SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - Beware of Greek ships bearing deadly gifts

melnibonian · 09-26-06, 05:05 AM

To be perfectly honest there are a few reasons why the Greeks managed to keep the Italians at bay.
First is the fact that the Italian military was totally unprepared for a prolonged fight and had not made realistic detailed plans (i.e. alternative plans if things didn’t go well etc)
Second is the combination of terrain and weather. Pindus Mountains are notoriously rough and difficult to cross. This meant that mechanised divisions of the Italian Army could not deploy and operate as they could in the desert for example. The fact that the 1940 winter was one of the coldest and wet of the period didn’t help matters. The snow and rough terrain cancelled the technical advantage the Italian Army and Air Force had.
Third is the fact that most people in Greece were ‘prepared’ for the war. That doesn’t mean that Greeks wanted to go to fight, but after the sinking of the Destroyer Elli in the harbour of the island of Tinos in 15 of August 1940 (A sacrilege for the Greeks as the 15th of August was and still is a holly day in the Orthodox Calendar) they new that it was just a matter of time for the Italian invasion. The Greek army was virtually the same as the one that fought in the First World War and in the war against Turkey in 1919-1922, and therefore not suitable for ‘modern warfare’ of the 1940s as the German campaign in 1941 proved.

Despite all this handicaps the Greeks managed to score victory after victory against the Italians while suffering terrible loses themselves. They used the weather and terrain to their advantage and by showing a unique level of courage, self sacrifice and realism in their plans and military deployment, managed to drive the Italians deep into Albania. I am not sure though that they could have kept pushing the Italians back more even if the Germans didn’t attack. The difference in military power and the abundance of materials was overwhelming. Nevertheless they did a great job that’s why the 28th of October (the day of the Italian declaration of War) is still celebrated as a national day in Greece.

09-26-06, 05:05 AM	#12
melnibonian Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Reading UK Posts: 3,473 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	To be perfectly honest there are a few reasons why the Greeks managed to keep the Italians at bay. First is the fact that the Italian military was totally unprepared for a prolonged fight and had not made realistic detailed plans (i.e. alternative plans if things didn’t go well etc) Second is the combination of terrain and weather. Pindus Mountains are notoriously rough and difficult to cross. This meant that mechanised divisions of the Italian Army could not deploy and operate as they could in the desert for example. The fact that the 1940 winter was one of the coldest and wet of the period didn’t help matters. The snow and rough terrain cancelled the technical advantage the Italian Army and Air Force had. Third is the fact that most people in Greece were ‘prepared’ for the war. That doesn’t mean that Greeks wanted to go to fight, but after the sinking of the Destroyer Elli in the harbour of the island of Tinos in 15 of August 1940 (A sacrilege for the Greeks as the 15th of August was and still is a holly day in the Orthodox Calendar) they new that it was just a matter of time for the Italian invasion. The Greek army was virtually the same as the one that fought in the First World War and in the war against Turkey in 1919-1922, and therefore not suitable for ‘modern warfare’ of the 1940s as the German campaign in 1941 proved. Despite all this handicaps the Greeks managed to score victory after victory against the Italians while suffering terrible loses themselves. They used the weather and terrain to their advantage and by showing a unique level of courage, self sacrifice and realism in their plans and military deployment, managed to drive the Italians deep into Albania. I am not sure though that they could have kept pushing the Italians back more even if the Germans didn’t attack. The difference in military power and the abundance of materials was overwhelming. Nevertheless they did a great job that’s why the 28th of October (the day of the Italian declaration of War) is still celebrated as a national day in Greece.