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The Greco-Italian War, was a conflict between Italy and Greece from October 28 1940 to April 30, 1941, during the Second World War.

Cause

Italy had long term plans for the establishment of a new Roman Empire, which included Greece. Italy’s immediate reason for seeking war with Greece was a desire to emulate its German ally’s triumphs. Mussolini also wanted to reassert Italy’s interest in the Balkans (he was piqued that Romania, an Italian client, had accepted German protection for its Ploesti oil fields earlier in October) and secure bases from which the British eastern Mediterranean outposts could be attacked

Summary of Campaign

On October 28th 1940, the Italians attacked from Albania with inadequate preparation and force, and were unable to make progress. The Greeks launched a counter attack on the 14th November which pushed the Italians back into Albania. This made good progress at first, but eventually ground to a halt with the fronts stalemated. After the failure of a second Italian offensive in March 1941 Mussolini called on Hitler to intervene. When the Germans moved into Bulgaria in preparation for the invasion, Greece asked for British intervention. At the time of the German attack (6 April 1941) the bulk of the Greek forces were facing the Italians in Albania. Some of the remaining Greek forces were deployed in a line of fortifications along the Bulgarian frontier (the Metaxas_Line) and most of the rest were with the British intervention forces deploying north of Larissa. The British wanted the Greeks to abandon the Metaxas Line and deploy north of Larissa; the Greeks vacillated. The Germans invaded Yugoslavia at the same time as Greece and so were able to outflank the Metaxas line by moving through southern Yugoslavia. The Allied forces were forced south. German paratroops landed around the Corinth Canal sealing the fate of the Peloponnese. Because their army was mechanised the British managed to withdraw most of their troops; the slower Greek forces were captured by the Germans.

Result

The Greek state was totally defeated in this campaign and divided between the Germans, Italians and Bulgarians. However it has been argued that this campaign delayed Operation Barbarossa, which may have affected its outcome.

Stages of Campaign

Initial Italian Offensive (28 Oct 1940- 13 Nov 1940)

The Italians attacked with inadequate strength (and some sources say inadequate motivation) to make a breakthrough, capturing only insubstantial amounts of ground. The offensive ground to a halt as Greek reinforcements were brought up.

Greek counter-offensive (14 Nov 1940 - 8 March 1941)

The Greeks brought up sufficient strength to launch a counter attack and drove the Italians back into Albania. The Greeks made good, but not decisive progress. The Italians were greatly hindered by the cold winter suffering many frostbite casualties.

Italian offensive March 1941 (9 March 1941-5 April 1941)

Italy launched a second offensive in March 1941 for political reasons. This failed to capture any land whatsoever and resulted in Mussolini’s calling for German intervention.

German Intervention (6 April 1941- 30 April 1941)

The Germans outflanked the Metaxas line by moving through Yugoslavia. The Greeks in the Metaxas_Line surrendered on the 9th April. The Germans then outflanked the Greek and British defensive positions north of Larissa and advanced into central Greece.

Military insights gained from the war

1. The poor performance of the Italian forces can be blamed on many things, some sources state nationality and motivational factors, others blame the weakness of the Italian forces, especially in infantry with only two regiments per division. However the Italians were stronger in artillery and mortars than the Greeks.
2. It can be claimed that the intervention of the British Imperial forces did more harm than good, giving Hitler an excuse to invade Greece and disorganising the Greek strategy. The force was not strong enough to stop the Germans. Perhaps the Allied forces could have been better used in North Africa, where their removal may have prevented the Allies from totally expelling the Axis from North Africa.
3. It has been argued that the Balkan Campaign decisively delayed the German invasion of Russia. For example, during the Nuremberg trials after WWII, Hitler's Chief of Staff Field Marshall Keitel stated that "The unbelievable strong resistance of the Greeks delayed by two or more vital months the German attack against Russia; if we did not have this long delay ,the outcome of the war would have been different in the eastern front and in the war in general, and others would have been accused and would be occupying this seat as defendants today". On the other hand, it may have been the Russian weather, not the contingencies of subsidiary campaigns, which determined Barbarossa’s launch date.

Sources

1. “The Greek Army in World War II”. A six volume series. This is the Greek official history (written in Greek).
2. “The Hollow Legions”, by Mario Cervi, 1972, Chatto and Windus London.0 7011 1351 0
3. “The Battle of Greece 1940-1941”, by General Alexander Papagos J.M. Scazikis “Alpha”, editions Athens
4. “La Campaigna di Grecia” - Italian Official history (in Italian) 1980.

External Links

1. • Comando Supremo: Invasion of Greece 28 October - Italian Order of battle
   • www.metaxas-project.com: The Greek-Italian Winter War (1940-41)

• World War II Balkans Campaign
• Wars of Greece