Sheila Lecoeur - Mussolinis Greek Island: Fascism and the Italian Occupation of Syros in World War II

Sheila Lecoeur received her PhD from Birkbeck College,
University of London, and is Coordinator of Italian in the
Humanities Department at Imperial College London.

Rich in detail and discerning analysis.

Anglo-Hellenic Review

A definite buy for war historians and indeed for anybody interested in Greek history.

Balkan and Near Eastern Studies

Covers a wide range of issues which enriches the ongoing historic debate.

European History Quarterly

This book is a timely reminder of Greeces traumatic experience of Axis occupation during World War II, particularly in the present crisis when memories of wartime have been reawakened.

Charmian Brinson, Emeritus Professor of German Studies, Imperial College

Sheila Lecoeur has written a path-breaking and moving study of the Italian wartime occupation of the Greek island of Syros. This is the very first study I know which shows the realities of Italian fascist as opposed to German Second World War occupation from the ground up, thanks to the survival of a very rich archive on the island of the local wartime administration. This is a grim story a case study of how not to do occupation which culminated in a devastating famine, mostly as the result of Mussolinis ill-thought out imperial ambitions. Mussolinis Greek Island shows how the tragedy was compounded by fascist visions of breaking Greece up and absorbing the Cyclades into an enlarged Aegean zone of influence. This is a real addition to the scholarly literature on occupation and fascism, and a major intervention in the growing debate about Mussolinis visions of international fascist order. It [] will appeal to scholars of fascism, the Second World War and military occupation in general.

Mark Mazower, Professor of History, Columbia University

This book is well researched and thorough as well as lucidly and logically presented. The history of Italian occupation is placed in the longer duration of the islands history from the time of the Ottoman rule to that of post-war Greece. Famine and the role of the Italian authorities in coping with its causes and consequences represent a tragic and revealing episode. Throughout Lecoeur demonstrates a full use of sources from Greek, Italian and British archives and an ability to muster those sources for in-depth description and analysis. She takes full advantage of the unique nature of the Syros archives to write a history not possible in the case of other islands and parts of Greece. Mussolinis Greek Island represents an important contribution to the ongoing debate about the peculiarities of the triple (Italian, German, Bulgarian) occupation of Greece during World War II.

Robert Lumley, Professor of Italian Cultural History, University College London

Sheila Lecoeur

MUSSOLINIS
GREEK ISLAND

Fascism and the Italian
Occupation of Syros in
World War II

New paperback edition published in 2015 by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd

London New York

www.ibtauris.com

First published in hardback in 2009 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd

Copyright 2009 Sheila Lecoeur

Copyright Preface 2015 Sheila Lecoeur

Cover images: Front: View of the port of Ermoupolis, Syros, by Julien Lecoeur. Back: The doorway to the Historic Archives of the Cyclades with the Italian inscription Assistenza Civile (Public Assistance), by Julien Lecoeur.

The right of Sheila Lecoeur to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Every attempt has been made to gain permission for the use of the images in this book. Any omissions will be rectified in future editions.

References to websites were correct at the time of writing.

ISBN: 978 1 78076 989 9

eISBN: 978 0 85773 829 5

A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available

CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Maps of Greece and the Cyclades

Map of Syros

View of Town Hall

The early settlement of Ano Syros, 1776

The port of Ermoupolis in the nineteenth century

View of Ermoupolis today

Colonel Giovanni Duca

The Catholic Bishop Antonios Grigorios Vutzinos

Food quota order

View of the memorial tombstone for famine victims

Tables of recorded deaths

The monthly death rate for Syros compared to that of Ermoupolis

Photographs of starvation victims

Deaths in Syros compared to food imported

Attendance numbers and patients treated regularly

Military postcard with secrecy warning

Cicladi newspaper showing Admiral Campioni

Apologies are extended to the owners of those images where it proved impossible to trace the copyright.

ABBREVIATIONS

AC
Public Assistance

ACS
Rome Central State Archive

ASMAE
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic Historic Archive

CCC
Cyclades Civil Commission

CMC
Cyclades Military Command

CS FF.AA
Supreme Command of the Armed Forces (Italian)

DAE
Ermoupolis Municipal Archive 18211949

DDI
Italian Diplomatic Documents

DSM
Regimental Historic Diary

EAM
National Liberation Front (Greek Resistance)

FO
Foreign Office (Britain)

GABAP
Cabinet Foundation for Armistice-Peace (Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry)

GAK-AND
General Archives of the StateArchives of the Prefecture of the Dodecanese

GAK-ANK
General Archives of the StateArchives of the Prefecture of the Cyclades

IAK
Archives of the Italian Occupation Authorities in the Cyclades (19411943)

IDD
Italian Administration of the Dodecanese

INSMLI
National Institute for the history of the liberation movement in Italy

MFA
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy)

PEAEA
Greek post-war resistance organization for EAM

SME (AUSSME)
Italian Military High Command: Historical Archive

Superegeo
Supreme Command of the Italian forces in the Aegean

Supergrecia
Supreme Command of the Italian forces in Greece

War Office (Britain)
WO

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am indebted to a large number of colleagues and friends for their support during the course of this project. In particular, I would like to thank Professor Mark Mazower whose insight and practical help were a constant source of inspiration and encouragement during the preparation of the initial thesis. Secondly, I am grateful to the archivists Angeliki Psilopoulou and Taina Hetala of the Archives of the Prefecture of Cyclades, who offered me unlimited help in my frequent visits to Syros over several years, and Stavros Kouremenos of the Rhodes Archives. I also thank Professor Christos Loukos for his excellent work in making the historic archive of the Cyclades one of the best organized in Greece. In Syros, I have met and discussed the Italian occupation with a large group of people, some of whom were kind enough to give me recorded or videoed interviews, particularly Nikos Filaretos of PEAEA. Professor Antonis Liakos advised me to investigate the archives of Syros and many Greek friends have assisted with interviews. I am also grateful to Professor Claudio Pavone and Professor Ennio Di Nolfo for their suggestions and encouragement and to Professor Lucio Sponza, my teacher and friend since I was an undergraduate. I also thank my many Italian friends and colleagues who have helped me during the course of this study.