TheGreekislandofKefalonawasgarrisonedbyanItaliandivisionwhenthearmisticebetweenItalyandtheAlliesweremadepublicon8September1943.MostItalianforceswerequicklydisarmedbyGermantroops.
GeneralAntonioGandin,incommandoftheKefalonadivision,receivedfromtheGermansanultimatum:hisdivisionwastoeitherdisobeyordersandcontinuethewaralongsidetheGermans,bedisarmedandtreatedasprisonersofwar,orfight.Gandindecidedtohaveallthe12500soldiersunderhiscommandchoosetheanswertotheultimatumviapopularvote.Themajoritychosetostandandfightdespiteknowingthattheyhadnochance.Thedivision,strandedonanislandandcompletelysurrounded,wentdownquicklyandbrutally.Thenumberofsurvivorsisestimatedtobeinthelowhundreds.
一九四三年九月八日，義大利和同盟國停戰協定公布。當時義大利一師軍隊正駐守希臘咖法羅那島，而各地義大利部隊都迅速被德軍解除武裝。
咖法羅那島駐軍指揮官安東尼奧．岡丹將軍接到德軍最後通牒：他的軍隊一是抗命，繼續和德軍並肩作戰；一是由德軍解除武裝，當作戰俘；一是和德軍兵戎相見。岡丹決定由手下全體一萬二千五百名將士投票，選擇怎樣回答這通牒。將士明知必敗，但大部分還是寧願奮起一戰。他們困守島上，遭四面包圍，在德軍殘酷的砲火下，不久就大敗，生還者估計只有二三百人。