Figure 1.--These three villagers from the village of Distomo were some of the few survivors of the massacre in 1944. This photograph was taken in 1945. The boy has a handwoven bag (tagari) the typical bag of villagers up to 1950s. Photo by Kostas Balafas.

The German reaction was brutal beyond description. I am unsure to what extent the German and Italian reprisals, if any, differed. One historian argues that the German occupation forces prepared or trained in occupation and counter-insurgency tacticsAs a result, they were ill-prepared to conduct an effective counter-insurgeny campaign against the partisans. The German tactics consisted largely of hostage-taking, reprisals, and collective punishments. The Germans attempted to cow villagers by mass executions. These shootings were based on a policy of collective civilian responsibility for Resistance operations. While these policies could and were used to compile a large body count, they did not achieve the objective of defeating or stopping the Resistance. Normally the German reprisals fell on civilians that had little or no connection to the Resistance. The reprisals did, however, create new recruits for the Resistance. [Mazower] There wer many actions against Greek villages near Resistance actions. One especially vicious action was the masacre of the villagers at Komeno (August 1943). Others reprisals include Mikro Chorio (1943) and Distomo (1944). Normally large numbers of Greek civilians were executed for every German killed. The ratio varried. To expedite these reprisals, the Germans often arrested civilians in advance who could then be convemiently executed. There were also reprisals on villages in the country, but these envolved major operations. The Germans carried out brutal reprisals in both the country side and cities, usually executing men and women unconnected to the attacks.

German and Italian Reprisals

The German reaction was brutal beyond description. I am unsure to what extent the German and Italian reprisals, if any, differed.

Axis Preparation

One historian argues that the German occupation forces prepared or trained in occupation and counter-insurgency tacticsAs a result, they were ill-prepared to conduct an effective counter-insurgeny campaign against the partisans. [Mazower]

German Orders

As the Ressistance began to carry out attacks, the response of the Occupation forces was immediate. Field Marshal Keitel early in the occupation on September, 16m 1941, fixed reprisal ratios from 50 up to 100 Greeks and other occupied people to 1 German. The lower number was if the German was only wounded. Keitel on December 16, 1942, following direct instructions from Hitler ordered: "... The troops are therefore authorised and ordered in this struggle to take any measures without restriction even against women and children if these are necessary for success. [Humanitarian] considerations of any kind are a crime against the German nation..." Many of the women and children of resistance, of EPON and "Aetopoula" were therefore arrested, interrogated and executed. After the German surrender in May 1945, Keitel was arrested as a war criminal. He was found guilty at the Nuremberg trials and hanged.

Reprisal Tactics

The German tactics consisted largely of hostage-taking, reprisals, and collective punishments. The Germans attempted to cow villagers by mass executions. These shootings were based on a policy of collective civilian responsibility for Resistance operations. While these policies could and were used to compile a large body count, they did not achieve the objective of defeating or stopping the Resistance. Normally the German reprisals fell on civilians that had little or no connection to the Resistance. The reprisals did, however, create new recruits for the Resistance. [Mazower] There wer many actions against Greek villages near Resistance actions. Normally large numbers of Greek civilians were executed for every German killed. The ratio varried. To expedite these reprisals, the Germans often arrested civilians in advance who could then be convemiently executed. There were also reprisals on villages in the country, but these envolved major operations. The Germans carried out brutal reprisals in both the country side and cities, usually executing men and women unconnected to the attacks.

Reprisal Actions

There were numerous German reprisal actions. As the occupation continued and the Resistance gew in strenth and carried out more attacks. The number and intensity of the German reprisals escalated. The reversals on the Eastern Front and the approach of the Red Army undoubtedly affected thhe German tactics. Another factor was the difficulties associated with large-scale anti-guerilla operations. The inability of the Germans to conduct decisive miklitary operations against the guerillas left them with expedient od simply taking our vicious reprisals on innocent and easily targeted civiians. One especially vicious action was the masacre of the villagers at Komeno (August 1943). Others reprisals include Mikro Chorio (1943) and Distomo (1944).

Sources

Chiclet, Christophe. Les communistes grecs dans la guerre (Paris: L'Harmattan, 1987)

Mazower, Mark. Inside Hitler's Greece: The Experience of Occupation, 1941-1944 (Yale University Press, 1993), 437p.

Chiclet, Christophe. Les communistes grecs dans la guerre (Paris: L'Harmattan, 1987)

Van Boeschoten, Ricki. Perasame polles bores koritsi mou... (Athens: Plethron, 1998).

Created: March 20, 2003
Last updated: March 21, 2003