1941

Events

January

• January 5: A Greek Army football team plays against an English one (4-2) at Leoforos. Two months later, Panathinaikos face a team of English aviators (6-2). The English took these initiatives aiming to reinforce the ties with the Greek people.
• January 10: The Greek First Division liberates Kleisoura.
• January 13: PM Ioannis Metaxas turns down the offer of British land forces on the Greek mainland.
• January 13: Anton Christoforidis defeats Melio Bettina, in Cleveland, Ohio, by unanimous decision to win the National Boxing Association light heavyweight title.
• January 29: PM Ioannis Metaxas dies in office. He is replaced by Alexandros Korizis.

February

• February 10: The Italian Airforce bombards Thessaloniki and Patra.
• February 27: British troops occupy Kastellorizo.

March

• March 1: A strong earthquake (6.3 on the Richter scale) strikes Larisa killing 40 persons.
• March 7: The first British and New Zealand land troops arrive in Greece as a German attack is deemed imminent.
• March 8: Kathimerini publisher, Georgios Vlachos, prints his famous "open letter to Hitler".
• March 9: The Italian Spring offensive against the Greek forces commences.
• March 9: Panathinaikos defeat a team of British aviators 6-2.
• March 20: The Italian Spring offensive against the Greek forces ends in failure.

April

• April 6: Greek PM Alexandros Korizis personally rejects a German demand for unconditional surrender.
• April 9: During World War II, Thessaloniki falls to the German army.
• April 9: Maj. Gen. Ioannis Zisis leads his troops into Turkey rather than surrender to the Germans. Before the Turks can take his weapon, he faces Greece and shoots himself in the head.
• April 10: The hospital ship "Attica" is sunk off Cape Kafireas by Axis aircraft. Aboard the ship, captained by Dimitrios Meletopoulos, were several wounded soldiers.
• April 14: The Germans penetrate the Mt Olympus line and enter Katerini.
• April 15: The Germans enter Lamia.
• April 18: Days before Greece capitulates to the Germans, PM Alexandros Korizis commits suicide.
• April 23: King George II and the Greek Government flee to Crete as the Germans march towards Athens.
• April 25: German troops enter Chalkida and invade Attica.
• April 25: German paratroopers occupy the Corinth Isthmus.
• April 25: Adolf Hitler signs Directive Number 28, ordering the invasion of Crete.
• April 27: The Germans enter Athens during World War II.
• April 28: Italian troops occupy Kerkyra.
• April 29: Italian troops occupy Kefallonia.
• April 30: Gen. Georgios Tsolakoglou is sworn in as PM of occupied Greece.

May

• May 20: The Battle of Crete begins.
• May 21: Maleme airfield falls to the Germans.
• May 22: King George II and the Greek government flee to Egypt.
• May 26: Chania falls to the Germans.
• May 27: The evacuation of all Allied forces from Crete is ordered.
• May 30: Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas take down the German flag from the Acropolis, Athens.

June

• June 1: The Battle of Crete ends in Allied defeat.
• June 3: German occupation troops enter and destroy the village of Kandanos, Crete.

July

• July 2: Chrysanthus is removed as Archbishop of Athens after refusing to swear in the Georgios Tsolakoglou government.

October

• October 17: 250 inhabitants of Kerdylia, Serres prefecture are executed by the Germans in retaliation for the killing of a single German soldier.
• October 24: German troops execute 165 men in Mesovouno, Kozani prefecture.

September

• September 9: The resistance movement EDES is founded in Athens by venizelist Col. Napoleon Zervas.
• September 27: The resistance movement EAM (National Liberation Front) is founded by several leftist groups.
• September 29: The massacre of Doxato, Drama prefecture, takes place as Bulgarian occupation forces kill 350 Greek men from the town aged 16 - 50.

Births

February

• February 8: Doukissa Fotara, Laika singer commonly known only by her first name.
• February 14: Paul Tsongas, Greek-American politician

April

• April 10: Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus.
• April 16: Nikos Gioutsos, football player

May

• May 6: Ivica Osim, former coach of Panathinaikos

July

• July 7: Georgios Souflias, politician

November

• November 25: Christos Papanikolaou, athlete (pole vault)

Deaths

January

• January 28: Nikos Sotiriadis, footballer
• January 29: Ioannis Metaxas, Greek PM during World War II. Died in office.

April

• April 18: Alexandros Korizis, Greek PM who succeeded Metaxas.
• April 24: Konstantinos Spanoudis, one of the founders of AEK

May

• May 2: Penelope Delta, writer

July

• July 11: Arthur Evans, archaeologist

Unknown

• Pantelis Horn, writer