Greece

Greece is one of several nations in Steel Division II.

Historical background[ | ]

One of the iconic ancient civilizations, Greece was forever torn between warring factions and the 20th century was no different - only the enemies changed. After securing its independence from the Ottoman Empire, Greece became one of the founding members of the Balkan Legue, seeking to retake Greek territories from its former overlord. The victory in the first Balkan War in 1912 was followed by a second war with Bulgaria and shortly by World War I, where Greece attempted to pursue a policy of neutrality with poor results, culminating in an Allied coup in 1916.

Though the war ended in 1918, the crisis continued, as Greece continued warring with Turkey over territory and population, culminating in a disastrous defeat in 1922 that left it exhausted, impoverished, and struggling to house hundreds of thousands refugees forced to leave the territories lost to Turkey. The next two decades were marked by a series of ever escalating crises, alternating monarchic and republican forms of governments, eventually culminating in the establishment of a military dictatorship in 1936. Ostensibly formed to quell the increasing might of Greek communists, Metaxas exploited the political apathy of Greeks to ape Italian fascism and formed close ties with Nazi Germany, though stopped short of joining their alliance, instead preferring a policy of neutrality.

Like before, the policy backfired spectacularly. Mussolini's Italy craved Greece and invaded it in October 1940, in a bid to annex it like Albania the previous year. A daring defense by the Hellenic Army mauled Italian troops and sent them reeling until Hitler's army intervened. By May 1941, Greece was carved up between Italy, Germany, and Bulgaria, with a collaborationist government formed. A potent left-wing resistance movement hindered attempts to fully exploit Greece, aided by the mountainous terrains. Desperate attempts to crack down on the resistance were ultimately unsuccessful, despite the use of collaborationist militias, and by 1943 the resistance movements were able to set up multiple liberated areas in the interior.

By late 1944, the Red Army sweeping through the Aegean and the desertion of Romania and Bulgaria forced Nazi Germany to flee Greece, leaving behind isolated garrisons in the Aegean and Crete that would only surrender in May 1945. As if by tradition, the end of the war did not mean the end of troubles for Greece, as the victory against fascism was immediately followed by a violent civil war between the right and the left resistance movements.