Battle of Greece (April 1941) World War II

The Battle of Greece was fought from April 6-30, 1941, during World War II (1939-1945). Armies Commanders Axis Field Marshal Wilhelm ListField Marshal Maximilian von Weichs680,000 Germans, 565,000 Italians Allies Marshal Alexander PapagosLieutenant General Henry Maitland Wilson430,000 Greeks, 62,612 British Commonwealth troops Background Having initially wished to remain neutral, Greece was pulled into the war when it came under increasing pressure from Italy. Seeking to show Italian military prowess while also demonstrating his independence from German leader Adolf Hitler,  Benito Mussolini levied an ultimatum on October 28, 1940, calling for the Greeks to permit Italian troops to cross the border from Albania to occupy unspecified strategic locations in Greece. Though the Greeks were given three hours to comply, Italian forces invaded before the deadline had passed. Attempting to push towards Epirus, Mussolinis troops were halted at the  Battle of Elaia–Kalamas.   Conducting an inept campaign, Mussolinis forces were defeated by the Greeks and forced back into Albania. Counterattacking, the Greeks managed to occupy part of Albania and captured the cities of  Korà §Ãƒ « and  Sarandà « before the fighting quieted. Conditions for the Italians continued to worsen as Mussolini had not made basic provisions for his men such as issuing winter clothing. Lacking a substantial arms industry and possessing a small army, Greece elected to support its success in Albania by weakening its defenses in Eastern Macedonia and Western Thrace. This was done despite the increasing threat of a German invasion through Bulgaria. In the wake of the British occupation of Lemnos and Crete, Hitler ordered German planners in November to begin devising an operation to invade Greece and the British base at Gibraltar. This latter operation was canceled when Spanish leader Francisco Franco vetoed it as he did not wish to risk in his nations neutrality in the conflict. Dubbed Operation Marita, the invasion plan for Greece called for the German occupation of the northern coast of the Aegean Sea beginning in March 1941. These plans were later altered following a coup dà ©tat in Yugoslavia. Though it required delaying the invasion of the Soviet Union, the plan was altered to include attacks on both Yugoslavia and Greece beginning on April 6, 1941. Recognizing the growing threat, Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas worked to tighten relations with Britain. Debating Strategy Bound by the Declaration of 1939 which called on Britain to provide aid in the event that Greek or Romanian independence was threatened, London commenced making plans to aid Greece in the fall of 1940. While the first Royal Air Force units, led by Air Commodore John dAlbiac, began arriving in Greece late that year, the first ground troops did not land until after the German invasion of Bulgaria in early March 1941. Led by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, a total of around 62,000 Commonwealth troops arrived in Greece as part of W Force. Coordinating with Greek Commander-in-Chief General Alexandros Papagos, Wilson and the Yugoslavs debated defensive strategy. While Wilson favored a shorter position known as the Haliacmon Line, this was rejected by Papagos as it ceded too much territory to the invaders. After much debate, Wilson massed his troops along the Haliacmon Line, while the Greeks moved to occupy the heavily fortified Metaxas Line to the northeast. Wilson justified holding the Haliacmon position as it allowed his relatively small force to maintain contact with the Greeks in Albania as well as those in the northeast. As a result, the critical port of Thessaloniki remained largely uncovered. Though Wilsons line was a more efficient use of his strength, the position could be easily flanked by forces advancing south from Yugoslavia through the Monastir Gap. This concern was disregarded as the Allied commanders anticipated the Yugoslav Army to mount a determined defense of their country. The situation in the northeast was further weakened by the Greek governments refusal to withdraw troops from Albania lest it be seen as a concession of victory to the Italians. The Onslaught Begins On April 6, the German Twelfth Army, under the guidance of Field Marshal Wilhelm List, commenced Operation Marita. While the Luftwaffe began an intensive bombing campaign, Lieutenant General Georg Stummes XL Panzer Corps drove across southern Yugoslavia capturing Prilep and effectively severing the country from Greece. Turning south, they began massing forces north of Monastir on April 9 in preparation for attacking Florina, Greece. Such a move threatened Wilsons left flank and had the potential to cut off Greek troops in Albania. Further east, Lieutenant General Rudolf Veiels 2nd Panzer Division entered Yugoslavia on April 6 and advanced down the Strimon Valley (Map). Reaching Strumica, they brushed aside Yugoslav counterattacks before turning south and driving towards Thessaloniki. Defeating Greek forces near Doiran Lake, they captured the city on April 9. Along the Metaxas Line, Greek forces fared little better but succeeded in bleeding the Germans. A