Friday, April 18, 1941 - Prime Minister of Greece commits suicide

[Louis]

Prime Minister Alexandros Koryzis assumed this role on Jan 29, 1941, when his predecessor, the dictator Ioannis Metaxas died, during the Greco-Italian War. Prior to this, he was governor of the Bank of Greece. Although largely powerless, as the government was effectively controlled by King George II, he still bore the burden of the German invasion which commenced on April 6 of the same year. Less than two weeks later, on April 18, as German troops marched towards Athens and the city was placed under martial law, he committed suicide by shooting himself. The cause of his death was initially reported to be a heart attack, probably to avoid causing mass panic in Athens.