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Greek Resistance 1941-45

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Greek Resistance 1941-45 Greek Resistance 1941-45: Achievements and Organization, Contributions to Allied War Efforts the Axis Powers Against PETER D. CHIMBOS* ABSTRACT The paper examines the organization, development and contributions of the Greek Resistance of 1941-45 to the Allied war efforts. Based on published and unpublished documents and personal accounts of events by resistance veterans, the analysis suggests that the National Resistance movement against the triple occupation of Greece by Germany, Italy and Bulgaria, played an important military role in the Allied struggle against the Axis. During their three and a half years of political and military action, Greek Resistance organizations (a) preoccupied and effectively fought large and well equipped Fascist forces, as well as enemy collaborators, (b) interrupted enemy strategic and geopolitical plans of aggression and (c) provided enslaved Greeks with a sense of solidarity and patriotism, and the motivation to resist the brutal Axis occupation. Although its contributions as a military force has been immense, the Greek Resistance movement has received minimal recognition and appreciation in Allied countries, and little attention from the mass media and academic community. Ironically and tragically, post war geopolitical interests of the Allies actually contributed to the persecution of resistance fighters which then led to the polarization of post-liberation Greek society. Since her independence from the Ottoman Turks in 1830, Greece, for histor- ical, cultural and economic reasons, has been a reliable and vital ally of western English speaking countries in times of war. Greece's greatest contribution to Al- lied war efforts, however, was her heroic resistance against the Axis powers during World War II, particularly the National Resistance (Ethniki Antistasi) movement of liberation, extant from 1941 to 1945. As Angelopoulos ( 1995:XII) indicates, "of all * Brescia College, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6G 1H2, Canada. This study was supported by Brescia College Research Funds. The author wishes to thank Drs. Antone Allahar, K. Ishwaran, Randal Montgomery and David Nock for their helpful suggestions and constructive criticisms. 252 the countries occupied by the Axis powers, Greece was by far the most spirited in its resistance, waging unremitting guerilla warfare in the towns, the countryside, in the mountains and on the seas, against the occupier for a period of four years." Despite its immense contributions to the war against the Axis, the Greek Resis- tance (1941-45) has received little recognition and publicity in Allied countries, especially North America. Because of divisive post World War II politics and the liberal-leftist political orientation of the Greek Resistance movement, the Allies downplayed its military significance and contributions. With a revisionist perspective, this paper provides an historical and sociologi- cal analysis of the Greek Resistance against the triple occupation of Greece (1941- 45) by Germany, Italy and Bulgaria. More specifically, this paper considers (a) how the Greek Resistance was organized and how it developed during its three and one half years of political and military action; (b) its membership; (c) its actual contri- butions to Allied war efforts against the Axis powers and (d) the aftermath of its existence. The analysis is based on information collected from published and unpub- lished materials and documents of the Greek Resistance movement, and lengthy interviews with individuals who actively participated in military and political re- sistance organizations during that period. The Centre for the Study of the History of the National Resistance in Athens has also been a useful source for providing information on demographic aspects of the Resistance movement. Historical Background Immediately prior to World War II, the world had been divided into two conflicting political and military camps: the Axis camp and the Allied Camp. The Axis camp comprised Germany, Italy and Japan, whose objectives were to expand their geographical territories for economic and political reasons. For example, Japan had started her military campaigns of territorial expansion in China, and plans were made to invade India. Germany had drawn plans to occupy Europe, Africa and the Soviet Union. Italy's ambitious plans were to establish her own empire which would include Albania, Greece, Yugoslavia and Ethiopia. It is well known that Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany had established ideologically similar politico-economic systems. Italy had established a Fascist state which prevailed from 1922-1943 and Germany was under Nazism from 1933-1944. These Fascist-Nazi political systems promulgated terror, racism and oppression, and the resultant World War caused the loss of many millions of human lives on both sides of the conflict. The Allied camp, consisting of the British Empire, Canada, France, U.S.A., Greece and later (1941) the Soviet Union, was a response to the expansion of the Axis powers. Certain countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia .
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