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GREECE: AV medalet (9.96g), 1941, UNC

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / World Coins - Europe Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 600.00 USD
GREECE: AV medalet (9.96g), 1941, UNC
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550.00USD+ (110.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2022 Jan 21 @ 15:24UTC-8 : PST/AKDT
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GREECE: AV medalet (9.96g), 1941, 0.2882 oz AGW, 24mm gold medalet for the Battle of Greece by Strianths, soldier with rifle over shoulder waves large Greek flag with "HMAXH TH KPHTH MAIO 1941" around // 2 Greek riflemen take aim at German troops parachuting downward, with mountains, buildings, and forest in the background, a very interesting motif! plain edge, Unc, RR. We have found no other record of this medalet. The Battle of Greece (also known as Operation Marita, German: Unternehmen Marita) is the common name for the invasion of Allied Greece by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Greco-Italian War, was followed by the German invasion in April 1941. German landings on the island of Crete (May 1941) came after Allied forces had been defeated in mainland Greece. These battles were part of the greater Balkan Campaign of the Axis powers and their associates.Following the Italian invasion on 28 October 1940, Greece, with British air and material support, repelled the initial Italian attack and a counter-attack in March 1941. When the German invasion began on 6 April, the bulk of the Greek Army was on the Greek border with Albania, then a vassal of Italy, from which the Italian troops had attacked. German troops invaded from Bulgaria, creating a second front. Greece received a small reinforcement from British, Australian, and New Zealand forces in anticipation of the German attack. The Greek army found itself outnumbered in its effort to defend against both Italian and German troops. As a result, the Metaxas defensive line did not receive adequate troop reinforcements and was quickly overrun by the Germans, who then outflanked the Greek forces at the Albanian border, forcing their surrender. British, Australian, and New Zealand forces were overwhelmed and forced to retreat, with the ultimate goal of evacuation. For several days, Allied troops played an important part in containing the German advance on the Thermopylae position, allowing ships to be prepared to evacuate the units defending Greece. The German Army reached the capital, Athens, on 27 April and Greece's southern shore on 30 April, capturing 7,000 British, Australian, and New Zealand personnel and ending the battle with a decisive victory. The conquest of Greece was completed with the capture of Crete a month later. Following its fall, Greece was occupied by the military forces of Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria.