10 Facts about Greece, during World War 2

1. During the World War II, Greece was the only country which had to fight 3 countries continuously (Italy, Albania, Germany)
2.  The Greek victory over the initial Italian offensive (Greco-Italian war) of October 1940 was the first Allied land victory of the Second World War and the reason the Axis was defeated.
3. It was the only country in which it held the most days of resistance. (219 days) 
4. Hitler referred to Greeks during WWII as "the bravest who fought with the highest disregard of death" (1943)
5. Winston Churchill recalled them "Greeks do not fight like heroes. Heroes fight like Greeks." (1941)
6.  The Greek forces manning the forts (the Army Section of Eastern Macedonia, TSAM) was cut off after the invasion. When the Germans demanded their surrender, the Greeks shouted Μολων Λαβέ. They surrendered only after the Greek High Command gave them the order. Because of their courage, Adolf Hitler ordered that  these Greek soldiers must not be harmed, their officers must leave with their weapons and the German soldiers must salute them with respect.
7. The conquest of Greece was completed in May with the capture of Crete from the air, although the Fallschirmjäger suffered such extensive casualties in this operation that the Germans abandoned large-scale airborne operations for the remainder of the war. General Kurt Student would dub Crete "the graveyard of the German paratroopers" and a "disastrous victory."
8. Greece suffered more than 400,000 casualties during the German occupation.
9.  In the battle of Crete the Germans met stubborn resistance from the British, Australian, New Zealand and the remaining Greek troops on the island, and from local civilians. At the end of the first day, none of the objectives had been reached and the Germans had suffered around 4,000 casualties.
10. Kostantinos Koukidis was a Greek Euzonos (Elite Greek Soldier) guarding the Akropolis. The Nazis ordered him to surrender, handing the Greek flag and mount the Nazi flag over the Parthenon. Instead, Koukidis remaining faithful at his post, wrapped the Greek flag around him  and jumped off the Acropolis to his death.