Hellenic State (1941–1944)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with the
Hellenic Republic
.
For other uses, see Hellenic State.
Hellenic State
Ἑλληνική Πολιτεία
Elliniki Politeia
1941–1944
Flag of Hellenic State (1941–1944)
Flag
Coat of arms[1] of Hellenic State (1941–1944)
Coat of arms[1]
Motto: "
Collaborationist under Axis powers (1941–43)
Plenipotentiary 
• 1941–1943
Günther Altenburg
• 1943–1944
Hermann Neubacher
Prime Minister 
• 1941–1942
Georgios Tsolakoglou
• 1942–1943
Konstantinos Logothetopoulos
• 1943–1944
Ioannis Rallis
Historical era
German withdrawal
12 October 1944
CurrencyGreek drachma (₯)
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Kingdom of Greece (4th of August Regime)
Kingdom of Greece
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The Hellenic State (

Second World War
.

History

Establishment

Georgios Tsolakoglou with Wehrmacht officers arrives at Macedonia Hall of Anatolia College in Thessaloniki, to sign the surrender (April 1941)

After the

fall of Greece, the puppet government of General Georgios Tsolakoglou was appointed Prime minister of the new Greek government on April 30, 1941. His main qualification for the postion was that he surrendered to the Wehrmacht the week before 20 April 1941, against the express orders of his commanding officer Alexandros Papagos.[3] As King George II with the legitimate Greek government-in-exile were stationed in Crete, the new regime avoided all reference to the Greek monarchy and used Hellenic State as the country's official, generic, name. The collaborationist regime lacked a precise political definition, although Tsolakoglou, a republican officer, considered the Axis occupation as an opportunity to abolish the monarchy, and announced its end upon taking office.[4] The existence of a native Greek government was considered necessary by the Axis powers, in order to give some appearance of legitimacy to their occupation, although it was never given more than an ancillary role. The country's infrastructure had been ruined by the war. Raw materials and foodstuffs were requisitioned, and the government was forced to pay the cost of the occupation, giving rise to inflation, further exacerbated by a "war loan" Greece was forced to grant to Nazi Germany. Requisitions, together with the Allied blockade of Greece, resulted in the Great Famine
(Greek: Μεγάλος Λιμός) during the winter of 1941–42, which caused the deaths of an estimated 300,000 people.

Government and politics

The regime was first led by

puppet government
and was unpopular with the Greek people.

Administrative divisions

Administratively, the Hellenic State was divided into a number of prefectures.

Map showing the prefectures of Greece and the Bulgarian annexation of Eastern Macedonia and Western Thrace
Temporary ID issued in occupied Athens by the Hellenic State, 1942.

Decline and fall

The Hellenic State lacked the infrastructure and latitude for action to face the great difficulties of the Occupation period; it was also devoid of any political legitimacy, and was widely considered a puppet government. Tsolakoglou demanded greater political rights for his government, and soon threatened to resign.[4] The proclamation of a mandatory work service in Germany for Greek citizens proved widely unpopular and hastened the fall of Tsolakoglou; on 17 November 1942, he was sacked and replaced by his deputy, Konstantinos Logothetopoulos. The new government announced that 80,000 Greek citizens were to be sent to Germany. This led to widespread demonstrations and strikes, and the decision was eventually revoked.[citation needed] Logothetopoulos, who had protested against the measures taken by the Axis occupation authorities, was himself sacked on 6 April 1943. Against the wishes of the Italians, who favored Finance Minister Sotirios Gotzamanis, he was replaced by Ioannis Rallis, a monarchist politician. Rallis, who was looking beyond the German withdrawal from Greece to the restoration of the post-war political order, and who was alarmed by the growth of the mostly Communist-dominated Greek resistance, obtained German consent for the creation of the Security Battalions, armed formations that were used in anti-partisan offensives.

Military

Main article: Security Battalions

The collaborationist regime under Rallis set up

German Army in fighting the resistance. They are known for committing atrocities against the civilian population. An officer named Georgios Bakos
served as the minister of national defense.

Exile and trial

In September 1944, a new collaborationist government was established at

Greek civil war.[9]

References

  1. ^ Hubert de Vries (2017). "HELLAS". heraldica civica et militara De Rode Leeuw een site over heraldiek en verwante onderwerpen Hubert de Vries. Archived from the original on 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  2. ISBN 978-2-87027-358-6
    .
  3. ISBN 978-3-11-067108-7
    .
  4. ^ a b Bernhard R. Kroener, Germany and the Second World War Volume V/II, Oxford University Press, 2003, p. 44
  5. ^ Markos Vallianatos, The untold history of Greek collaboration with Nazi Germany (1941–1944)
  6. ^ Οι Τσιρονίκος και Ταβουλάρης συνελήφθησαν, Εφημερίδα «Ελευθερία», Παρασκευή 11 Μαΐου 1945, σελίδα 2.
  7. ^ Ο Τσιρονίκος παρεδόθη χθες εις τας Ελληνικάς Αρχάς, Εφημερίδα «Εμπρός», Τρίτη 27 Αυγούστου 1946, σελίδα 5.
  8. ^ Ο Ε.Τσιρονίκος υπέβαλε αίτηση χάριτος, Εφημερίδα «Εμπρός», Τρίτη 27 Αυγούστου 1946, σελίδα 5.
  9. ^ Charles R. Schrader, The withered vine: logistics and the communist insurgency in Greece, 1945–1949, Greenwood Press, 1999, p. 38

External links

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