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Quiz about Greece in World War II
Quiz about Greece in World War II

Greece in World War II Trivia Quiz


Undoubtedly, the Second World War was the most catastrophic in human history. The Greeks suffered greatly during these terrible years but also showed heroism against the Axis. Play and see how much you know about Greece during the War. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by ulmo777. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
ulmo777
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
282,568
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
756
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
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Question 1 of 10
1. Who was the Prime Minister of Greece at the beginning of the war? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. When did WW II begin for Greece? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Despite the superiority of the Italian army, Greece managed to repel the first attack and very soon began its counter-attack and occupied some cities in Albania. Which of these cities was NOT occupied by the Greek army? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. On 9th March 1941 the Italian army, under the command of Mussolini himself, began a great counter-attack against Greece. The code name of this military operation was "Primavera". What's the meaning of this word? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. As a consequence of the failure of the Italian army, the German armed forces launched an attack Greece from Bulgarian territory on 6th April 1941. "Unternehmen Marita", as was the code name of the operation, was successful and Greece was occupied. On 27th April 1941, German troops entered Athens. What did the king and the government of Greece do after the defeat? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Some days after the entry of the German troops to Athens on 27th April 1941, two youngsters, Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas, did something that was considered the first action of resistance in Greece, and probably in the whole of Nazi occupied Europe. What exactly did they do? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Which Greek poet died during the occupation of Greece? (His funeral became a major event of the Greek resistance). Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. During the occupation of Greece, many resistance groups were formed in order to fight against the Axis armed forces. Which of these groups had the most members? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Greece was finally liberated in 1944. The Greek government reached Athens and, on the sacred rock of Acropolis, the Greek flag was raised once more by the prime minister Georgios Papandreou. In which month did this happen? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Did Greece gain territory from the Second World War?



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Who was the Prime Minister of Greece at the beginning of the war?

Answer: Ioannis Metaxas

Ioannis Metaxas (1871-1941) was the prime minister of Greece at the beginning of the World War II. On August 4, 1936 he had declared the 4th of August Regime. As a dictator, he banned political parties and arrested Communists. In foreign policy he tried to be neutral between the United Kingdom, which was powerful in the Mediterranean, and Germany.

When Mussolini demanded the authority to occupy some strategic Greek sites, he refused. The war had begun for Greece.
2. When did WW II begin for Greece?

Answer: 28th October 1940

On 28th October 1940, Emmanuelle Grazzi, Italy's ambassador in Athens, demanded of Ioannis Metaxas free passage for Mussolini's troops and permission to occupy some strategic Greek sites. Metaxas rejected the ultimatum, with the historic phrase in French: "Alors, c'est la guerre" ("Well, this is war").

This refusal, indeed showed the will of the Greeks to resist. Some hours later, the Italian attack began. On October 28th each year, the Greeks celebrate the "Anniversary of No" ("Epeteios tou Ohi" in Greek).
3. Despite the superiority of the Italian army, Greece managed to repel the first attack and very soon began its counter-attack and occupied some cities in Albania. Which of these cities was NOT occupied by the Greek army?

Answer: Elbasan

From 14th November 1940 until 8th March 1941 the Greek army, reinforced with units from northern Greece, occupied the entire area of southern Albania. They entered Korytsa on November 22nd, Sarande, Pogradec and Gjirokaster (Argyrokastron) until the first days of December and Himara on December 24th. Elbasan is a city in nothern Albania and was not occupied.
4. On 9th March 1941 the Italian army, under the command of Mussolini himself, began a great counter-attack against Greece. The code name of this military operation was "Primavera". What's the meaning of this word?

Answer: Spring

The Greeks, despite their success in occupying southern Albania, had a lot of problems. They had removed a lot of men from their nothern borders and were vulnerable to a possible attack from Bulgaria. On 9th March 1941 the Italian army, with 17 divisions, began a great counter-attack, with the code name "Primavera" ("Spring" in Italian).