strong line of fortifications in mountainous terrain, the forts of the line inflicted heavy losses on the attackers before being overrun by Lieutenant General Franz Bà ¶hmes XVIII Mountain Corps. Effectively cut off in the northeastern part of the country, the Greek Second Army surrendered on April 9 and resistance east of the Axios River collapsed. The Germans Drive South With the success in the east, List reinforced the XL Panzer Corps with the 5th Panzer Division for a push through the Monastir Gap. Completing preparations by April 10, the Germans attacked south and found no Yugoslav resistance in the gap. Exploiting the opportunity, they pressed on hitting elements of W Force near Vevi, Greece. Briefly halted by troops under Major General Iven McKay, they overcame this resistance and captured Kozani on April 14. Pressed on two fronts, Wilson ordered a withdrawal behind the Haliacmon River. A strong position, the terrain only afforded lines of advance through the Servia and Olympus passes as well as the Platamon tunnel near the coast. Attacking through the day on April 15, German forces were unable to dislodge New Zealand troops at Platamon. Reinforcing that night with armor, they resumed the next day and compelled the Kiwis to retreat south to the Pineios River. There they were ordered to hold the Pineios Gorge at all costs to allow the rest of W Force to move south. Meeting with Papagos on the April 16, Wilson informed him that he was retreating to the historic pass at Thermopylae. While W Force was establishing a strong position around the pass and village of Brallos, the Greek First Army in Albania was cut off by German forces. Unwilling to surrender to the Italians, its commander capitulated to the Germans on April 20. The next day, the decision to evacuate W Force to Crete and Egypt was made and preparations moved forward. Leaving a rearguard at the Thermopylae position, Wilsons men began embarking from ports in Attica and southern Greece. Attacked on April 24, Commonwealth troops succeeded in holding their position throughout the day until falling back that night to a position around Thebes. On the morning of April 27, German motorcycle troops succeeded in moving around the flank of this position and entered Athens. With the battle effectively over, Allied troops continued to be evacuated from ports in the Peloponnese. Having captured the bridges over the Corinth canal on April 25 and crossed over at Patras, German troops pushed south in two columns towards the port of Kalamata. Defeating numerous Allied rearguards, they succeeded in capturing between 7,000-8,000 Commonwealth soldiers when the port fell. In the course of the evacuation, Wilson had escaped with around 50,000 men. Aftermath In the fighting for Greece, British Commonwealth forces lost 903 killed, 1,250 wounded, and 13,958 captured, while the Greeks suffered 13,325 killed, 62,663 wounded, and 1,290 missing. In their victorious drive through Greece, List lost 1,099 killed, 3,752 wounded, and 385 missing. Italian casualties numbered 13,755 killed, 63,142 wounded, and 25,067 missing. Having captured Greece, the Axis nations devised a tripartite occupation with the nation divided between German, Italian, and Bulgarian forces. The campaign in the Balkans came to an end the following month after German troops captured Crete. Considered a strategic blunder by some in London, others believed that the campaign was politically necessary. Coupled with late spring rains in the Soviet Union, the campaign in the Balkans delayed the launch of Operation Barbarossa by several weeks. As a result, German troops were forced to race against the approaching winter weather in their battle with the Soviets. Selected Sources Hellinica: Battle of GreeceUS Army Center for Military History: German Invasion of GreeceFeldgrau: German Invasion of Greece

Drug Addiction - 1074 Words

Drug Addiction Drug abuse is an increasing epidemic in today’s society. There are so many types of drugs being abused today, both legal and illegal. These drugs affect the human body in many different ways. Drug abuse can lead to addiction. â€Å"Drug addiction involves the repeated and excessive use of a drug to produce pleasure or escape reality despite its destructive effects† (â€Å"Environmental Health Perspectives,† 2005). Drug addicts believe that drugs are necessary for them to have a feeling of well-being (â€Å"New Insight in to Drug Addiction and Self-Control,† 2008). People are addicted to all types of illegal and prescription drugs (â€Å"New Insight in to Drug Addiction and Self-Control,† 2008). Some people think that drug abuse is a†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, there is indirect pressure when someone sees everyone around them using drugs and thinks that there is nothing wrong with using drugs because they don’t see t he long term effects of the damage. The person might try drugs just to fit in and seem cool, even if the person has no intentions of using drugs. They usually do it just to be considered cool by their friends. Today drugs are considered to be acceptable by many teenagers. Drug addiction among adolescents usually leads to depression and suicide in many situations. It’s because they