Dear AHEPA Family of Clearwater & Holy Trinity Community,
Part of what we do as AHEPA family members, as Hellenes and Philhellenes, is to educate, defend Hellenism, and promote Hellenic ideals. We also take time to remember and honor moments that have had a profound impact on our history and culture.
Today is OXI Day!
On October 28, 1940, Greece said “NO” to tyranny. It is a day of immense pride for our heritage, our organization, and for world history. Whether you are Greek or Philhellene, Oxi Day is a moment that changed the course of World War II and stands as a testament to courage and freedom.
Oxi Day: The Day of “No!”
At 3 a.m. on October 28, 1940, Italian Ambassador Emanuele Grazzi delivered an ultimatum from Benito Mussolini to Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas, demanding free passage for Italian troops to occupy strategic sites in Greece.
Metaxas’ reply was short but resolute. Speaking in French, he said, “Alors, c’est la guerre” (“Then it is war”). The people of Greece quickly transformed his words into the single, defiant “Oxi” — “No!”
At 5:30 a.m., before the ultimatum even expired, the Italian army invaded Greece through the Pindos Mountains. They were met with fierce resistance. Within six months, Metaxas was dead, his successor Alexandros Koryzis had taken his own life, Mussolini was humiliated, and the Nazi flag flew over the Acropolis.
Yet, the Greeks’ stand caused a critical delay for Axis forces — a delay that historians like Sir John Keegan later described as decisive in determining the outcome of the Second World War.
The Road to War
Tensions between Greece and Italy had simmered for years, largely over disputed territories like the Dodecanese Islands and Corfu. In 1928, Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos signed a friendship agreement with Italy, but the peace was short-lived.
When Italy invaded Albania in 1939, Greece found itself threatened once again. Despite guarantees from Britain and France to protect Greek territory, Italian aggression escalated, including airspace violations and attacks on Greek ships.
Ironically, Italy’s invasion drove Metaxas—who had maintained close ties with Germany—into an alliance with Britain. Though he ruled as a dictator, Metaxas’ defiance on October 28th earned him a lasting place in Hellenic and world history.
The Greek Resistance
The Italian army underestimated Greece’s terrain and determination. Expecting an easy victory, they instead faced brutal conditions in the Pindos Mountains. Greek soldiers fought from the high ground, aided by the women of nearby villages who carried supplies and ammunition through the snow.
One soldier, Argiris Balatsos, recorded this scene in his diary on November 7, 1940:
“I met women who were carrying ammunition. One was 88 years old. Another told me she had locked her child in the shed so she could help the army. At night, I saw an old woman caring for two children while their mother baked bread for the army under candlelight.”
Despite poor weather and limited supplies, the Greeks pushed the Italians back into Albania, achieving one of the first Allied victories of the war.
The Aftermath and Legacy
By early 1941, Greece’s army was exhausted. Mussolini’s counterattack failed, and Hitler launched a German invasion in April. Prime Minister Koryzis, unwilling to see Athens fall, took his own life as German troops entered the city. On April 27, 1941, the swastika was raised over the Acropolis.
Even in defeat, Greece’s resistance changed history. The delay in the Axis timetable forced Hitler to invade the Soviet Union later than planned, extending the campaign into the harsh Russian winter—one of the key turning points in the war.
At the Nuremberg Trials, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel admitted:
“The unbelievably strong resistance of the Greeks delayed by two or more vital months the German attack against Russia; if we did not have this long delay, the outcome of the war would have been different.”
Winston Churchill himself proclaimed:
“Until now we used to say that Greeks fight like heroes. From now on, we will say that heroes fight like Greeks.”
The Spirit of Oxi Day
Metaxas ended his address to the Greek people on October 28th with words from Aeschylus’ play The Persians:
“The struggle now is for everything!”
Every October 28th, we honor that spirit of courage, freedom, and sacrifice by celebrating Oxi Day. It is a reminder that even the smallest nations can make the greatest difference when they stand united against oppression.
Brother Gus Pantelides
President, AHEPA “Steve Tsagaris” Chapter 356
Clearwater, Florida