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The National Herald presents its special edition dedicated to 28 η Οκτωβρίου 1940 OCTOBER24,2015 E LD TH The National Herald 100 1 NA TI O E N AL H RA th anniversary 1915-2015 www.thenationalherald.com OXI Day Special 2 THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 24, 2015 OXI Beyond WWII and Beyond Greece By Constantinos E. Scaros G reek leader Ioannis Metaxas’ famous “NO heard ‘round the world” to Italy’s Benito Mussolini on October 28, 1940, regarding the fascist dictator’s demand for Italian troops to occupy certain regions of Greece for strategic purposes during WWII led to the subsequent celebration of OXI Day. The fanfare and camaraderie, though largely but not exclusively limited to Greece – as evidenced by an opinion piece in this issue by U.S. Congressman Bob Dold (R-IL) (see page 5) – needs to extend beyond a single event and even a single nation. That the modest Greek forces stood up to Mussolini, a bully who aligned himself with the world’s supreme bully at the time, Adolf Hitler, was a remarkable accomplishment in itself, rendered even more noteworthy in that the soldiers’ battlefield performance matched their off-field valor. Speaking to that, Great Britain’s timeless statesman Winston Churchill said “Hence, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks.” The significance of OXI, which earned Greece the accolades of Churchill, the United States, and the world, was twofold: 1) the righteous indignation to stand up for oneself; and 2) the means by which to back up that stance. And on a host of issues spanning the globe nowadays, that is what good people – who comprise the majority of every nation – need to do. To say OXI to political corruption, violent religious zealotry, greed, incompetence, and indifference. It is an abomination that America, which continues to borrow almost half a million dollars per minute, risks OXI Day was Greece’s “NO heard ‘round the world,” as captured on the New York Times’ front page, Oct. 28, 1940. But OXI Day must be more than a celebration of past glories; it must be a call to action by the people of many nations regarding an array of principled positions long ignored. 75 Years Later, OXI Day Still Inspires By Constantine S. Sirigos In history’s long sweep, it would appear to be folly to declare that one date stands above all the rest. The dates of the battles fought between the flower of the youth of great nations that altered its course, the lucky birth “ “ “ “The free world watched as one by one countries across Europe surrendered to Hitler’s Axis forces. At 3:00 a.m. on October 28, 1940, a representative of the Axis forces arrived at the Greek prime minister’s residence and demanded Greece’s surrender. The prime minister replied with one single word – Oxi – No. “A few hours later, the Axis forces descended on Greece, expecting that it would quickly fall, but the Greek resistance forced Hitler to change his plans. News It is to the discredit of Europe that only one of its top religious leaders publicly challenged the nazi’s plans for the holocaust. That one was the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Damaskinos. The significance of his actions has been documented the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation. The Archbishop’s response to the threat of death by nazi firing squad still inspires. He informed the nazi officials that Greek clerics are not shot, but hanged, and asked that that they respect tradition. Time Magazine featured him on its cover. Hence, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks…“If there had not been the virtue and courage of the Greeks, we do not know which the outcome of WW II would have been.” Winston Churchill days and untimely deaths of great men and women who shaped the world we know are countless. And who can say which days were critical for the survival of humanity in the time before there were calendars and scribes? But each nation and devotee of history can nominate a mo- I am sorry because I am getting old and I shall not live long to thank the Greek People, whose resistance decided WW II… You fought unarmed and won, small against big… You gave us time to defend ourselves… We owe you gratitude.” Joseph Stalin losing its sovereignty, that Greece has already passed that point, and that millions in the Middle East on the wrong side of the sword-wielders’ ideologies risk have their heads chopped off. OXI, then, was brilliance in its simplicity: bold words backed by bold actions. Today’s Greeks, Americans, and leaders the world over can learn a thing or two from the WWII-era Greeks. Just as the critics of individuals on public assistance who falsify a claim and cheat the government out of a few dollars extra on a welfare payment miss the point when they don’t criticize – or even recognize – the existence and abuse of corporate welfare, i.e., welfare for the rich, so, too, is the irony lost on Americans who condemn the Greeks for having destroyed their nation yet fail to acknowledge that “there but for the span of a few more years go I.” We Greek-Americans should not be defensive when our fellow Americans take cheap shots at the current state of the Hellenic Republic. It’s not that they are entirely wrong, it’s that they are predominantly clueless that their – our – own doom is not that far away, either; whether the battlefield in question is a military or economic one. To many, OXI is a way to celebrate past glories amid present embarrassment. Like a sports team that hasn’t won a championship in decades saying: “we were really