 On 28 October 1940, Italy invaded Greece, initiating the Greco-Italian War as part of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's expansionist ambitions.The Greek army quickly defeated the Italians and pushed them back to Albania.Less than two weeks later, the Italian fleet was badly damaged in the British Raid on Taranto, which significantly reduced the threat the Italian "Regia Marina" posed to the Greek fleet.