| The Great Famine Μεγάλος Λιμός | |
|---|---|
| Country | Greece |
| Location | Most of Greece (urban, rural areas, islands) |
| Period | 1941–1942 |
| Total deaths | Est. 300,000[1][2] (mortality rate reached a peak in the winter of 1941–1942, and 150,000 just in 1941 alone)[3] Nazi claim at the time: ~70,000 |
| Relief | After the lifting of the naval blockade, the first humanitarian missions began from Turkey, with a total of 17,500 tons of food aid being supplied from the country until the end of 1946, with significant support from Turkish, Greek and other humanitarian organizations. Other neutral and non-aligned nations such as Sweden sought to also support the humanitarian effort. |
| Consequences | Deaths, lootings, destruction of Greek infrastructure and severe economic damage, and international humanitarian support |
| Preceded by | Axis invasion of Greece by Fascist Italy, Kingdom of Bulgaria and Nazi Germany, Nazi massacres, and a naval blockade by the Allied forces which caused supply shortages |
The Great Famine (Greek: Μεγάλος Λιμός, sometimes called the Grand Famine) was a period of mass starvation during the Axis occupation of Greece (1941–1944), during World War II. The local population suffered greatly during this period, while the Axis Powers initiated a policy of large-scale plunder. Requisitions, together with a blockade by the Allies, the ruined state of the country's infrastructure after the German invasion of Greece, and the emergence of a powerful and well-connected black market, resulted in the Great Famine, with the mortality rate reaching a peak during the winter of 1941–42.[4]
The resulting human suffering, and the resulting pressure from the Greek diaspora, eventually forced the Royal Navy to partially lift the blockade. Through the end of 1941, Kızılay (the Turkish Red Crescent),[5] and in the summer of 1942, the International Red Cross,[6] were able to distribute supplies in sufficient quantities with the help of several foreign and Greece-based humanitarian organizations helping with financial aid and support. The situation remained grim until the end of the Nazi occupation, and continued on a small scale until the end of the war.[4]
Voglis, 2006: p. 23 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Baranowski was invoked but never defined (see the help page).about 150,000 diein in the great famine of 1941