WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Oxi Day Foundation called on Hellenes, Philhellenes and defenders of democracy and freedom everywhere to celebrate Oxi Day today by sharing the under-told and under-appreciated story of Greece’s profound role in WWII — by video.

The Foundation’s six minute video tells the story of Greece’s courageous resistance to Hitler’s Axis forces, which began on this day, and how world leaders credit Greece for inflicting a fatal wound on the Axis forces at a crucial moment in World War II.

 

Please watch and forward this video widely.

 

This video, which debuted in Washington, DC last week at the Foundation’s black tie gala, brings to life the facts that:

• When the Prime Minister of Greece said “Oxi” or “No” to the demand that Greece surrender, Greece stood virtually alone in the world against the seemingly unstoppable Axis forces. The Axis had crushed 15 countries including the greatest military at the time, France, they had a non-aggression pact with Russia, and neutrality from America and Great Britain.

• Greece was the first to defeat the Axis in WWII moving US President Franklin Roosevelt to say, “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.”

• Greece’s actions in WWII may well be modern history’s most consequential example of David vs. Goliath courage. As Winston Churchill also said, “Hence, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks.” Adolf Hitler said: “The Greek soldier, above all, fought with the most courage.”

• Greece’s victory over Mussolini forced Hitler to have to invade Greece. This delayed Hitler’s invasion of Russia by two to three months moving Hitler’s Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel to say, “The unbelievable 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.” As well, Soviet Union Premiere Joseph Stalin said, “We thank the Greek People, whose resistance decided WWII…you fought unarmed and won, small against big…You gave us time to defend ourselves.”

• Winston Churchill said, “If there had not been the virtue and courage of the Greeks, we do not know which the outcome of World War II would have been.”