Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias has renewed the debate over German war reparations in a post on X, marking 85 years since the Nazi invasion of Greece and linking the country’s wartime suffering to its long-standing claim for compensation.
In his message, Dendias said Greece did not choose the stance of the “cunning neutral” but instead continued to fight, writing what he described as the epic of the National Resistance and the Middle East campaign. He added that this stance remains Greece’s compass to this day.
He also referred to what followed the invasion as a “long night” of occupation, which came at a heavy cost for the country in both human lives and infrastructure. The image accompanying his post made Greece’s position even more explicit. He stated that the country “will never cease to demand the payment of German reparations as a minimum restitution for the suffering our homeland endured during World War II.”
85 χρόνια από τη ναζιστική εισβολή στην Ελλάδα. Την ακολούθησε η «μακρά νύχτα» της Κατοχής, με βαρύ τίμημα για τη χώρα, σε ανθρώπινες ζωές και υποδομές.
Η Ελλάδα δεν επέλεξε τη στάση του «επιτήδειου ουδέτερου». Δεν έπαψε να αγωνίζεται, γράφοντας το έπος της Εθνικής Αντίστασης… pic.twitter.com/Kl3NSk1y0c
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) April 6, 2026
Greece’s reparations claim
Greece’s long-standing claim exceeds three hundred billion dollars and is based on the country’s wartime material losses, including the destruction of infrastructure, loss of property, and deaths of more than three hundred thousand civilians during the occupation.
Germany has consistently rejected Greece’s demands for reparations. Berlin argues the issue was settled after World War II and maintains that Greece has already received sufficient compensation through international and bilateral agreements reached in the postwar period.
From invasion to occupation
Dendias’ remarks came on the anniversary of April 6, 1941, when Germany launched a massive attack on Greece’s northern border after the Italian army had previously failed in its attempt to invade the country. The German operation, known as “Operation Marita,” brought Nazi forces to the Bulgarian border, including entire Panzer divisions originally intended to move north toward Russia soon afterward.
At the time, Greece had asked Britain for help in halting the German advance. Britain sent 62,000 Commonwealth troops, who were deployed along the Haliacmon Line, while Greek forces occupied the heavily fortified Metaxas Line. Germany moved quickly through Yugoslavia and advanced toward Thessaloniki, defeating Greek troops at Doiran Lake before capturing the city on April 9. Even so, Greek forces managed to inflict serious damage on the advancing Nazis from their fortified mountain positions.
Fort Roupel, part of the Metaxas Line, held out against the German assault and was abandoned only after the surrender of the Greek army in Thessaloniki. The courage of the outnumbered Greek soldiers who fought there was later praised even by German generals. After German forces successfully cut them off from the rest of the country, the Greek Second Army surrendered on April 9, ending any real resistance on the east bank of the Axios River. On April 27, German troops bypassed the defending flank and entered Athens.
The aftermath of the battle and its lasting impact
With the fall of Athens, the battle of mainland Greece was effectively over. Allied forces evacuated, but during the withdrawal, German troops captured between seven to eight thousand Allied soldiers. By the end of the evacuation, the British had managed to escape with about fifty thousand men.
The human toll of the Battle of Greece was immense. Over 13,300 Greek soldiers were killed, another 62,660 were wounded, and 1,290 were reported missing. British forces lost 903 soldiers, with another 1,250 wounded and 13,900 captured. Following the Nazi conquest, Greece was divided among Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria. The Axis halted their Balkan campaign only after capturing Crete.
Still, those victories came at a cost for Germany. Because of the Battle of Greece and the wider Balkan campaign, the invasion of the Soviet Union was delayed, forcing German troops into a timetable that would eventually leave them facing not only the Soviet Army but also the Russian winter.
Related: On This Day in 1941 Nazi Germany Invades Greece