The Second World War began for Greece not without warning, but suddenly.
Shortly after 3 a.m. on 28 October 1940, Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas was harshly awakened by the envoy of Italian Ambassador Emanuele Grazzi. The Greek Prime Minister was presented with a written ultimatum. Italy, led by Benito Mussolini, together with the Axis powers, demanded access to strategic positions in Greece. Rejection of this condition would mean the start of war. Prime Minister Metaxas proudly replied to the ultimatum, ‘Alors, c’est la guerre!’, which means ‘Then we have war!’ in French.
Ioannis Metaxas
photo credit omilo.com
However, in popular historical accounts, reinforced by memories of protesters shouting ‘όχι!’ which means ‘no!’ at the news of the Italian ultimatum, the Greek Prime Minister’s response has been perpetuated as ‘όχι!’.
Italy’s response was immediate. Less than three hours after Prime Minister Metaxas’s tough retort, Italian troops began hostilities by attacking from Albania.
At first, the war in Greece was fought mainly in the wild mountains of Epirus, where, to Mussolini’s great surprise, Greek guerrillas (antarates) managed to force the Italian army to retreat. It was only a massive attack by the Axis powers in April 1941 that forced Greece to surrender and marked the beginning of a bloody occupation that lasted until October 1944 (the German garrison in Crete remained until May 1945).
The anniversary of the events of 1940 is an important holiday in Greece. Offices, schools and many businesses are closed on this day. Patriotic parades are organised, white and blue flags fly everywhere, people sing and listen to patriotic songs and cafés and restaurants are filled with the Greek proudly celebrating this historic event.