aren’t educated enough about them and we need more programs to show examples of the side effects. Maybe if they see the results first hand, it might change their mind of trying it for the first time. Columbia University s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) said about 2.3 million kids ages 12 to 17 took legal medications illegally in 2003 (Banta 2). According to the Anti-Drug Foundation, teens say they abuse prescription drugs because they are easy to get and they think they are a safe way to get high (Parenting of Teens† 1). Dr. Nicholas Pace, an internist at New York University Medical Center, clarified the sad truth when he said, â€Å"It’s a hidden epidemic† (Banta 2). To fix the rapidly growing issue, I will propose to support programs aimed at preventing drug abuse, to educate parents as well as children about the risks of misusing medicine, and, finally, to enforceShow MoreRelatedDrug Addiction : Drugs And Heroin Addiction1130 Words   |  5 PagesThe arguments for whether or not to prescribe heroin to treat heroin addictions are controversial. 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Racism and Anti-Semitism in the United States Free Essays

Racism and Anti-Semitism in the United States Racism and Anti-Semitism in the United States With The election of the first black president of the United States, Barrack Obama people believed it to be the end of racism in the U. S. Although The United States has made tremendous progress and racism and anti-Semitism are discouraged and not tolerated in many U. We will write a custom essay sample on Racism and Anti-Semitism in the United States or any similar topic only for you Order Now S. organizations, it is still a wide spread problem facing Americans today. There are large amounts of evidence reguarding racial profiling in our justice systems, schools, and financial institutions. Hate crimes and race inflicted vandalism continue to be a problem in our culture. It is apparent that even though we have made great strides away from racism the United States still continues to struggle with acts racism and Anti-Semitism. Racism can be found throughout the United States, from government to schools and even churches. While most would say that Obama was elected because of dedication to public service, intelligence and a great campaign, others would argue it was more than that that got him his presidency. With everything the U. S. as experiencing from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, increasing unemployment, People were reaching for any kind of change that could have made a difference. Since President Obama came into office there has been a 400% increase of threats since President George W. Bush, reaching the highest number of threats in history (Chelala, 2010). This can be mostly contributed to the race of president Obama, while threats against the president are common d ue to policy and beliefs there are many groups whom do not wish to have a black man running the country. Racism can also be found in our law enforcement systems, in the form of racial stereotypes. While these racial stereotypes have lessened over the years, and become less apparent, or common, there are still many concerns about its presents in our legal system. Though racial stereotyping is illegal the statistical evidence is overwhelming. In an article by D. E Rogers, He argues that â€Å"Simply being an African-American greatly increases your chances of being pulled over by police. One study in Maryland found that 76 percent of motorists stopped on a stretch of highway were African-Americans, while African-Americans only held 20 percent of all drivers licenses in the state† (Rogers, 2010). In another study, published by Stanford Business, Lowery demonstrates â€Å"how racial stereotypes subtly operate in the penal system. Los Angeles police and probation officers were asked to make judgments about a hypothetical adolescent (whose race was not identified) who had allegedly either shoplifted or assaulted a peer. Certain officers were first subliminally exposed towards commonly associated with African Americans (such as ghetto, homeboy, dreadlocks, etc. on a rapidly flashing computer screen so that they took in the information subconsciously. In contrast to subjects who did not receive this â€Å"priming,† officers with the subconscious messaging attributed more negative traits and greater culpability to the hypothetical offenders, and they endorsed harsher punishment—all typical responses to black as opposed to white offenders.  "What’s particularly interesting is that many of the officers were African Americans themselves,† Lowery notes. â€Å"This shows the degree to which even African Americans can be affected by the negative associations in the environment† (Rigoglioso, 2008). African-Americans are one of the highest groups to be stereotyped there are many other groups that are targeted as well. According to American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) since the event of September 11th 2001, Muslims, Arabs and other Middle Eastern citizens are widely targeted by law enforcement and other organizations. This set of stereotypes has become more targeted than African Americans do to the uncertainty of their crimes or what they are capable of. Citizens of Middle Eastern decent are not only stereotyped on the streets but in businesses and air ports. September 11 had a substantial impact on Arab American communities. In every site, Arab Americans described heightened levels of public suspicion exacerbated by increased media attention and targeted government policies (such as special registration requirements, voluntary interviews, and the detention and deportation of community members). Although community members also reported increases in hate victimization, they expre ssed greater concern about being victimized by federal policies and practices than by individual acts of harassment or violence† (Henderson, Ortiz, Sugie ; Miller, 2006). Today racism is discouraged and crimes against race or hate crimes are a federal offence. Most Americans who do experience racist thoughts and or ideas would most likely never admit to them, and yet there are still increasing numbers of acts of racism in our country. â€Å"Even among the most well-intentioned and consciously egalitarian people non-conscious associations about ethnic groups still have a pernicious effect on behavior and attitudes†(Rigoglioso, 2008). Lowery also explains that his research â€Å"confirms that children who identify strongly with parental figures tend pick up their parents’ racial views† (Rigoglioso, 2008). This observation can be both bad and yet promising, because children can also pick up and spread non-racist behaviors as well. Though groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and other racist organizations are social out casts, they are still existent in American culture today, but do not freely announce their beliefs in the streets as they did many years ago. So does the evidence remains in the continuous acts of violence that are apparent to racial aspects? From beatings to killings and all around cruel behavior towards and against many different races all across the United States continue to take place daily and numbers continue to rise. Is the American culture truly free from Racism and Anti-Semitism? There are those who believe that Racism is going away or has even become non- existent in the United States. Many people sometimes refer to this as racism denial, those who do not see or choose not to see the growing racial occurrences in the United States. Racism is defiantly not as blatant as it once was, is it possible that we have just moved on or transitioned to a new definition of racism? It can be said the new form of racism is in the denial of racism. According to John McWhorter, racism in America is gone; he stated that even though Americans will continue to be imperfect, and races will still be stereotyped, some races will still receive special treatment or different treatment than others. But he believes that as a whole or majority of America has moved past racism as it is no longer a huge problem in the United States, as it once was in the past (McWhorter, 2008). Most who believe that racism in the United States of America is over, believe that it officially ended in 2008 when we elected our first black president. These people or groups of people can most likely be categorized as denying racism. Does the election of a black president truly mark the end of racism in our country? America will always suffer from the results of slavery and will always be tarnished with these memories. But for many years America has allowed citizens of every race to achieve anything and attend any school, but the fact remains that some Americans hold racial beliefs and tend to target or inflict these beliefs on others. So maybe America as a country is no longer suffering from racism, but the evidence remains that many Americans as individuals still hold to racist beliefs. So due to continued acts of racist crimes, comments and stereotyping found in our schools, law enforcement and business, the fact remains there is still racism in our country, even if we choose not to see it or acknowledge it. The election of a black present was a great turning point for our country but was not the end of racism and anti- Semitism for the United States of America. References Chelala, C. (2010, April 02). Is racism still alive in America? Retrieved from https://www. commondreams. org/view/2010/04/02-7Hillen, John. Henderson, N. , Ortiz, C. , Sugie, N. , Miller, J. (2006, June). Law enforcement arab american community relations after september 11, 2001. Retrieved from http://www. vera. org/download? file=147/Arab+American+community+relations. pdf McWhorter, J. 2008, December 30). Racism in America is over. Retrieved from http://www. forbes. com/2008/12/30/end-of-racism-oped-cx_jm_1230mcwhorter. html Rigoglioso, M. (2008, January 01). Racial stereotypes can be unconscious but reversible . Retrieved from http://www. gsb. stanford. edu/news/research/hr_racialstereotypes. shtml Rogers, D. E. (2010, June 30). Racism vs. African-Americans in America. Retrieved from http://theworldofdavid. wordpr ess. com/2010/06/30/racism-vs-african-americans-in-america-today-at-a-glance/ http://www. aclu. org/racial-justice/racial-profiling How to cite Racism and Anti-Semitism in the United States, Papers