Figure 1.--Greece was one of the many countries falling victim to Axis aggression during World War II. Greece wa one of the most tragic of the occupied countries. Mos of the defeated nationsere agricultural countries which produced and exported food. Greece was, however, not self syfficent. Thus when the Germans begn seizing food an Greece could no longer import, within only a few months, the Greeks began to starve. Not only food, but medecine and clothing reached Greece Greek Americans organized The Greek WarRelief association which came to the aid of the starving Greek people. The press caotion here read, "This ragged little boy is one of countless Greeks now benefitting from Greek War Relief ssociation clpothing shipments. Recent reports from Association's overseas office state that more thn 1,000 tons of garments and shoes have been destributed to the Greek people between March 144 anf=d March 1945, and dditional shipments are being rushed toall ections of Greece asrapidly as transport is abailable." The photograph is dated April 6, 1945.

Greece attmpted to remain neutral after the outbreak of World War II (September 1939). Without Hitler's approval, Mussolini invaded Greece from Albania (October 1940). The Greek Orthodox Church, began to raise funds in the United States and to organize relief efforts. At the time the supplies could be dlivered by sea as the Italians did not reach Greek ports. The Greeks managed to not only fight off the Italians, but launched a couter offensive. The Greeks were unprepared to fight off the Germans when they invaded (April 1941), even with British aid. The Germans occupied all of Greece and seized control of the food supply. Even worse, the British naval blockade of Axis controlled areas made it impossible not onlt to receive relief supplies but to import food. Greek was not self suffucent in food and serious food shortages developing into a famine occurred -- the Great Famine (Μεγάλος Λιμός). Thousands of people died, alrgough there are various estimates as to the exact amount. We note estimates of 70,000 to 300,000 victims. [Mazower] The lower estimate was feom the NAZI controlled media. This all occured before America was drawn into the War. The British locked in a life and death struggle with NAZI Germany were initially reluctant to allow in even food and medecine because the Germans could seize some of the shipments for their own use. In many other areas, famine would not have concerned the Germans. In fact it was part of the German Hunger Plan to kill people in the millions. Greece was not, howeve, one of the countries that the Germans wanted to kill off in he millions. Thus because of the crisis in Greece, the British and Germans reached a compromise to allow shipments of grain to come from the neutral Turkey. At the time, Turkey was within the British blockade zone.

Background

Greece attmpted to remain neutral after the outbreak of World War II (September 1939). Without Hitler's approval, Mussolini invaded Greece from Albania (October 1940). As ws common with the Axis, there was no coordintion of military operations. Hitler never cleared his actions with Missolini which Missolni felt was a slight. So he decided to teach Hitler a lesson. The problem for Mussolini was that the Italian Army could not delver victories like the wehrmacht. And Mussolini had absurdly decided to launch a campaign over mountins just as winter weather was approaching and while he was preparing to launch another campaign in North Africa. The small, porly equipped Greek Army managed to not only fight off the Italians, but launched a couter offensive. The Greeks were unprepared to fight off the Germans when they invaded (April 1941), even with British aid.

Foundation

Within days of the Italian invasion, Greek Americans organized the Greek War Relief Assocition (GWRA). Greece was not prepared for war and it was clear that fighting the large well-equipped Italian Army would plce great strains on the country's economy, especially if the war persosted for any time. The GWRA used the existing American Hellenic Educational Progressive Associationn (AHEPA) to organize a fund raising efort. Greek Orthodox churches were also an important source of support. At the time, relief supplies could be dlivered by sea because the Italians did not reach Greek ports. Within 6 months, GWRA collected $4 million for the embattled Greeks, something like $60 million in 2010 collars.

Axis Occupation (1941-44)

The Germans quickly defeated the Yugoslave and Greek armies in a lightening Bltzkrieg campaign (April 1941). Occupation was a hree-power undertaling (German, Italian, and Bulgarian). The Germans zone included western Macedonia, Thessaloniki, a strip of land in eastern Thrace, the major Aegean Islands and Crete. The Bulgarians zone included eastern Macedonia and Thrace. The Italian zone included the Dodecanese Islands, the Ionian Islands, and a large section of mainland Greece including Athens. The Greek children were especially affected by the German occupation. The Gerrman occupation of Greece differed substanially from the occupation of Yugoslavia. Greece had a relatively homogeneous population, in sharrp contrast to Yugoslavia. There was also a central government that was weak and collaborationist. Not only did Greece pose a less difficult occupation problem that Yugoslavia, but the German occupiers had a much more favorable attitude tgoward the Greek people and their culture. The Axis forces upon seizing control of Greece took control of food supplies as well as the trasport network. The German Wehrmacht after initial plundering began requistioning (seizing) food for transport north to sypport the German war economy. This was ordered by the German High Command (OKW). The Greek economy began to unrvel. Workers were laid off, unemployment incresed, production deckined, and inflation became a serious problem. People had trouble purchasing food even when it was available.

