Orthodox Battle Hymn

Τῇ ὑπερμάχῳ στρατηγῷ
τὰ νικητήρια, ὡς λυτρωθεῖσα
τῶν δεινῶν εὐχαριστήρια,
ἀναγράφω σοι ἡ Πόλις σου
Θεοτόκε. Ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος
ἀπροσμάχητον, ἐκ παντοίων με
κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον,
ἵνα κράζω σοι· Χαῖρε, Νύμφη
ἀνύμφευτε
Ti i - per - ma - ho stra - ti - gho,
ta ni - ki - ti - ria. Os li - tro - thi -
sa ton dhi - non, ef -ha - ri - sti - ri-
a! A - na - gra - fo si i po - lis
sou, The - o - to-ke. All' os e -
hou - sa to kra – tos a - pro - sma
- hi-ton. Ek pan - di - on me kin -
dhi - non e - lef - the - ro - son. I -
nakra - zo si. Che - re, Nim - fi
a - nim - fef - te.

This day commemorates when Greek

Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas
rejected Italy’s ultimatum to Greece to
surrender the country on the 28th of
October 1940, and this began the Greco-
Italian War. In the months following,
fierce Greek resistance in Epirus
stunned the Italian forces resulting in
their failure to invade for two or three
months, forcing Germany to send troops
to join the invasion.
A Miracle of War of 1940
“Our unit of soldiers received an order
to overtake and gain elevated ground
for a bridge. As soon as we were
ready, a thick snow began to fall. It
kept snowing for over two nights and
the road became blocked. Each soldier
became so hungry we devoured all the
food left in our sacks, and quenched
our thirst from drinking the snow.
Soon our bodies became as thin as
skeletons and we began to lose hope.

Then an inspiration came from our

captain. He took out of his jacket
pocket a paper icon of the Mother of
God, the Theotokos, which he set in a
high place and invited us to come near
him. “My brave young m en!” he sai d.
‘In this crucial time only a miracle can
save us. Kneel down, entreat the
Panagia, to help us!” We fell to our
knees, lifted our hands, and said our
prayers. We di d not have time to stand
before we began hearing bells ringing!
We thought this was strange so we
grabbed our weapons to stand guard.

Not a minute passed and we saw an

enormous donkey approaching us fully
loaded! An animal without a driver to
be passing through the mountain, with
at least three feet of snow is
absolutely NOT POSSIBLE! Our Lady
the Theotokos indeed sent him! A ll
together we thanked her by chanting
quietly and full of heart the hymn
“Ti Ypermaho” (To Thee the Champion
Leader). The donkey had an entire
supply of food with him: kouramanes
(coarse army bread), cheeses,
marmalade, cognac, and other things!!!