The measure of resistance was paid considerable homage to by German officials. Hitler's Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel stated during the Nuremberg Trials, "the unbelievably 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."[66] Adolf Hitler ordered that no Greek soldier shall be taken prisoner and that those who were, were to be released immediately out of respect of their bravery.[67]
A speech Adolf Hitler made at the Reichstag in 1941 said of the campaign: "It must be said, for the sake of historical truth, that amongst all our opponents, only the Greeks fought with such endless courage and defiance of death."[68] The diary of Joseph Goebbels 9 April 1941: "I forbid the Press to underestimate the Greeks, to defame them.... The Führer admires the bravery of Greeks."[69]
The measure of Greek resistance was paid homage and aroused admiration around the world. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill would say "until now we would say that the Greeks fight like heroes. From now on we will say that heroes fight like Greeks."[70] American President Franklin Roosevelt would say "all free peoples are deeply impressed by the courage and steadfastness of the Greek nation ... which is defending itself so valiantly."[71] Joseph Stalin, in an open letter read over the air on Radio Moscow short wave on numerous occasions during the war, would say "the Russian people will always be grateful to the Greeks for delaying the German army long enough for winter to set in, thereby giving us the precious time we needed to prepare. We will never forget."[72]
Notes
- ^ Collier, Richard (1971). Duce!. Viking Adult. ISBN 0670286036 p. 180
- ^ Collier, Richard (1971). Duce!. Viking Adult. ISBN 0670286036 p. 180
- ^ Keegan, P. 144
- ^ Buckley, p. 18
- ^ Ciano, Galeazzo (1946). The Ciano Diaries 1939-1943. Doubleday & Company. ASIN B000IVT93U. P. 247
- ^ Buckley, P.17
- ^ Christopher Buckley Greece and Crete 1941, (London: 1952; P. Efstathiadis & Sons S.A.:1984) ISBN 960-226-041-6, p. 16-18
- ^ Buckley, p 17
- ^ Buckley, p. 19
- ^ Buckley, p. 18-20
- ^ , by Peter N. Yiannos, Ph.D
- ^ Adolf Hitler's speech to the Reichstag on May 4, 1941accessed October 10, 2006
- ^ Adolf Hitler's speech to the Reichstag on May 4, 1941
- ^ Joseph Goebbels The Goebbels Diaries,1939-1941, (H. Hamilton 1982) ISBN 0241108934
- ^ Reflections on the 65th Anniversary of the day Greece answered no and once again changed the course of history, by Chris P. Tomarasaccessed October 10, 2006
- ^ Reflections on the 65th Anniversary of the day Greece answered no and once again changed the course of history, by Chris P. Tomaras accessed October 10, 2006
- ^ Reflections on the 65th Anniversary of the day Greece answered no and once again changed the course of history, by Chris P. Tomara saccessed October 10, 2006
References
- Bailey, Robert H. (1979). Partisans and Guerrillas (World War II). Time Life UK. ISBN 0809424908.
- Barber, Laurie and Tonkin-Covell, John. Freyberg : Churchill's Salamander, Hutchinson 1990. ISBN 1-86941-052-1
- Beevor, Antony. Crete: The Battle and the Resistance, John Murray Ltd, 1991. Penguin Books, 1992. Pbk ISBN 0-14-016787-0 Boulder : Westview Press, 1994. LCCN 93047914
- Bitzes, John (1989). Greece in World War II: To April 1941. Sunflower University Press. ISBN 0897450930.
- Bosworth, R.J.B (2002). Mussolini. A Hodder Arnold Publication. ISBN 0340731443.
- Buckley, Christopher,Greece and Crete 1941, (London: 1952; P. Efstathiadis & Sons S.A.:1984) ISBN 960-226-041-6
- Ciano, Galeazzo (1946). The Ciano Diaries 1939-1943. Doubleday & Company. ASIN B000IVT93U.
- Collier, Richard (1971). Duce!. Viking Adult. ISBN 0670286036.
- Fafalios, Maria, and Hadjipateras, Costas, Greece 1940-41: Eyewitnessed (Athens: 1995; Efstathiadis Group) ISBN 9602265337
- Hondros, John (1983). Occupation and Resistance: The Greek Agony 1941-44. Pella Pub Co. ISBN 0918618193.
- Riefenstahl, Leni, Leni Riefenstahl: A Memoir. (Picador New York, USA. 1987) ISBN 0312119267
- Smith, A.C. (1953). Historical Study: The German Campaigns in the Balkans (Spring 1941) [Dept of the Army Pamphlet No. 20-261]. Department of the Army. ASIN B000FH2RQ8.
- Macdougall, A.K (2004). Australians ar War A Pictorial History. The Five Mile Press. ISBN 186503865-2.
Further reading
- Alexander, Bevin (2001). How Hitler Could Have Won World War II: The Fatal Errors That Led to Nazi Defeat. Three Rivers Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0609808443.
- Cervi, Mario 1972,The Hollow Legions Chatto and Windus London. ISBN 0-7011-1351-0.
- Harokopos, George. The Fortress Crete, subtitled on cover '1941-1944' and within 'The Secret War 1941-1944' and 'Espionage and Counter-Espionage in Occupied Crete', Seagull Publications. Greek paperback edition/English translation: B. Giannikos & Co., Athens, 1993. Translation and comments by Spilios Menounos. Pbk ISBN 960-7296-35-4
- Hellenic Army General Staff (1997). An Abridged History of the Greek-Italian and Greek-German War, 1940-1941 (Land Operations). Athens: Army History Directorate Editions. No ISBN available OCLC 45409635.
- Keegan, John (2005). The Second World War. Penguin (Non-Classics); Reprint edition. ISBN 0143035738.
- Mazower, Mark (2001). Inside Hitler's Greece: The Experience of Occupation, 1941-44. Yale University Press; New Ed edition. ISBN 0300089236.
- Papagos, Alexander, The Battle of Greece 1940–1941, J.M. Scazikis “Alpha”, editions Athens. 1949 ASIN B0007J4DRU.
- Rigopoulos, Rigas (2003). Secret War: Greece-Middle East 1940-1945: The Events Surrounding the Story of Service 5-16-5. Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 1563118866.
- Shores, Christopher (1992). Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete 1940-1941. Grub Street. ISBN 0948817070.
- Stassinopoulos, Costas, Modern Greeks: Greece in World War II: The German Occupation and National Resistance and Civil War, American Hellenic Institute Foundation, Inc. 2005 ISBN 1889247014
- Willingham, Mathew (2005). Perilous Commitments: The Battle for Greece and Crete 1940-1941. Spellmount Publishers. ISBN 1862272360.
- Zotos, Stephanos (1967). Greece:The Struggle For Freedom. ASIN B0006BRA38.
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