Greece’s island of Chios decided to raise a massive Greek flag ahead of the celebrations of OXI Day on October 28th.
The massive blue-and-white banner of the nation was raised following a parade by students of Chios’ Merchant Marine Academy.
The ceremony took place on Sunday at midday on the southern jetty of Chios’ main port. Scores of people along with local authorities attended the event.
Greece to celebrate OXI Day
Greece and Cyprus, along with Greeks around the world, will celebrate OXI Day on Monday, October 28th. Oxi (o-hee) means “no” in Greek, and it refers to the rejection of Rome’s ultimatum in 1940, when fascist dictator Benito Mussolini demanded free passage in Greece.
This day marked Greece’s entrance to World War II with the epic battles on the Pindus Mountains with Greece’s soldiers not only defending the border but also chasing the Italian invaders well within Albania’s territory.
Italy’s preparations for the Greek-Italian War had begun almost three years prior to when the actual war broke out.
Fascist leader Mussolini was arrogant following the subjection of Ethiopia to Italian rule. He believed that Greece would be an easy target, satisfying his friend and ally, Adolf Hitler.
Greek Prime Minister (and dictator) Ioannis Metaxas had predicted Italy’s ambitions and Mussolini’s alliance with Nazi Germany and had therefore started preparing the nation.
On August 15, 1940, the Greek cruiser Elli was attacked by the Italian submarine Delfino, commanded by Giuseppe Aicardi, in the waters off the island of Tinos. This happened during the celebrations for the Dormition of Virgin Mary and wounded the Greeks deeply.
The torpedo attack is believed to have been ordered by Cesare Maria de Vecchi. The Italian ambassador in Athens, Emanuele Grazzi, however, described it as an act of “shame and piracy.”
The meeting that was decisive in the declaration of war against Greece took place on October 15, 1940, with the participation of Mussolini, Ciano, Chief of General Staff Pietro Badoglio, and other generals.
Senior Commander of the Armed Forces in Albania, Sebastiano Visconti Prasca, assured the assembly that his soldiers were looking forward to fighting—unlike the Greeks, who had neither armored vehicles nor fighter jets.
At 3:00 on the morning of October 28, 1940, Italian ambassador Grazzi gave a war ultimatum, which expired in three hours, to Ioannis Metaxas at his home in Kifissia.
The ultimatum said that the Italians wanted to occupy “some points on Greek territory respecting Greek sovereignty over the rest of the territory.”
When Metaxas asked what these points were, Grazzi could not answer because the Italians had not prepared such a list since they had not expected that Metaxas would refuse to surrender the nation of Greece.
For more information on how Italy attacked Greece, click here.
