Greco-Italian War, 1940–1941

Italy invaded Greece from occupied Albania on 28 October 1940. Greek forces halted the attack and advanced into Albania, turning Mussolini’s expected quick victory into a prolonged winter campaign before Germany intervened in April 1941.

The war placed Greek cities, ports and border regions under pressure from mobilisation, refugees, espionage and the expectation of a wider Axis invasion. In historical fiction it provides the immediate setting for stories of diplomacy, escape and resistance in the Balkans.