Greece. Anniversary of "NO" = "OXI" 1945 MNH stamps, Greek Flag & Dorian Column.

Description: Greece. 2 Greek Stamps Anniversary of "NO" = "OXI".of GREEK POSTS 20 October 1945Official MNH (**) Complete Set !!! GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC !!! ANALYTICALLY : Greek Flag & Dorian Column (Two Colors).============================= Condition : See the scan (pictures), shape your own opinion. You will take that you see in photographs of sale.============================= "Until now we used to say that the Greeks fight like heroes.Now we shall say: The heroes fight like Greeks."Sir Winston Churchill - Prime Minister United Kingdom(From a speech he delivered from the BBC in the first days of the Greco-Italian war) Today is the 28th October in Greece, and for all those who don't know, it is the anniversary of one of Greece's most glorious moments - OXI Day. Today we are rejoicing! Along with the whole of Greece, Cyprus and the Greek communities around the world, we are celebrating the day that our small country decided to be David and take on Goliath. Today we are honouring our heroes and giving thanks for the valiant and courageous stance our forefathers took on that historic day in October of 1940. This is our tribute to those noble men and women who fought and died so that today we can be free. We, not just as Greeks, but as citizens of a free and democratic world, owe an enormous debt of honour to them.OXI Day commemorates the day that Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas rejected the ultimatum given by Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, on October 28, 1940. This ultimatum, a demand that Greece allow Axis forces to enter Greek territory or otherwise face war, was presented to Metaxas by the Italian Ambassador in Greece, Emanuele Grazzi, on October 28, 1940, at dawn (04:00 AM), ironically enough after a party in the German Embassy in Athens. Metaxas, is supposed to have immediately answered with a single word : 'OXI'Whether he actually did or not, is almost irrelevant... That simple but determined OXI, however it was said, was symbolic and significant. It represented the sentiments and principles of the entire Greek people. This word marked the beginning of Greece's involvement in the Second World War, an involvement which was to cost Greece dearly, from every point of view. An hour and a half after Metaxas' response, at 05:30 AM, Italian troops stationed in Albania, then an Italian protectorate, attacked the Greek border. The Greek nation was now officially at War! On the morning of October 28, the people, regardless of political affiliation, took to the streets, shouting 'OXI', and this reverberated throughout the country as people everywhere started to fight and resist the invading Italian Army. Greece's participation in the war, daring to take a forceful and determined stand against the spreading fascism in Europe, was so much more impressive than many of the surrounding countries who gave in relatively quickly and with a much smaller 'cost', that it inspired a lot of admiration around the world. One of the more well known salutes to the heroism of the Greek people was given by the US President Franklin D Roosevelt, who summed it all up beautifully ... "On the 28th of October 1940 Greece was given a deadline of three hours to decide on war or peace but even if a three day or three week or three year were given, the response would have been the same. The Greeks taught dignity throughout the centuries. When the entire world had lost all hope, the Greek people dared to question the invincibility of the German monster raising against it the proud spirit of freedom."Franklin D Roosevelt, US President 1933 - 1945 The resistance against Mussolini's troops and the subsequent German invasion was legendary. The Battle of Crete, in May 1941 was pivotal. A small nation, with very few means but with valiant and courageous people who showed determination and nobility of spirit, refusing to bow to the oppressor, worked with the Allied Forces and succeeded in delaying the German advance enough to affect the outcome of World War II. The cost was enormous for Greece, economically, structurally and more importantly in terms of 'casualties'. The entire male population of some villages was sent to the firing squad, executed because they refused to name a saboteur or the perpetrator of an anti-Nazi act. This did not cower the Greeks, they resisted with heart and soul until the very end. The period that was to follow the war, and the Greek Civil War, would prove to be much more divisive and catastrophic for Greece and it's people, but we won't dwell on this today. Today we will dwell on Greece's legendary heroism which was acknowledged and praised by all, friends and enemies a like. "For the sake of historical truth I must verify that only the Greeks, of all the adversaries who confronted us, fought with bold courage and highest disregard of death.."Adolf Hitler (speech he gave at Reichstag, 4 May 1941) "The word heroism I am afraid does not render the least of those acts of self-sacrifice of the Greeks, which were the defining factor in the victorious outcome of the common struggle of the nations, during WWII, for the human freedom and dignity. If it were not for the bravery of the Greeks and their courage, the outcome of WW II would be undetermined." Winston Churchill (speech to British Parliament, 24 April 1941)"Regardless of what the future historians shall say, what we can say now, is that Greece gave Mussolini an unforgettable lesson, that she was the motive for the revolution in Yugoslavia, that she held the Germans in the mainland and in Crete for six weeks, that she upset the chronological order of all German High Command's plans and thus brought a general reversal of the entire course of the war and we won."Sir Robert Antony Eden (Minister of War and the Exterior of Britain 1940-1945, Prime Minister of Britain 1955-1957In the name of the captured yet still alive French people, France wants to send her greetings to the Greek people who are fighting for their freedom. The 25th of March, 1941 finds Greece in the peak of their heroic struggle and in the top of their glory. Since the battle of Salamis Greece had not achieved the greatness and the glory which today holds.Charles de Gaulle, President of the French Republic It would not be an exaggeration to say that Greece upset the plans of Germany in their entirety forcing her to postpone the attack on Russia for six weeks. We wonder what would have been Soviet Union's position without Greece. Sir Harold Leofric George Alexander (British Field Marshal during WWII)Paraphrased from a speech of his to the British parliament on 28 October 1941) If the Russian people managed to raise resistance at the doors of Moscow to halt and reverse the German torrent, they owe it to the Greek People, who delayed the German divisions during the time they could bring us to our knees. Georgy Constantinovich Zhoukov (Field Marshal of the Soviet Army: Quote from his memoirs on WWII) You fought unarmed and won, small against big. We owe you gratitude, because you gave us time to defend ourselves. As Russians and as people we thank you.Moscow Radio Station following Hitler's attack on the U.S.S.RThe war with Greece proved that nothing is firm in the military and that surprises always await us. Benito Mussolini (From a speech he delivered on 10/5/1941)These quotes, along with many others are on the slides of the presentation that follows. There you can also see some of the statistics of the War, including the tremendous number of casualties suffered by Greece in comparison to other countries. =========================== Payment instructions · Paypal prefered. 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Price: 1 USD

Location: METAMORFOSI, ATTIKIS

End Time: 2024-08-10T19:19:33.000Z

Shipping Cost: 3 USD