New Documentary About Greek Heroism in World War II

Award-winning writer N.J. Slabbert, who recently co-authored the acclaimed book “Innovation: The Key To Prosperity” with famed industrialist Aris Melissaratos, has now turned his talents to the subject of Greece’s unrecognized acts of heroism in World War Two. He is producing a film on the subject, as well as a related book.

Mr. Slabbert, a former senior editor at Reader’s Digest, said in a press statement: “The Greek role in WWII has been seriously underplayed in popular culture and mainstream history. Many remarkable facts about Greek involvement in both world wars, and the events that led up to those wars and critically shaped them, remain unknown to most people. This groundbreaking film and book are intended to correct that situation. They will help to change the way Greece is perceived in 20th-century history and to ignite a renewed era of Greek pride.”

Mr. Slabbert says top-notch Hollywood talent will be involved in making the film. It will be international in scope and will feature on-screen interviews with prominent Greeks in many walks of life as well as with little-known Hellenic elders who have valuable memories of vanishing generations.

“There is a great time pressure to get this film done while these elderly witnesses are well enough to share priceless memories,” Mr. Slabbert said.

The Greeks won the first WWII battle and beat the enemy decisively, showing that the Axis powers were not invincible. One of the biggest accomplishments that played a key role for winning the war was that they delayed the Axis forces and the German attack on Russia took place much closer to the winter, when the extreme cold proved fatal to the German attacking forces. Greece had also lost about 10% of its population as a result of WWII.

Mr. Slabbert says his film about Greeks in WWII was inspired by his work on INNOVATION. “If you write about the development of science and invention, you cannot avoid dealing with the Hellenic spirit. Greek references popped up repeatedly in the extensive research that went into INNOVATION. It was thus a logical step to go from the story of invention to the story of Greece in modern times. And this story means telling the truth about Greece’s heroic, unsung and pivotal role in WWII.”

Mr. Slabbert added that because “WWII is in many ways the defining event of the 20th century, telling the real story of Greece’s role in it will open the door to a better public understanding of the entire Greek presence in modern history.”