The Greek army (13 divisions) resisted the attack that lasted until March 20th, losing only a few areas.
5. As a consequence of the failure of the Italian army, the German armed forces launched an attack Greece from Bulgarian territory on 6th April 1941. "Unternehmen Marita", as was the code name of the operation, was successful and Greece was occupied. On 27th April 1941, German troops entered Athens. What did the king and the government of Greece do after the defeat?

Answer: They left the country

After the front was crushed and it was obvious that Greece would be occupied, General Georgios Tsolakoglou decided to proceed to the surrender of the Greek army to the Germans, without the permission of Marshal Papagos. His intention was to avoid the complete destruction of the army and also to avoid the humiliation of surrendering to the Italians.

Despite his intentions though, he is considered by some Greeks a traitor, because he became prime minister under the Germans. On April 23rd, King George and the government under Emmanouil Tsouderos moved to Crete and, one month later, to Egypt. One of the members of this goverment was the poet Georgios Seferis.
6. Some days after the entry of the German troops to Athens on 27th April 1941, two youngsters, Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas, did something that was considered the first action of resistance in Greece, and probably in the whole of Nazi occupied Europe. What exactly did they do?

Answer: They tore down the Swastika banner from Acropolis

Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas, on 30th May 1941, climbed up the sacred rock of Acropolis and tore down the Swastika banner that had been there since 27th April 1941, when the Nazi troops had entered Athens. This was the first action of resistance in Greece and one of the very first - if not literally the first - in Europe.

The two young men were sentenced to death in abstentia by the Nazi regime. They both managed to avoid execution.
7. Which Greek poet died during the occupation of Greece? (His funeral became a major event of the Greek resistance).

Answer: Kostis Palamas

Kostis Palamas (1859-1943) was one of the most important Greek poets. He died on February 27th, and his funeral became an event of resistance for the Greek people. A hundred thousand Greeks, under the eyes of the astonished Nazi soldiers, accompanied the funeral procession, singing the Greek national Anthem. Aggelos Sikelianos, who was a poet too, recited a poem as a funerary.
8. During the occupation of Greece, many resistance groups were formed in order to fight against the Axis armed forces. Which of these groups had the most members?

Answer: E.A.M. - National Liberation Front

The largest resistance group in Greece was E.A.M. ("Ethniko Apeleftherotiko Metopo" in Greek). It was an organisation belonging to the political left and affiliated to the Greek Communist Party. Its military wing was called E.L.A.S. (Greek People's Liberation Army - "Ellinikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos" in Greek). The military leader of the group was the well known partisan Aris Velouchiotis. More than 100,000 Greeks were members.

E.D.E.S. ("Ethnikos Dimokratikos Ellinikos Syndesmos" in Greek) was the second largest group, with more than 14,000 members. It was basically anti-Communist, but a lot of its members were also anti-monarchist. Napoleon Zervas was its leader. E.K.K.A. ("Ethniki Kai Koinoniki Apeleftherosis") was a small group, with about 1,000 members. Its leader, Dimitrios Psarros, was a royalist.
9. Greece was finally liberated in 1944. The Greek government reached Athens and, on the sacred rock of Acropolis, the Greek flag was raised once more by the prime minister Georgios Papandreou. In which month did this happen?

Answer: October

On 7th October 1944, Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to abandon Greece, as already a lot of Greek islands (Poros, Symi, Lemnos, Lesbos) and other places had been liberated by Greek, British and Canadian armed forces. On October 12th, the Nazis left Athens, and six days later, on October 18th, Georgios Papandreou entered the city as prime minister. Twelve days later, on October 30th, the Germans left Thessaloniki, too.
10. Did Greece gain territory from the Second World War?

Answer: Yes

Greece was indeed one of the few European countries to gain territory after the end of the War. This territory was the the Dodecanese Islands ("Dodekanisa" in Greek, which means "Twelve Islands"), a group of twelve larger and about one hundred fifty smaller islands in the southeast Aegean Sea.

The Dodecanese had been occupied by Italy since 1912 and were given formally to Greece on 7th March 1948. Actually, they had been part of Greece since 1945.
Source: Author ulmo777

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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