into account that the yield from the last harvest was reduced because of the fighting
earlier that year. On top of all that: Greece had never been self-sufficient in cereals to
begin with. With their exports they payed for food imports. But now the British enforced a blockade.
The result was famine. Between 1941 and 1943 an estimated quarter of a million
Greeks died of starvation, close to 5 per cent of the total population.
The Germans didn't care. When Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring was informed he replied:
“I could not care less when you say that [Greek] people under
your administration are dying of hunger. Let them perish so long as no German starves.”
When Italy surrendered in 1943 its soldiers were given a choice: be evacuated by train from Greece or fight alongside the Germans
Most Italians choose for the first option since they were already
war weary. On some places the Italians refused to be disarmed which led to
armed clashes on Rhodos, Cefalonia and the Ionian islands. German reprisals were ruthless as
thousands of Italians were summerly executed afterwards.
Let's discuss collaboration. As soon as the Germans had taken over Greece a puppet
government was installed, headed by Georgios Tsolakoglou, known as: the Hellenic State.
This administration was far from effective and soon fell apart. From 1943 pro-German Security
Battalions were raised that helped the occupiers with garrison duties
and participating in anti-guerrilla operations. They later functioned as practical death squads.
“The new formations were slow to develop, however: neither the Germans nor the Italians were keen
to give the Greeks arms, while few Greeks were prepared to enlist. Many of the early recruits
were either the very poor, who joined as an alternative to going to work in the Reich,
or criminals wanted by the Greek police, and men on the run from the resistance.”
What about the Greek resistance? Well, this is a fairly complicated story and it has some similarities what with happened in Yugoslavia,
because there existed different groups of Greek
resistance who at some point started to fight each other. It's a fairly complicated
story, because of the different groups which eventually would result in the ensuing Greek Civil War.
During the war the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) dropped agents in the region to team up with the Greek guerrilla fighters.
Here is what historican Roderick Beaton has to say about the story of the Greek resistance:
“It is a story of hardiness, bravery, frustration, and often of deep empathy with the sorely tried
Greek people alongside whom the officers worked. But it inevitably skews the reality
of what the Greeks were fighting for. This is not to say, as some have done,
that the British were cynically exploiting the Greek Resistance for their own political ends.
It was simply that they had different priorities.”
The British wanted to disrupt the Axis supply chain to North Africa. That was their goal. Greek
resistance groups wanted to seize control over the country once the Germans were gone. Interwar
Greece had seen its share of political instability and that continued during and after WW2.
The Germans brought the element of violence to it. Greeks communists from the Greek communist party
KKE formed the EAM (National Liberation Front) and their armed wing: the Greek
People's Liberation Army (ELAS). Do notice that not only communists were in this formation,
also socialists and republicans. Two significant other groups were the EDES (National Republican
Hellenic League) and EKKA (National and Social Liberation). It's complicated and hope to cover
it more indepth in the future. Feel free to share your insights on this in the comment section.
The fate of the Greek Jews during WW2 was very grim.
The entire Jewish population of Salonika (Thessaloniki) was rounded up and deported.
‘Almost all were destined for Auschwitz. The records of Auschwitz-Birkenau show that
48,974 Jews arrived there from northern Greece;
of these, 37,386 were immediately gassed. Hardly any of the remainder returned home.’
As many as 90 per cent of the Greek Jews didn't survive WW2. Also Jews from Bulgarian-occupied
Greece were deported, despite the fact that the Jews of Bulgaria proper weren't handed
over to the Germans. Around 10,000 Greek Jews survived the persecutions
either by going into hiding, fighting with the Greek resistance, or surviving their deportation.
Not only Jews became the victim of the German policies. During the occupation thousands of
Greek civilians died because of terror reprisals. It already started on Crete were German airborn
troops massacred 60 Cretans in the Massacre of Kondomari. Also the Italians undertook brutal
reprisals, such as the Domenikon massacre, as well as the Bulgarian occupying forces, in Doxato.
Greece wasn't liberated in a sense that the Germans were driven out. The Germans left.
Looking at the map it makes sense. Because soon the Germans
would've been cut off by the advancing Red Army. In October 1944 the Germans
started to evacuate Greece and by early November they were gone. Except with some strategic posts, such as Crete. They Germans remained there.
So now you may say: alright, for Greece the war ended in 1994. But you are very much mistaken.
After WW2 the Greek Civil War erupted. Although some historians argue that already started in 1943
during the German occupation. That is a story for another time. Thanks to my Patreons,
you see their names on the screen.