National Anniversary
National Holiday in Greece
This is the day of the National Anniversary of Greek Independence.
The day is characterised by military parades and folk dances and Greek Orthodox churches hold special services.
The day is also called "Ochi Day" in celebration of Greece's refusal to yield to the powers of the Axis in 1940.
In October 1940, Mussolini, backed by Germany, demanded to occupy Greece. General Metaxas famously responded "Ochi!" - "No!" in Greek.
That "No!" brought Greece into the war on the side of the Allies. Indeed, for a period, Greece was Britain's only ally against Hitler.
Not only did Greece rebuke Mussolini's demands, they seized the offensive and drove the Italians back through most of Albania.
Had Metaxas not said "No!", its arguable that the Second World War may have lasted much longer. One theory is that had Greece surrendered without any resistance, it would have enabled Hitler to have invaded Russia in the spring, rather than his disastrous attempt to take it during winter.
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