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ynx that led to a toxic infection. Alexandros Koryzis, the
Governor of the Bank of Greece, succeeded him in office.
appoint Metaxas to the position of Prime Minister.
In March of 1941 Mussolini personally supervised
Within four months, Metaxas had declared a State of
Emergency and suspended Parliament. For the remainder a ferocious counterattack designed to drive the Greeks
of his life, he ruled as a dictator. He is a deeply controversial from Southern Albania. Despite his leadership, the atfigure in Greek history but his actions on October 28th con- tack failed, further humiliating the Italian leader.
By April, the small Greek army had been fighting for
tributed to the ultimate victory of the allied forces.
Mussolini’s advisors had assured him that the inva- six months. Exhausted, they now faced a new threat. Bulsion of Greece would take no more than two weeks. The garia had joined the Axis powers and the German army
Italian experience in Albania must have made this seem advanced toward the Greek-Bulgarian border. Here, the
very plausible: like Albania, Greece was a small country Greeks had been well prepared for an invasion: Metaxas
had built fortifications all along this border.
with a correspondingly small army.
The difference lay in the territory: Italian forces en- Unfortunately, the Germans also poured over the
tered Greece through the steep Pindos Mountains. This undefended border with Yugoslavia. Initially repulsed
was rough, wild terrain made worse by the onset of win- at the Metaxas line, the Germans quickly overcame the
ter. As Italian troops moved southward towards the city Greeks. On April 18, Prime Minister Koryzis chose to
shoot himself rather than face the
of Ioanina, Greek troops took to
German entry into Athens.
the heights, bombarding the Ital Just nine days later, German
ians from above.
motorcycle troops entered Athens,
The rough roads and deep snow
driving straight to the Acropolis.
made it difficult to supply the troops,
There, they tore down the Greek flag
while bad weather and conti