Cyprus-Forum.com

[denizaksulu]

There is no doubt that the Greeks fought valiantly against the Nazi onslaught, but also one must remember the distances of resupply by the Germans. It must have been a logistical nightmare. The mountanous terrrain was also a great aid to the Greeks. Ofcourse the Kleftiko and Ouzo was also a great allie

As to 1974, we all know they were not 'allowed' to wreck the southern flank of NATO.

I would never dare to tell these...

Deniz, the Greeks victory was against the Italians not the Nazi's. When Hitler saw that the Italians were pushed back by the Greeks he invaded Greece himself thus delaying the push against the Soviets.

I know they said OXI to the IT's, but they were allied/ the servants of the Nazi's.

I know, but it was the Italians that were doing the fighting. Related to your argument above, the Italians did not have the resupply distances and difficulties you describe above.

You are right. They did not have the guts either - but still the Greeks had to fight hard against the Captain Corelli's. I am sure they had German officers with them - but perhaps my sources are wrong.

[Gregory]

There is no doubt that the Greeks fought valiantly against the Nazi onslaught, but also one must remember the distances of resupply by the Germans. It must have been a logistical nightmare. The mountanous terrrain was also a great aid to the Greeks. Ofcourse the Kleftiko and Ouzo was also a great allie

As to 1974, we all know they were not 'allowed' to wreck the southern flank of NATO.

I would never dare to tell these...

Deniz, the Greeks victory was against the Italians not the Nazi's. When Hitler saw that the Italians were pushed back by the Greeks he invaded Greece himself thus delaying the push against the Soviets.

I know they said OXI to the IT's, but they were allied/ the servants of the Nazi's.

I know, but it was the Italians that were doing the fighting. Related to your argument above, the Italians did not have the resupply distances and difficulties you describe above.

You are right. They did not have the guts either - but still the Greeks had to fight hard against the Captain Corelli's. I am sure they had German officers with them - but perhaps my sources are wrong.

Typical arrogant Italians

[Bananiot]

Italian soldiers fought half heartedly. The majority were from left wing families who detested Mousolini. This explains why the Greeks held no animosity at the Italians and in fact protected them when Italy switched allegiance.

The Greek army at the time consisted of about 240 000 men, and was about the same size as the Italian army. Contrary to popular belief, the Greek army was well equipped as dictator Metaxas had spent a lot of money (peoples money of course) to buy 115 fighter planes and other army apparel.

The Italians were told that they would start their attack overnight and by late evening they would be taking their coffee in Athens. According to the memoirs of an Italian soldiers, "nobody told them that the great mountain range of Pindos stood in their way".

[Paphitis]

No doubt the Greeks fought heroically in 1940 but one needs to remember that they had the right alliances that also gave them inner strenght. Greece fought side by side with the Americans, Soviets, English etc and this goes to prove that in any struggle one needs to be on the "right" side first.

I also think that the most heroic act of the Greek people was performed by the resistance fighters, led by Captain Aris Velouchiotis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDd5w9nefec

What you say does not make any sense, because when an army faces another far superior army in battle, then the poor soldier at the front does not get any "inner strength" from other allies who are not in the the same theatre. Furthermore, all of Greece's allies had never tasted victory against the Axis powers or Japan. Greece was the first to defeat the Axis and it is this that may have given the allies some inner strength or hope.

Greece faced the superior Italian Army all on its own with WW1 weaponry. But morale was high and they were determined to defend their land at all cost and perhaps nationalism played a role and provided the inner spirit you talk about.

Greece faced the Axis Powers on its own, with the exception of Crete, where 45,000 Allied troops fought side by side with the Greek Army and still lost because the Germans were far too superior at the time.

And you assessment is wrong, because as Field Marshall Harold Leofric George Alexander states, "It would not be an exaggeration to say that Greece upset the plans of Germany in their entirety forcing her to postpone the attack on Russia for six weeks. We wonder what would have been Soviet Union's position without Greece."

Now the above statement can not be verified as a matter of fact, but there is absolutely no doubt that Greece made a massive contribution to the allied war effort, gave the allies their first victory. Stalin stated this about the Greeks, "I am sorry because I am getting old and I shall not live long to thank the Greek People, whose resistance decided WW II." Now this too may be a slight exaggeration, but Stalin was no doubt grateful, because he recognized that if the Greeks did not resist so valiantly, then the Nazi Invasion of Russia would have occurred 6 weeks earlier, and the result on the Eastern Front may have been different because the Germans may have defeated the Russians before the harsh Russian winter.

Furthermore, when you talk about the 115 fighter aircraft, I presume you are talking about the Spitfires and Hurricanes that were gifted to Greece by Great Britain. These aircraft still had RAF markings, and were never bought by Greece.

http://spitfiresite.com/reference/camou ... greece.htm

The first Hurricane Squadron was formed on 10 Oct 41, and played no role when Italy attacked on 28 Oct 40. In 1940, Greece only operated obsolete aircraft and was no match for the Italian Air Force or the Luftwaffe.

The main Hellenic Air Force fighter in 1940 against the Italians and the Luftwaffe was this:



Why do you lie so much Bananiot?

[Get Real!]

What matters when it comes to WWII is that today France, Britain, Germany, and Italy are all powerhouses whereas Greece has remained an insignificant shithole!