something back in the day…” Instead, OXI needs to be a call to action: not protest for the sake of protest, but a principled and courageous response where circumstances warrant. Then, perhaps, one day, an addendum to Churchill’s unforgettable quote can be: “the people sought and gained empowerment – how very Greek of them.” ment in time for special note. We Hellenes can do the same. Before October 28, 1940 the future looked bleak. The literature of the Washington Oxi Day Foundation, which is “dedicated to informing American policymakers and the public about the profound role Greece played in bringing about the outcome of World War II” describes the world scene this way: When the entire world had lost all hope, the Greek people dared to question the invincibility of the German monster raising against it the proud spirit of freedom,” President Franklin D. Roosevelt of Greece’s victory flooded the radio airwaves and covered the front pages of newspapers around the globe. A grateful world celebrated – no one expected such a small nation to derail the seemingly unstoppable Axis forces.” The heroic acts of the Greek people during WW II were not limited to the battlefield, and they were enacted at all levels of society. THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 24, 2015 OXI Day Special LongLivetheHeroesandtheGlory ofOctober28th1940 Drs. Spiro & Amalia Spireas and Sigmapharm Laboratories Στην υπηρεσία της υγείας με όραμα, συνέπεια και αφοσίωση Innovative Pharmaceutical Formulations, Maximizing Drug Therapy. SigmapharmLaboratories,LLC 3375 Progress Drive, Bensalem - PA 19020 Tel.: (215) 352-6655 - Fax: (215) 352-6644 www.sigmapharm.com 3 4 OXI Day Special THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 24, 2015 We Salute the Heroes of «OXI Day» Who Defied Fascism and Tyranny «The heroic struggle of the Greek people to defend their liberties and their homes against the aggression of Germany after they had so signally defeated the Italian attempt at invasion has stirred the hearts and aroused the sympathy of the whole American people.» – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (AHEPA Member) to the AHEPA Supreme Lodge, April 25, 1941 The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association Strengthening Communities since 1922 1909 Q Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20009 www.ahepa.org Are you a Member? Join Today! OXI Day Special THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 24, 2015 5 German soldiers raising the German War Flag over the Acropolis. It would be taken down by Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas in one of the first acts of resistance. German soldiers enter Athens in 1941. German soldiers enter Athens in 1941. OXI Then, and OXI Now [U.S. Congressman Bob Dold (R-IL), for the occasion of the celebration of OXI Day, October 28, 2015, shared his commentary with The National Herald.] Seventy-five years ago this month, the Nazis were sweeping through Europe with frightening ease. The Nazi war machine seemed horrifyingly effective as country after country fell. This was the backdrop on the early morning of October 28, 1940 when the Axis forces requested a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Ioannas Metaxas. Surely, when the emissary for the Axis forces arrived in Greece prior that made Prime Minister Metaxas make his decision to fight rather than allow that evil be directed elsewhere. While others in Europe chose to stay out of the conflict in hopes they would be spared, the Greeks willingly inserted themselves into the fray, costing hundreds of thousands of Greek lives but saving millions by continually stunting and stifling the Axis forces. Greece’s refusal to aid and abet Axis saved countless lives as Greek forces fought heroically and prolonged the fight longer than anyone imagined, but Greece paid a terrible price as well, losing practically an entire generation of men and women. By war’s end, Greece lost 10% of its prewar population – one of the highest totals for any country during the fight. As we remember OXI Day and the Greeks’ bravery, let us also remember the millions of Greeks who perished so that Adolf Hitler and he Nazis might be stopped. The story of OXI Day, while well known to many Greeks across our community, is a lesson that more of America would do well to internalize. As we look around the world and see the troubling trend of rising anti-Semitism across the globe and the persecution of Orthodox Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, we have two options: we can be filled with despair and lament that we are powerless to do anything to stop the work of evil men, or we can learn from the Greeks and say in a clear and strong voice that, no we will not tolerate this evil barbarity. We can band together and say, “OXI.” Carter, DeLuca, Farrell & Schmidt, LLP Intellectual Property Lawyers 445 Broad Hollow Road, Suite 420 Melville, New York 11747 Tel.: (631) 501-5700 • Fax: (631) 501-3526 Ζήτω το Επος του ’40 Ζήτω η 28η Οκτωβρίου ab By Rep. Bob Dold to meet with Prime Minister Metaxas, one can only assume that they viewed their meeting with the Greek leader as a mere formality – that any sensible country would have witnessed the carnage brought upon Europe and would be desperate to avoid bringing that home at all costs. The Axis’ agenda for the meeting was short. They came with only a simple demand: Greece must unconditionally surrender and allow the Axis forces unfettered use of strategic military sites or the Greek people would face war. The Axis forces clearly underestimated the Greeks’ resolve. They did not understand that the same people who, just a decade earlier, had seen thousands of their friends, families, and neighbors slaughtered by the Ottoman Empire, would not sit idly by while a new menace terrorized a continent with unimaginable cruelty. Despite the Greeks having been warweary people, Metaxas shocked the Axis powers by giving his now famous one word answer: “OXI!” Perhaps it was precisely because the Greek people saw the Ottoman Empire perpetrate the first – and largely forgotten – genocide of the 20th century that Greece showed its resolve. Maybe it was Greece’s face-toface confrontation with that level of evil just a few decades GEORGE LIKOUREZOS, Esq., [email protected] THEODOSIOS KOUNTOTSIS, Esq., [email protected] ΜΙΛΑΜΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ OXI Day Special 6 THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 24, 2015 Voula Papaioannou: Photographer of the “Katochi” Voula Papaioannou, along with Balafas, Meletzis and Tloupas, is one of several prominent Greek photographers who came to maturity during the Occupation and Greek Civil War. Her images from the Occupation are unique documents of the period that skillfully transcend the demand for realistic information. Her photographs present the misery and pain of the occupation as part of life, and her subjects are infused with the breath of spontaneity. The outbreak of war in 1940 marked a turning point in her career, as she was intensely affected by the suffering of the civilian population of Athens. Realising the power of her camera to arouse people’s conscience, she documented the troops departing for the front, the preparations for the war effort, and the care received by the first casualties. When the capital was in the grip of starvation, she revealed the horrors of war in her moving photographs of emaciated children. Voula Papaioannou was born in Lamia and grew up in Athens (Greece). She began working as a photographer during the 1930s, concentrating at first on studies of landscapes, monuments and archaeological exhibits. After the liberation, as a member of the photographic unit of UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration), she toured the ravaged Greek countryside recording the difficult living conditions faced by its inhabitants. She often exceeded her brief, immortalising the faces and personal stories of ordinary people in photographs that stressed dignity rather than suffering. […] Voula Papaioannou’s work represents the trend towards “humanitarian photography” that resulted from the abuse of human rights during the war. Her camera captured her compatriots’ struggle for survival with respect, clarity, and a degree of personal involvement that transcends national boundaries and reinforces one’s faith in the strength of the common man and the intrinsic value of human life. THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 24, 2015 OXI Day Special 7 OXI Day Special 8 THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 24, 2015 October 28th: Silent Mobilization Caught Axis Powers Off-Guard Dr. Kousoulas was Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Howard University in Washington, DC, author of several books and numerous scholarly articles and a close associate of TNH. His articles were always “most read” and was a source of inspiration for Greek-Americans, as he was passionate about Greek history and a huge supporter of Greek national issues as well as the Ecumenical Patriarchate. During the war years, Kousoulas was scheduled for execution on Monday, January 15, 1945 but the execution was postponed when the British commander Lt.Gen. R.M. Scobie signed with the Greek Communist leaders a truce that came into effect at midnight of January 14 to 15. Kousoulas was awarded the Golden Cross of the Order of Phoenix by the Government of Greece, the Medal for Exceptional Actions for his participation in the Resistance during Greece's occupation by the Nazi's, and has been named Archon Deputatos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. He past away in July 2012. The following article was published in October 2005 and we are re-printing in his memory 10 years after. itarily and diplomatically for the oncoming conflict, her leaders were squabbling over partisan prerogatives and personal gains. Parliamentary democracy had become a victim to fierce political infighting. For the British, Greece was a vital country strategically because of her location in the Mediterranean and proximity to the sea routes to the East through the Suez Canal. They promoted the return of King George to the throne after a 12year exile because he was a friend of Great Britain and a man they could trust. When all efforts to bring a strong and cohesive government through the parliamentary process failed, King George and Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas suspended several articles of the Constitution and established a dictatorial regime on August 4, 1936. When the war broke out in September 1939, the Metaxas government did not mobilize the army and pretended to remain neutral, avoiding any provocative act. But behind the scenes, the government began to send out "personal invitations" to the young men who had completed their regular military training and who had gone back to civilian life. The recipient was given specific information on the location of his mobilization center, and asked to keep the "invitation" secret. In this way, when the Mussolini’s divisions attacked Greece on October 28, 1940 the Greek army could be mobilized in a matter of hours. Their weapons