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The occupation of Greece by the Axis Powers ((ギリシア語:Η Κατοχή), ''I Katochi'', meaning "The Occupation") began in April 1941 after Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany invaded Greece, and lasted until Germany and its satellite Bulgaria withdrew from the mainland of the country in October 1944. German garrisons remained in control of Crete and other Aegean islands until after the end of World War II, surrendering to the Allies in May and June 1945. Fascist Italy had initially declared war and invaded Greece in October 1940 but the invasion was stopped, and the Hellenic Army was able initially to push the invaders back into neighboring Albania, then a protectorate of Italy. This forced Nazi Germany to shift its military focus from the preparation of "Operation Barbarossa" to an intervention on its ally's behalf in southern Europe. While most of the Hellenic Army was dislocated on the Albanian front to fend off the Italian counter-attacks, a rapid German ''Blitzkrieg'' campaign commenced in April 1941, and by June Allied Greece was defeated and occupied by the Nazis. As result, the Greek government went into exile, and an Axis collaborationist puppet government was established in the country. Furthermore, Greece's territory was divided into occupation zones run by the Axis powers, with the Nazi Germans proceeding to administer the most important regions of the country themselves, including Athens, Thessaloniki and the most strategic Aegean Islands. Other regions of the country were given to Germany's Axis partners, Fascist Italy and Bulgaria. The occupation ruined the Greek economy and brought about terrible hardships for the Greek civilian population. Much of Greece was subjected to enormous destruction of its industry (80% of which was destroyed), infrastructure (28% destroyed), ports, roads, railways and bridges (90%), forests and other natural resources (25%)〔http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/item/24456-the-math-of-mass-starvation-and-murder-germany-in-greece-during-world-war-ii〕〔http://news247.gr/eidiseis/afieromata/ta-ereipia-ths-germanikhs-katoxhs-sthn-ellada.1425953.html〕〔http://www.newsbeast.gr/greece/arthro/796214/oi-megales-katastrofes-kai-to-germaniko-hreos-stin-ellada-mesa-apo-dokoumeda〕 and loss of civilian life (7.02% - 11.17% of its citizens).〔Gregory, Frumkin. ''Population Changes in Europe Since 1939'', Geneva 1951. pp. 89-91〕 Over 40,000 civilians died in Athens alone from starvation, tens of thousands more died because of reprisals by Nazis and collaborators.〔Mazower (2001), p. 155〕 At the same time the Greek Resistance, one of the most effective resistance movements in Occupied Europe, was formed. These resistance groups launched guerrilla attacks against the occupying powers, fought against the collaborationist Security Battalions, and set up large espionage networks. They were opposed by the Communists at first, because of the Soviet Union's orders to collaborate with the Nazis as part of the Nazi-Soviet pact. This changed after the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, and the Communists then joined the resistance. By late 1943 the democratic and Communist resistance groups began to fight, as the Communists sought to control post-war Greece and liquidate all opposition. When liberation of the mainland came in October 1944, Greece was in a state of extreme political polarization, which soon led to the outbreak of civil war. The subsequent civil war gave the opportunity to some collaborators not only to escape punishment (because of their anti-communism), but to eventually join the democratic elements in ruling postwar Greece, after the communist defeat. This undermined Greek democracy.〔Giannis Katris, The Birth of Neofascism in Greece, 1971〕〔Andreas Papandreou, Democracy at Gunpoint (Η Δημοκρατία στο απόσπασμα)〕 ==Fall of Greece== In the early morning hours of 28 October 1940, Italian Ambassador Emmanuel Grazzi awoke Greek Premier Ioannis Metaxas and presented him an ultimatum. Metaxas rejected the ultimatum and Italian forces invaded Greek territory from Italian-occupied Albania less than three hours later. (The anniversary of Greece's refusal is now a public holiday in Greece.) Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini launched the invasion partly to prove that Italians could match the military successes of the German Army and partly because Mussolini regarded southeastern Europe as lying within Italy's sphere of influence. The Hellenic Army proved to be a formidable opponent, and successfully exploited the mountainous terrain of Epirus. The Hellenic forces counterattacked and forced the Italians to retreat. By mid-December, the Greeks had occupied nearly one-quarter of Albania, before Italian reinforcements and the harsh winter stemmed the Greek advance. In March 1941, a major Italian counterattack failed. The initial Greek defeat of the Italian invasion is considered the first Allied land victory of the Second World War, although due to German intervention, it eventually resulted in a victory for the Axis. Fifteen of the 21 Greek divisions were deployed against the Italians, so only six divisions were facing the attack from German troops in the ''Metaxas Line'' (near the border between Greece and Yugoslavia/Bulgaria) during the first days of April. Greece received help from British Commonwealth troops, moved from Libya on the orders of Winston Churchill. On 6 April 1941, Germany came to the aid of Italy and invaded Greece through Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. Greek and British Commonwealth troops fought back but were overwhelmed. On 20 April, after Greek resistance in the north had ceased, the Bulgarian Army entered Greek Thrace, without having fired a shot,〔K.Svolopoulos, Greek Foreign Policy 1945-1981〕 with the goal of regaining its Aegean Sea outlet in Western Thrace and Eastern Macedonia. The Bulgarians occupied territory between the Strymon River and a line of demarcation running through Alexandroupoli and Svilengrad west of the Evros River. The Greek capital Athens fell on 27 April, and by 1 June, after the capture of Crete, all of Greece was under Axis occupation. After the invasion King George II fled, first to Crete and then to Cairo. A nominally right-wing Greek government ruled from Athens, but it was a puppet of the occupiers.〔Bamberry, Chris, The Second World War: A Marxist History, 2014, Pluto Press (pg. 182)〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Axis occupation of Greece」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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