Food Supply

The Germans seized control of the food and transport system. Within in days of the German seizure of Athens, problems obtaining food devloped. An American relief worker who had arrived after the earlier Italian invasion reported May 11, 1941, "Another week of Axis occupation ended with no salt in the market, many meat and vegetble shop closed ndthe bread ration cut from eighty to sixty drams (less than six ounces) per person whn formerly the average workman consumed about three pounds saily as his pinciple diet." [Archer] Not only were the German seizing food, but because of the British naval blockade of Axis controlled areas made it impossible not onlt to receive relief supplies but to import food. The Germans continued shipping food to the Reich, despite developing shortages in Greece. By Autumn the Greeks were srarving.

The Great Famine

Greek was not self suffucent in food and serious food shortages developing into a famine occurred -- the Great Famine (Μεγάλος Λιμός). Imports were no longer possible and thec Germans began seizingv and shippig food back to the Reich. People in Greek cities began dieing from starvation and diseases related to starvation fies, typhoid, typhus, cholera, pnumonia, a dysnentary. Reports indicate that some 1,500 people in Athens and Piraeus alone wet=re sucumming daily and by thend of winter the death toll had reached 2,000 people daily. One chilling report indicated that in athens, of very 10 births, only one child survived more than 4 weeks. The Germans engineered the famine, but more out of indiference than malovenence. Thousands of Greeks died, alrgough there are differing estimates as to the exact number. We note estimates of 70,000 to 300,000 victims. [Mazower] The lower estimate was from the NAZI controlled media. This all occured before America was drawn into the War.

Compromise

The British locked in a life and death struggle with NAZI Germany were initially reluctant to allow in even food and medecine because the Germans could seize some of the shipments for their own use. The British World War I blockade hadplayed a major role in the allied victory. The British were intent on wakening the Germans again with aimilar operation. In many other areas, famine would not have concerned the Germans. In fact it was part of the German Hunger Plan to kill people in the millions. Greece was not, howeve, one of the countries that the Germans wanted to kill off in the millions. Thus because of the crisis in Greece, the British and Germans reached a compromise to allow shipments of grain to come from the neutral Turkey. At the time, Turkey was within the British blockade zone.

Fund Raising

The Greek War Relief Association organized chapters throughout America, especially but not exclusively in cities with Greek ethnic populations. Greek Orthodox churches were very active in his effort. The chapters had women's committees. These local committes organized publicity efforts and fund raising activities. These were volunteer groups with all the money raised going to the Greeks. Local chapters began paising funds trough radio and newsoaper appeals. Press reports created synoathty for the Greek plight. The situation changed with theGerman invation and the situation ot worse, much worse. Reports of famine cinditions appeared in the press. nd then America was drawn into the War. Greek war Relief won inclusion in local Community Chests and the United War Chest. The National Budget Committee of the Community Chest detemined that Greek War Relief as the'most insistent and urgent' ofvthevarious relief groups. The Community Chests assigned an annual allocation. As part of this arrangement local fund raising was discintinued. This arrangement was fully implemented (August 1942). [Marketos, p. 3.] The Assocition raised millions of dollars to save lives during the brutal World war II Axis occupation. The associations work did not end with Greek liberation and the end of the war. The Association continued to furnish desperately needed food, medical supplies, and other relief through Greece’s bitter civil war years (1946-1949) and the period of rebuilding in the 1950s.

Turkish Relief Effort (1941-46)

Neutral Turkey was crucial in any effort to save the Greeks. There were, however, an unlkely savior. The Greeks and Turks had been bitter enenies since the arrival of Turlsh tribes in Anatolia. Turkish president Ismet Inönü had personally been involved in Greco-Turkish War (1919-22). Even so he agreed to a plan to help save the Greeks. Because of the War, getting American food to the Greeks was impossible. Major naval battles wereoccurring between the Britih and Iralian fleets in the Mediterranran. The Turkish Kizilay (Red Crescent) launched a campaign to collect food for the Greeks. The effort was largely funded by the American Greek War Relief Association and the Hellenic Union of Constantinopolitans. The food collected was sent to the port of Istanbul (Constantinople). The SS Kurtulus was assigned to deliver the food and other relief supplies. The Red Crescent symbols were painted on the side of the vessel. Permission was secured from the British to cross the blockade zone. The first delivery commenced (October 6, 1941). The ship unloaded at Piraeus, the port of Athens. The International Red Cross unloaded or distributed the foodstuffs. I Three more deliveries were made. A total of 6,735 tons of food was delivered. [Papastratis] The Kurtulus was destroyed as a result of rough lweatger in herv fifth relief voyage (February 20-21, 1942). Turkey continued the relief effort through 1946. Deveral other shios were used, including SS Dumlupinar, SS Tunç, SS Konya, SS Güneysu and SS Aksu. On one of these missions, the SS Dumlupinar brought around 1,000 sick Greek children aged 13–16 to Istanbul where they could recuperate in a safe place and recieve a healthy diet.