[Paphitis]

There is no doubt that the Greeks fought valiantly against the Nazi onslaught, but also one must remember the distances of resupply by the Germans. It must have been a logistical nightmare. The mountanous terrrain was also a great aid to the Greeks. Ofcourse the Kleftiko and Ouzo was also a great allie

As to 1974, we all know they were not 'allowed' to wreck the southern flank of NATO.

I would never dare to tell these...

Deniz, the Greeks victory was against the Italians not the Nazi's. When Hitler saw that the Italians were pushed back by the Greeks he invaded Greece himself thus delaying the push against the Soviets.

I know they said OXI to the IT's, but they were allied/ the servants of the Nazi's.

I know, but it was the Italians that were doing the fighting. Related to your argument above, the Italians did not have the resupply distances and difficulties you describe above.

You are right. They did not have the guts either - but still the Greeks had to fight hard against the Captain Corelli's. I am sure they had German officers with them - but perhaps my sources are wrong.

You are absolutely correct. The Italians had some German Officers at the front.

They also had far superior air support from the Italian Air Force and Luftwaffe.

Hitler was beside himself. He could not believe that the Italians were so easily defeated by the Greeks. In the end, he had to divert resources that were destined for the Eastern Front to save the Italians thus delaying the attack on Russia by 6 weeks. Some say that this alone turned WW2 around for the allies, as the Germans were forced to fight the Russians in winter, and this played havoc on their mechanized divisions and also on the Luftwaffe.

[Paphitis]

What matters when it comes to WWII is that today France, Britain, Germany, and Italy are all powerhouses whereas Greece has remained an insignificant shithole!

Read it and weep sunshine....

http://www.haf.gr/en/mission/weapons/

http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/ships_en.asp

http://www.army.com/Greece/index.html



http://www.army.gov.cy/

[Get Real!]

What matters when it comes to WWII is that today France, Britain, Germany, and Italy are all powerhouses whereas Greece has remained an insignificant shithole!

Read it and weep sunshine....

The countries I listed are FINANCIAL powerhouses, and that of course also means that they are military powerhouses… make that nuclear powerhouses!

There is no comparison with the Greek shithole of stagnation…

PS: Even tiny Cyprus has surpassed Greece in many ways!

[Simon]

No doubt the Greeks fought heroically in 1940 but one needs to remember that they had the right alliances that also gave them inner strenght. Greece fought side by side with the Americans, Soviets, English etc and this goes to prove that in any struggle one needs to be on the "right" side first.

I also think that the most heroic act of the Greek people was performed by the resistance fighters, led by Captain Aris Velouchiotis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDd5w9nefec

What you say does not make any sense, because when an army faces another far superior army in battle, then the poor soldier at the front does not get any "inner strength" from other allies who are not in the the same theatre. Furthermore, all of Greece's allies had never tasted victory against the Axis powers or Japan. Greece was the first to defeat the Axis and it is this that may have given the allies some inner strength or hope.

Greece faced the superior Italian Army all on its own with WW1 weaponry. But morale was high and they were determined to defend their land at all cost and perhaps nationalism played a role and provided the inner spirit you talk about.

Greece faced the Axis Powers on its own, with the exception of Crete, where 45,000 Allied troops fought side by side with the Greek Army and still lost because the Germans were far too superior at the time.

And you assessment is wrong, because as Field Marshall Harold Leofric George Alexander states, "It would not be an exaggeration to say that Greece upset the plans of Germany in their entirety forcing her to postpone the attack on Russia for six weeks. We wonder what would have been Soviet Union's position without Greece."

Now the above statement can not be verified as a matter of fact, but there is absolutely no doubt that Greece made a massive contribution to the allied war effort, gave the allies their first victory. Stalin stated this about the Greeks, "I am sorry because I am getting old and I shall not live long to thank the Greek People, whose resistance decided WW II." Now this too may be a slight exaggeration, but Stalin was no doubt grateful, because he recognized that if the Greeks did not resist so valiantly, then the Nazi Invasion of Russia would have occurred 6 weeks earlier, and the result on the Eastern Front may have been different because the Germans may have defeated the Russians before the harsh Russian winter.

Furthermore, when you talk about the 115 fighter aircraft, I presume you are talking about the Spitfires and Hurricanes that were gifted to Greece by Great Britain. These aircraft still had RAF markings, and were never bought by Greece.

http://spitfiresite.com/reference/camou ... greece.htm

The first Hurricane Squadron was formed on 10 Oct 41, and played no role when Italy attacked on 28 Oct 40. In 1940, Greece only operated obsolete aircraft and was no match for the Italian Air Force or the Luftwaffe.

The main Hellenic Air Force fighter in 1940 against the Italians and the Luftwaffe was this:



Why do you lie so much Bananiot?

Excellent post Paphitis. More than what he deserves.

[Simon]

What matters when it comes to WWII is that today France, Britain, Germany, and Italy are all powerhouses whereas Greece has remained an insignificant shithole!

Read it and weep sunshine....

The countries I listed are FINANCIAL powerhouses, and that of course also means that they are military powerhouses… make that nuclear powerhouses!

There is no comparison with the Greek shithole of stagnation…

PS: Even tiny Cyprus has surpassed Greece in many ways!

GR, Greece has a population of 11 million, therefore, economically, it is never going to be as powerful as Germany (82 million), Britain and France (over 60 million), and Italy (58 million). So please stop talking utter nonsense. The only time a country 6 times smaller is ever on equal financial terms is when the larger country is highly under developed, like India for example.