Greece Repels Mussolini’s 1940 Invasion

In October 1940, Benito Mussolini sent Italian forces from Albania into Greece, expecting a quick victory over a smaller, weaker neighbor. Instead, the Greek army counterattacked through the Pindus Mountains, pushed the Italians back into Albania, and inflicted roughly 102,000 casualties on Italian forces. The stalled campaign forced Nazi Germany to intervene in 1941 to rescue its ally and secure the Balkans. Even after German forces overran the country, Greece refused to surrender to Italy.

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