and military equipment was already stored in mobilization centers waiting for them. * * * Most ordinary citizens in sia, an affluent suburb in northern Athens. Metaxas, wearing a night robe, opened the door himself. He took his visitor to a small sitting room, and there, the Italian ambassador gave him to read an official communication from the Italian Government. It read that, "as a guarantee of Greek neutrality, Greece should allow Italian armed forces to occupy certain strategic points… Should Italian troops meet with resistance," the Italian ultimatum continued, "they have orders to suppress such resistance by force, and the Greek Government will bear the ensuing responsibility." Metaxas had expected this moment. A few weeks earlier, on August 15, an Italian submarine had torpedoed the Greek cruiser Elli in the waters near the island of Tinos, while honoring the celebration of the Dor- By Dr. D.G. Kousoulas Special to The National Herald Greece is the only European country which celebrates an event of the Second World War as one of her two national holidays. There is a good reason for it. The significance of Greece’s heroic resistance to the Fascist attack can only be understood and appreciated when it is seen in the context of what was happening in Europe at the time, and of its eventual effect on the defeat of Nazi and Fascist forces. By 1933, with Hitler’s rise to power, the ominous clouds of war were gathering in Europe. Inside Greece, the political leadership, as well as the nation itself, was sharply divided because of the disastrous feud between King Constantine and Eleftherios Venizelos over the question of whether Greece should have entered the war on the side of the Allies or remained neutral in the First World War. At a time when Greece should have been preparing mil- For the next four years, Metaxas made a serious effort, with the country’s rather limited resources, to strengthen its military forces, and to bring some order to the economy. No dictator was ever popular in modern Greece, and Metaxas was no exception. Still, there was little overt opposition to his regime. The Metaxas government adopted some of the rituals and symbols of the Nazi and Fascist regimes, but it turned out to be a deliberate attempt to create the impression of a connection to the totalitarian regimes in Germany and Italy. It was a deception perpetrated with British blessing. Greece were taken by surprise when, in the early morning of Monday, October 28, they heard on Greek radio a dramatic announcement that Italian forces had attacked Greece, and that "our forces are fighting in defense of our national soil." Just the day before, the Italian embassy in Athens had thrown a lavish reception, attended by many high-level government officials, during which the Italian ambassador raised a toast to Greek-Italian friendship. A few hours later, around three o’clock in the morning, the military attaché drove Italian Ambassador Count Grazzi to Metaxas’ modest home in Kifis- mition. In late August, Hitler and Mussolini had met in Vienna and settled, as they saw fit, several territorial disputes affecting Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. In mid-September, while signing the Tripartite Pact with Japan, Germany had agreed that "Greece and Yugoslavia belong exclusively to the Italian sphere of interest." In early October, General Ion Antonescu had overthrown King Carol of Romania, and had invited German troops into his country. Italian forces had already been in Albania, on Greece’s northwestern frontier. Metaxas did not hesitate. He had already decided. Greece OXI DAY OCTOBER28,1940 On the 75th Anniversary of Oxi Day, The Washington Oxi Day Foundation celebrates the profound role Greece played in bringing about the outcome of WorldWarII and honors today those whose David vs. Goliath courage, like the Greeks in WWII, canalterhistory and preserve freedom and democracy. www.OxiDayFoundation.org Andy Manatos, President Mike Manatos, Executive Director Young members of the Greek National Youth Organization EON hail in presence of Ioannis Metaxas. The Metaxas government adopted some of the rituals and symbols of the Nazi and Fascist regimes, but it turned out to be a deliberate attempt to create merely an impression of connection to the totalitarian regimes in Germany and Italy. was not going to surrender. With a simple gesture, he gave back to the ambassador the piece of paper with the following response: "Alors c’est la guerre," he said in French. "Then, we are at war." The Italian ambassador tried some diplomatic talk. "Not necessarily. If you agree…" At that moment, the old man in the night robe carried the honor of Greece, a history of three thousand years, on his frail shoulders. He did not use the word "No," which a day later was used by a Greek newspaper in a historic headline, "OXI." But what he said meant exactly that. It was an answer that would stand forever next to Leonidas "MOLON LAVE (come and get it)" at Thermopylae. The German dictator, who was preparing "Operation Barbarossa" – the invasion of Russia – was upset by Mussolini’s action. It was a complication which could affect the Operation Barbarossa. He rushed to meet Mussolini on October 28 at the Brenner Pass. He tried to dissuade his Italian partner from carrying out the operation against Greece and instead to plan a joint action to seize the island of Crete, which was strategically more important. Mussolini assured him that Greece would fall within days, and after that, they could take care of Crete. According to the British ambassador in Athens, Mussolini’s