Greece 1940: Personal accounts of the Italian invasion and wartime hardships

Personal testimonies highlight the human impact of the events of October 28, 1940, in Greece. Beyond official military history, these accounts focus on the fear, hunger, and separation experienced by civilians and soldiers during the conflict.

In Patras, survivor Iro Georgopoulou-Danelatou recalls the morning Italian aircraft bombed the city. As a primary school student at the time, she describes the confusion at her school and the subsequent flight to rural villages to seek shelter from ongoing bombardments.

Across the country, the war brought extreme conditions to the Albanian front, where soldiers faced harsh weather and constant combat. For civilians, the occupation resulted in severe shortages, persecution, and a struggle for survival, often relying on community solidarity to endure the hardships.