Sweedish Red Cross

Turkey had only so much food to spare for the Greeks. The only real answer to the food shortages was to get American and Canadian food though to them. As with Tukey, Britain refused to allow food shioments in tht would fall into NAZI control. The GWRA came up with the sollution. A neutral party would destibute the food and ensure that the NAZIs did not divert any of the shipments. As mentioned, this was acceptanle to the NAZIs because the Greeks were not on the long list of racial/ethnic target groups that they were committed to killing in the millions. German authorities insisted, however, that the source of the relief supplies not be revealed. They were happy enough to seize Greek food supplies, but did not want the Allies to get any credit with the Greeks for providing the relief supplies. The answer to the impasse was the Swedish Red Cross (SRC). The SRC turned over eight Swedish-flag ships to GWRA (August 1942). These ships made more than 100 trips delivering vitally needed relief supplies to Greece during the remainder of the war. Shipmets continued from Turkey, but now deliveries from New Tork and Canadian ports were possible. Some 700,000 tons of not only food, but clothing, medicine, and other supplies valued at $30 million (farmore in modern terms) reached Greece. Without these relief supplies the Greeks would have perished in the millions. Archbishop Damaskinos in Athens, briefly head of the Greek Government, estimated that the relief supplies saved ahird of the country's population of 7.3 million people. [Marketos, pp. 4-5.] Only after liberation did the Greeks learn where the relief shipments originated.

Other Activities

Food was of course the priority for the starving Greeks. There were, however, many other needs. There was a special need for medical supplies and clothes. Again it was the children most desperately in need. The cash collected went to but food and mecucal supplies. Clothing was aittle different. Here GWRA actually ran clothing drives. The goal was to get 20 million garments to the Greeks. There were bulk shipments of 7 million clothing items and shoes and 33,000 parcels prepared by individuals and groups. Medical care was another priority. The GWRA established 150 community medical clinics. Each cared for about 6,000-10,000 people. That was a sizeable part of the Greek popultion, over 15 percent. There werealso 18 mobile units serving rurl areas. The facilities were staffed and wquipped by GWRA. t the time the War ebded, sites had been selected for 25 permanent health centers. There was also efforts to assist orphans began in 1946. There were 325,000 Greek children who lost aarent during the war and occupation, mostly fathers. Some 45,000 children lost both parents. The GWRA program set up an assistance program providing $80 a year for the care o each child. [Marketos, p. 5.]

Cold War Assistance

Tragically Greece's travails did not end with the end of the War. Stalin launched the Cold War even before the war end, most viciously in Poland. Greece became another early battlefield of the Cold War. The Communist guerilla movement which resisted the Germans tried to seize power. This disrupted recivery efforts. Food again became a problem. GWRA arranged for the dlivery of food parcels. GWRA opened child feeding stations in Epirus and Macedonia. The objective was to provide 250,000 children one nourshing meal (600-700 calories) a day. The GWRA actually expanded the program. The GWRA was feeding over 90,000 younger childten @-6 years old) and 420,000 oldern chldren (6-14 years old) (August 1946). [Marketos, p. 5.] To help revive the agricultural sector nd jump start food production, GWRA worked with UNRRA on the 'Give ab Animal to Greece Program (February 1946). Some 9,500 Anerican donors purchsed nearly 11,000 cows, horses, and mules worth $1.3 million in an effirt to restore livestock herds and draft animals needed by farmers. Another program was the shipment of food parcels from America to family and fiends(April 1946). The packages cost $12.75 and included $35 lb of food. . . This sounds like the CARE program, but it may have been a separate GWRA effort. GWRA had trucks for deliveries and a convertef naval escort vessel for island deliveries. It was an American-flag vessel with an American crew. GWRA became a CARE member (February 1947).

Sources

Archer, Laird.

Marketos, James l. "Greek war relief: America's Formidable reponse to famine in World War II Greece," (Hellenic Hous: Washington, D.C., 2013).

Mazower, Mark. Inside Hitler's Greece: The Experience of Occupation, 1941–44 (Yale University Press: 1995).

Papastratis, Procopis. British Policy towards Greece during the Second World War, 1941–1944 (London School of Economics: 1984).

"Greek Relief Group Formed: Reichert To Be Chairman of Local Organization," Ann Arbor News (March 13, 1941).

Created: 7:32 PM 12/23/2015
7:32 PM 12/23/20157:26 PM 12/23/2015