optimism had been fed by Count Grazzi’s reports which stressed Metaxas’ unpopularity, low profile and overcautious policies. Had the Italian ambassador so grossly misunderstood Metaxas, or had he deliberately misinformed Mussolini? Whatever the case, the Italian dictator was in for a painful surprise. After advancing a few miles into Greek territory, the Italian divisions were forced to retreat by the mobilized Greek army, which reached the front within days thanks to the silent mobilization through the "personal invitations." The Greek citizensoldiers may not have had the superior weapons of the Italian divisions, but they were fighting for their country, for their freedom. World public opinion, accustomed until then to read about the dazzling successes of the German army with its blitzkrieg tactics, was astonished by the Greek military resistance. The Italians had 59 infantry battalions, 400 artillery pieces, 150 light tanks and 300 airplanes. T h e Greeks had 39 infantry battalions and 120 guns. They had no tanks, but tanks were not very useful in the mountainous terrain. They had 115 planes, and only half of them had been purchased in the previous three years. Italian weapons superiority was soon rendered irrelevant. In the end, the fighting came down to man-to-man combat on the ground. Greek officers and soldiers fought with such determination that, by November 8, no Italian troops remained on Greek soil. Events moved fast in the following weeks and months. The Greek army liberated several towns and villages inhabited mostly by Greeks in the southern region of Albania known as Northern Epiros. An offensive launched by the Italian army in the spring – with Mussolini present – failed dismally. Metaxas died in January. His last official statement was, "We are determined to face a possible German attack by whatever means and sacrifices may be necessary, but in no way do we wish to provoke such an attack. In any event, we shall do our duty." His reference to a possible German attack was not idle talk. Germany was now facing the possibility of a British presence in Greece, while Hitler was preparing for the attack on Russia. In his view, Germany now had to secure her flank in the Balkans. The Italian war against Greece, which may have appeared as a sideshow at first, had now become a vital, negative element in Hitler’s war plans. The death of Metaxas had left King George as the principal decision maker in Greece. By February, the threat of a German attack was quite evident. On February 17, Bulgaria, already on Germany’s side, signed a treaty of nonaggression with Turkey, effectively taking Turkey out of any involvement in favor of Greece, if and when Germany would attack. Next, Hitler pressed Yugoslavia for permission to use its transportation facilities to move troops to Bulgaria. Initially, the Yugoslav Government succumbed and joined the Tripartite Pact, but then it was overthrown in a military coup. Early on April 6, German planes blasted Belgrade mercilessly, while German armored divisions crossed the Yugoslav and Greek borders. Again, the Greek army fought valiantly and slowed the German advance. It was on the morning of April 27 that a long column of motorcycles appeared on the main thoroughfare going through Kifissia to Athens. Mainland Greece came under Axis occupation. But the island of Crete was still free. British units with troops from Australia and New Zealand were still there. Hitler now needed to take control of Crete. This posed a serious dilemma. Any attempt to take Crete meant a delay in launching the attack on Russia, and this did not seem wise. But then again, it appeared equally dangerous to leave Crete under British control and allow it to become a strong Allied naval and air base. After a long debate within the German High Command, the decision was reached to postpone Operation Barbarossa and invade Crete. On May 20, 1941 hundreds of troop-transport planes dropped German paratroopers on strategic locations on the northern coast of Crete. German intelligence had told Hitler that the British forces on Crete were weak and poorly armed – which was largely true. A swift victory was expected. Yet those forces, together with local Cretan inhabitants and the small Greek military units stationed in Crete, put up such a fierce defense, it took the Germans nine days and heavy losses to gain control of the island. By then, the launching of Operation Barbarossa was already one month behind schedule. It took one more month to shift military units from the Balkans to the Russian border. Finally it was not until June 21, 1941, that the attack on Russia was launched. Two years later, when the fight in Russia was going very badly for Germany, a Bulgarian visitor asked Hitler if he would have started Operation Barbarossa had he known how difficult it was going to be. "I would have started earlier," he replied. The Greek resistance had undermined Hitler’s timetable. By the time he was to be approaching Moscow, the Russian winter had already arrived. The German army never entered Moscow. Hitler’s war effort was already doomed. THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 24, 2015 OXI Day Special Weproudlycelebrate "OXIDAY" JOHNCATSIMATIDIS ΖΗΤΩΗ28ηΟΚΤΩΒΡΙΟΥ1940 9 OXI Day Special 10 THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 24, 2015 ΖΗΤΩ Η 28 ΟΚΤΩΒΡΙΟΥ 1940 BROOKLYN NYMethodistHospital STATENISLAND StatenIslandOffice 506 6th Street Brooklyn, NY 11215 Phone: 718.780.5065 Fax: 718.780.5085 4855 Hylan Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10312 Phone: 718.356.4000 Fax: 718.356.4779