Armies of the Greek-Italian War 1940–41 Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | December 2017 | Title | Armies of the Greek-Italian War 1940–41 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Phoebus Athanassiou | Publisher | Osprey Publishing |
| Published | 2017 | ISBN | 9781472819178 |
| Format | 48 pages, softbound | MSRP (USD) | $17.95 |
Review
The world watched – rapt – as poor, outnumbered Greece withstood Fascist Italy's unprovoked attack in October 1940.
After just 20 days, heroic Greek defenders hurled the vaunted invaders into Albania – their launch point. It marked, as author Phoebus Athanassiou notes, "the first major Axis setback of World War II".
Now Athanassiou recaps the conflict's combatants in Armies of the Greek-Italian War 1940–41 – number 514 in Osprey's perennially popular "Men-At-Arms" series.
Contents commence with introductory notes and a chronology. Then Osprey's compact chronicle swiftly segues into an overview of opposing forces – Greek and Italian.
Sections summarize, among other things, historical factors, organization, uniforms, insignia, weapons, and personal equipment. Comments on air and naval forces, and "allies and auxiliaries" follow, completing contents.
In addition to period photos, illustrations include eight pages with 24 color uniform plates. Artwork commentaries and an index neatly wrap things up.
Unfortunately, Athanassiou's succinct study includes no selected bibliography for further study of this fascinating phase of World War II history.
Recommended!
My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!