When God dawned on October 27, 1940, nothing predicted that Greece would have a war the next day.
A war in which the beasts of the 1940 epic was to glorify our country to the ends of the earth.
However, no one could say that the clouds of war had not surrounded Greece.
The front pages of the newspapers that day spoke clearly about Italian provocations about the alleged sudden invasion of the Greeks on the Greek-Albanian border. Browsing their pages, the Greek reader was also informed about the international developments of the war, but so far.
The Athenians had lived a brilliant premiere and the city was moving to opera rhythms. Life on the streets flowed as usual and everything seemed normal.
And yet…
Despite the fact that a day earlier, on October 26, the Italian ambassador to Greece since 1939, Emanuele Grazi, had given a reception at the Italian embassy to "rekindle the friendly relations that unite the two peoples", he was clearly aware of his decision. take his Italian War Council Benito Mussolini as early as the 15th of the month for intervention at the Greek-Albanian border.
Remaining on October 26, the "present" at the ambassador's reception was given by the entire high Athenian society, except for the dictator Metaxas, who preferred not to attend as he foresaw that wherever we would have a war with the hosts.
And of course he was right, because while Gracci was pretending to be cool, the Italian embassy officials were deciphering the ultimatum that was coming piece by piece from Italy and had to be delivered to Metaxas. Tragic irony; How on the table of the reception, next to the flags of Greece and Italy, was placed in a prominent place a cake that read "Viva La Grecia".
Grazi calmed the rumors that night and when he had in his hands the full text of the ultimatum (which arrived coded and in part), he went to the bridge the next day! To gnaw the time, that is, until the dawn of October 28, when he had to give the paper to Metaxas.
As it is known, the Italian ambassador spent his night at the friendly house of Vlastos in Vasilissis Sofias with bridge and chora. Company with a host of cosmopolitan Athens. At some point, at dawn, he got up to take the road to Kifissia, to the palace of Metaxas.
And he went in the car of his military follower and not in the limousine so as not to raise suspicions. He arrived at the mansion of the Greek dictator at 3:00 in the morning, 3 hours before the ultimatum expired, surprising Metaxas with the inappropriateness of the hour. There he heard this "so we have a war" by Metaxas ("Alors, c 'est la guerreAs they spoke French).
The next day, on the Greek-Albanian border, an Italian bullet found its target and the first Greek soldier, Vassilios Tsiavaliaris, was killed. Italy and Greece were indeed at war…
The leaves of October 27 convey the atmosphere that has been created, playing first the provocation of the Italians for an impending attack of the Greek forces on the Albanian border.
The front page of "Vradyni", for example, writes characteristically: "Calm and cool in the face of new myths". The informative report notes the non-existent accusations of the neighbor for a Greek attack, as conveyed by the Italian news agency and refuted by the corresponding Greek.
Also major issues of the dense news of October 27, the international events of World War II, the movements of Germany and England and the American presidential elections of course, which were scheduled for "next Tuesday".
After the familiar "dangerology" of the Press, as many of our compatriots would undoubtedly have thought at these critical moments, they were playing the usual issues of the local news. And that day we had opera, theater, football and Celemente…
The major cultural event of the day was the infamous premiere of Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly" by the newly formed Opera House. The Opera House was founded in March of that year (as a branch of the National Theater), but its official premiere had taken place just 2 days earlier, on October 25, and everyone was moving in its constellation.
The official Athenian foam cream was present at the official first in the Ziller building of Agios Konstantinos, in the presence of ambassadors and foreign officials, and the commotion had not yet stopped. In fact, the composer's son, Antonio Puccini, had come for the show, a move that caused excitement in art-loving Athens.
Artistic effervescence, however, also prevailed on the theatrical stage. At the Royal Theater, as the press still called it National Theater (renamed in 1930 by the Minister of Education of the Venizelos government, George Papandreou), the "Merchant of Venice" was played that Sunday, while in the rival awe, the Kotopouli Theater, the "Mrs. Bovary".
The newspapers host extensive tributes to the rich theatrical action of Athens…
Ο "Forerunner" of Greek cuisine Nikolaos Tselementes writes that day in his column "Home Economy" in the newspaper "Ethnos" about "one of the most interesting issues that concern every housewife during these war days".
About how to replace sugar, that is, which is slowly disappearing from the market. The chef observes that "the issue of sugar substitution" is easily solved "with our raisin derivatives, as well as with our wonderful and world-famous honey".
"For me personally, who foresaw and foreshadowed the reduction of sugar, not only did its lack not put me in a difficult position, but, as many times as I was given the opportunity, I declared that we Greeks should give thanks to the God of Greece. who provided us with these wonderful products, with which we can trade and replace sugar in all our household needs ".
And since nothing smelled of war for Greece, the same newspaper notes elsewhere that "The Athenians, taking advantage of the two-day holiday and the almost summer weather, mobilized their wives and children yesterday in the suburbs. The ones on the shores of the Saronic Gulf, in particular, once again gathered all their admirers ".
And below we read about the permanent residents of the "spa town" Glyfada "And other suburbs up to Voula" who "began to study the issue of ensuring comfortable and cheap transportation with the capital". Throwing the ball to the mayors…
The sports news, along with the "horse races" and the results from "yesterday's boxing matches", as we read in the "Acropolis" of October 27, is of course monopolized by the king of sports.
For the City Cup, the reason, which was held just the previous day with Athens prevailing over Volos with 6-0 and Piraeus beating Patras 3-1. The City Cup (or Football Association Cup) was an annual institution that began in 1924 and was not played by clubs, but by mixed teams of entire cities.
His team also played in the team of the Athens Football Clubs Association Panathinaikos and AEK, while the eleven of EPS Piraeus were staffed by the stars of Olympiacos and Ethnikos. Later other cities were added, such as the Mixed EPS of Macedonia (Thessaloniki), the Mixed Patras, etc. The event continued until 1957.
The newspapers tell us that the weather was sunny for both matches and the people gave a potential "present". Only on Alexandras Avenue, as "Acropolis" confirms, the fan crowd exceeded 5.000. Mixed Piraeus was crowned champion for 1940, before the interruption of this championship as well.
In fact, in the victory of Piraeus against Patras, one of the scorers was the player of Olympiacos, Nikos Godas. A tragic figure of Greek sports who was to play his last match on October 26th.
Fighter of the National Resistance and captain of ELAS, fought the German occupiers, took part in Battle of Kokkinia and in Perama and was executed in November 1948 in Corfu as an unrepentant communist.
The midfielder of Olympiakos even asked to be executed wearing the red and white jersey: "Throw me and kill me with the jersey of Olympiakos and do not blindfold me, so that I can see the colors of my team before the free kick", it is reported to say before his execution in Lazareto, Corfu.
The newspapers did indeed have a meekness in their columns on the eve of the war, perhaps because there was no information from the Metaxas regime that the country would soon be at war. Not even at the level of government rumors.
A few hours later, they will be released the front pages of Monday, October 28, 1940, who will now write "Greeks in arms! The hostilities have started today "(" Wireless ")," Ete paides ellinon "(" The Evening ")," For altars and hearths "(" Nation ")…
No one would have believed the day before that Greece would go to war.