It is around 3 a.m. on October 28, 1940.
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in the living room on the first floor of Prime Minister Metaxas' mansion in Kifissia,
is opposite the prime minister,
the Italian ambassador, Count Emanuele Grazzi.
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They speak French, and Grazi gives the prime minister an ultimatum.
demanding free passage for the Italian army across the Greek-Albanian border...
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Metaxas never said NO. His phrase was «Alors, c'est la guerre’ (Well, we're at war).
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Metaxas would have loved to say YES to Grazzi, but that was completely impossible.
not because he was a fiery patriot, but because of the
multiple dependencies he had on the English
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in the British newspaper Daily Telegraph, he had stated the true mission of his regime:
«Everything we do is done at the recommendation or request of England.
Greece is a vital part of the British Empire's defense.».
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in essence, both he and his regime had been set up and supported by the British...
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but dependence on the Germans is not insignificant.
Metaxas was a graduate of the renowned Military Academy in Berlin.
and his relations with the German fascists were very close.
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Metaxas himself had ordered the Deputy Minister of Public Security
Konstantinos Maniadakis
to link the Greek Special Security with the German Gestapo
(later, the Special Security became one of the matrices of the treacherous security battalions)
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besides,
He was an admirer of Nazism and had welcomed him on official visits.,
with incredible prices, Hitler's ministers:
Robert Lay
Hermann Göring
Joseph Goebbels
and others...
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So when the Italians attacked, Metaxas found himself in a difficult position...
on the one hand, work
(his position and status, which he owed to the English)
and
on the other hand, the fascist ideology of Mussolini's Italy
and Hitler's Germany.
because, in essence, Metaxas was one of them.
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wrote in his diary:
«If Hitler and Mussolini had truly fought for the ideology they championed,
they had to support Greece everywhere with all their might»
(Personal Diary of I. Metaxas. Vol. D, p. 553).
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that's why
had settled on the idea of heroic resistance and a quick but glorious end.
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thus satisfying both sides
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only that the Greek army did not do him the favor...
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The initial burden of the Italian attack is borne by the small Pindos Detachment under Colonel Konstantinos Davakis...
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Konstantinos Davakis was a well-known democratic officer who had been dismissed by the Metaxas regime (officially for health reasons).
In August 1940, he was called up for military service and appointed commander of the Pindos detachment.
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He bore the brunt of the first Italian attack.
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except that almost nothing he requested from the administration was granted.
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was forced to conscript villagers with shovels and pickaxes from the surrounding villages...
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the ammunition was insufficient there were no sparesand
The boxes that were there were ordered not to be opened before the Italian attack.However, Davakis showed disobedience and distributed them among the units.
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All of Davakis's requests for reinforcements and supplies fell on deaf ears.
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In reality, Davakis's detachment was a suicide mission, as he had 2,000 men to cover a 35-kilometer front.
and defend itself,
the well-equipped 3rd Italian Alpine Division “Giulia,” which had over 10,000 men...
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the abandonment of the Davakis excerpt by the government
and the shortcomings in the organization of the Pindos Defense
confirmed by the commander himself
of the Office of Chief of General Staff Athanasios Korozis
(book: The Wars of 1940-1941: Successes and Responsibilities)
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Dabakis watched the Italian attack and had spotted the Italians' weaknesses.
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when reinforcements arrived after three days
(early early, i.e.)
although these were inadequate,
Dabakis launched a counterattack and flanked the Italians...
During this counterattack, Davakis himself was wounded in the chest.
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instead of dying himself and his detachment and giving the glorious and quick end that Metaxas hoped for.
Those bastards were winning...!!!
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Today's post is dedicated to those who shout
Long live Metaxas...
What's up, you poor guys?;
Relax a little and open a book, otherwise don't talk about things you don't know.
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P.S. British Field Marshal Metland Wilson writes:
«The Greek government had made no preparations whatsoever in
Epirus to be able to counter this attack.».
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PS2. The commander-in-chief of the Greek forces, Alexander Papagos, wrote about Metaxas:
«the unprovoked Italian attack of the 28th
In October, Greece suffered, being almost unarmed.
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After the war ended, the wounded Davakis advised his colleagues
not to leave for the Middle East but to stay and organize resistance in Greece
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is still in the hospital when
the Italians, considering him a suspected member of the resistance
He is arrested while injured in the hospital along with other injured officers.
and on January 21, 1943
they send him by ship to Italy as a prisoner...
not to leave for the Middle East but to stay and organize resistance in Greece
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is still in the hospital when
the Italians, considering him a suspected member of the resistance
He is arrested while injured in the hospital along with other injured officers.
and on January 21, 1943
they send him by ship to Italy as a prisoner...
On September 20, 1936, Joseph Goebbels, the German Minister of Propaganda for the Nazi regime, accompanied by his wife Magda, arrived in Athens for an official visit.
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they began to take him around taverns and archaeological sites such as Marathon, Delphi, Olympia, and Mycenae.
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On September 26, he gives a press conference at the Grande Bretagne in front of Greek journalists.
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In the photograph, we see Joseph Goebbels on the terrace of the naval club with dictator Metaxas, with Mikrolimano and Kastella in the background.
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they began to take him around taverns and archaeological sites such as Marathon, Delphi, Olympia, and Mycenae.
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On September 26, he gives a press conference at the Grande Bretagne in front of Greek journalists.
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In the photograph, we see Joseph Goebbels on the terrace of the naval club with dictator Metaxas, with Mikrolimano and Kastella in the background.
