The history of World War II is full of amazing paradoxes. Unpredictable and unexplained events do not allow calling this war the struggle of Nazism against the union of democrats and communists. Finland, for example, was a stronghold of democracy, but then took the side of fascism. Greece, on the contrary, controlled by the fascist regime, inflicted a crushing defeat on Mussolini's army. The Italo-Greek war lasted less than six months, Greece won. However, she failed to enjoy the victory.
The reasons for the beginning of the Italo-Greek war of 1940-1941
Benito Mussolini, the Prime Minister of fascist Italy, set out to draw Yugoslavia and Greece into the war in order to launch a full-scale attack on the Balkans and subjugate this territory. The German government warned the minister that creating new enemies is unreasonable. However, Mussolini did not heed the advice, naively believing that Greece would become easy prey. The Prime Minister did not trust the senior officers, rejected all objections and single-handedly decided on the invasion.
On August 15, 1940, the Greek cruiser Ellie was sunk by an “unknown” submarine, but all evidence suggested that the act was an Italian provocation. As a result, the Greeks urgently announced military mobilization. Italy put forward an ultimatum to Greece demanding an end to such hostile actions, but the ultimatum was rejected. October 28, 1940 Italy invaded the territory of Greece.
Course of events
The prime minister did not coordinate the offensive with the generals, and the military operation was on the verge of failure. A few days before the invasion of Greece, seasonal rains began. A small army of invaders was in enemy territory without winter clothes, and the air temperature dropped below zero. However, Mussolini did not consider this a problem, as he did not expect resistance: millions of lira from the Italian treasury were paid to the Greek generals as a bribe. In exchange, the commanders of the Greek army promised not to engage in battle, but on the first attack they refused promises. The Italo-Greek war proved to be a more complex campaign than the Italian minister had expected.
In Greece, there were no large ports allowing the Italian army to land. Despite the numerical superiority and superiority of the Italian air fleet, the Greeks managed to provide decent resistance, drove the army of invaders to the border of Albania and in January 1941 occupied a strategically important point - Keltsyuru Gorge. In March, Mussolini’s forces received reinforcements and launched a new attack, but were driven back further north. On April 6, the army of the Third Reich came to the aid of Italy, the total number of fascist troops significantly exceeded the strength of the Greeks. On April 30, Hitler's troops reached Athens, after which the occupation of Greece began. The Italo-Greek war, which began in 1940, was over.
Strengths and Losses
The army of Greece consisted of almost 200 thousand soldiers and 57 combat aircraft. These forces had to withstand more than half a million army of Italy - 565 thousand soldiers, 163 tanks, 463 aircraft. After the completion of the Italo-Greek war, the losses of the parties were far from equivalent. Italy lost more than 39 thousand people killed, 50 thousand wounded, 12 thousand frostbite and another 50 thousand were captured. The losses of the Greeks amounted to 13 thousand soldiers killed, 42.5 thousand wounded, 3 thousand missing and 25 thousand prisoners of war.
Who won the Italian-Greek war is not entirely obvious: Greece gained the upper hand in the fighting and managed to save most of its small army, but the intervention of Nazi Germany did not allow a final victory.
Impact on neighboring countries
In 1940, Yugoslavia remained neutral, not supporting any of the warring parties. However, the state was an ally of Greece, and the border town of Bitola was bombed by Italian aircraft. Fearing that the Yugoslavs would take the side of the enemy in the Italo-Greek war, Mussolini decided to deliver this preemptive strike.
The Italo-Greek military campaign was ill-conceived, poorly planned, and was doomed to failure. The weather was favorable to the Greeks, and they accomplished the almost impossible, casting aside the superior enemy forces. October 28 is one of the most revered holidays in modern Greece, when people pay tribute to the brave liberators.