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Book review for the book “1974. THE UNJUST”

INTRODUCTION BY LIEUTENANT GENERAL (retd.) H. KAZOUKAS

Thirty years have passed since the unfortunate military operations of 1974 on the martyred island of Cyprus. Operations that acted subversively in the entire course of the national issue of the union of the island with mother Greece. After so many years, a then-young leader, Brigadier General E.A. K. Argyropoulos, member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Society for Strategic Studies (HELESME), who lived on the battlefield and fought as a loyal soldier in the effort to repel the landing of Turkish troops, dares and exposes, after openly expressing his actions, positive and negative, his "passions" in a book of testimony: "1974. THE UNJUST…..” The "UNJUSTICED" suffered, but were not redeemed. They challenge the truth. They await the debt of justice. The presentation of the book took place on December 13th at the cinema of the municipality of PAPAGO and under its auspices. During the presentation, members of the Company's Board of Directors also spoke, among others. Excerpts from the speeches are listed below. PRESENTATION UNDER A CONTRACTOR n.a. CHR. MOUSTAKIS, Honorary Commander of the 1st Army. I feel particularly happy that I am given the opportunity to present the book of a worthy colleague, Kostas Argyropoulos, with whom I served for a long time in the past, and with whom I have also collaborated for many years within the framework of EL.E.S.M.E. I consider it appropriate to briefly refer to the author's personality, because I believe that this helps the reader understand the writings. He is gifted with high intellectual and artistic abilities. Excellent manipulator of speech. He has the gift of capturing his thoughts and opinions with great skill, either in treatises, studies and literary texts, or in paintings. He is a fanatical Greek and suffers seeing the situation to which the Greeks, and especially the youth, have been led by the tyrants. He tries, to the best of his ability, to intervene to reverse things. In matters of principles and ideas, he is uncompromising and unyielding. He is high-minded, he believes deeply in the mission of the Officer and the ED. and he is of the opinion that the Officer Corps can offer a lot to the country, provided that the Officers themselves believe it and fight to get out of the quagmire of disrespect to which the establishment has led them. He is honest and has the courage of his opinion. During his active service he was excellent. He was distinguished for his rich leadership qualities and his great passion for the army. He cared for his subordinates with fatherly interest. He had a passion for the training and readiness of the Unit. There he gave his all without counting effort or time, day or night. He always performed it in combat conditions with live fire. His department was always ready for war. He assumed his own responsibilities, but also those of his subordinates. He had high demands on himself and judged his actions very strictly. In all his actions, he looked for mistakes to downplay his successes and remain grounded. After this, I move on to our main topic, which is the presentation of the book entitled “1974. THE UNJUST." As can be understood from the title, this book aims to highlight a serious omission by the Greek state, but also by the Greek people, and to remind them of their self-evident duty, namely to recognize and pay due honors to all those pure Greeks (Hellenic and Cypriots) who fought in Cyprus, regardless of whether they fell, are missing, are wounded or survivors. The characterization of his work as a historical novel, I believe, is very successful, because it allows him to invest the events with his emotions, to connect them with the past, and to express his thoughts, assessments, and anxieties about the observed decline in the mindset of the Greeks, of Hellenism as he writes, accepting that there is no such word. And he does all of this in an impressive way, presenting them either as thoughts or conversations of his characters. If someone who knows nothing about Cyprus were to read the book, they would consider it a novel with an amazing plot. The vividness of the description and the suspense that the myth creates fascinates the reader, captivates him and forces him to read it breathlessly to see the ending. It is precisely this psychological state of the reader that the author exploits to convey his messages, and I believe he succeeds. The descriptions of the events are so fascinating that the reader identifies with the heroes and sympathizes with them. And when he finishes the book, he has the feeling that he was there too, that he fought with them and suffered as much as they did. The novel stars a Lieutenant of the National Guard, Orestis Machos, who recounts his experiences from the Cyprus War in 1974. We hear him recount his anxieties, as well as those of all the officers and men of his Unit on the eve of the invasion, praising his Commander and those others who took the initiative and, despite the order of the General Staff of the National Guard, dispersed their Units and saved them from the Turkish bombardment, and wondering how much better things would have been if the same had happened in Kyrenia and the TO and the two MPPs there had not been destroyed. We watch him receive the PAO 106 thousand. from the Replenishment Mission warehouse to the ELDYK camp which had been destroyed by the bombing and was still being attacked by mortar fire. We see him moving from 19.00:20 on July 1974, 8, at the head of 106 PAO XNUMX km. towards Kyrenia and arriving there at around 17.00:XNUMX p.m. amidst a chaotic and uncontrollable situation and without any contact. We watch him move towards the base following orders from the Group Commander, who was unaware of the tactical situation and that the only company facing the bridgehead had withdrawn and was being trapped by the Turks. We participate with him in the dramatic battle that follows, we hear his orders, we see his movements, the destruction of 4 PAOs, 2 Turkish tanks and in the end we are relieved when he manages to free his division despite having lost 50% of the personnel. We also participate in the battle, by appointment, at 10.00:22 on 7/1974/106 between a company of the Hellenic Army and three XNUMXth Infantry Divisions of the Machos with a Turkish tank and infantry formation which had begun the operation to capture Kyrenia. We experience the complete destruction of the Greek sections and we run with the survivors to the outskirts of the city and fortify themselves in a building, along with his classmate Lieutenant Rokas, which soon turns into Dante's hell. We are left breathless watching their heroic escape and the final salvation of only six of the 15 who were left alive at the time of the escape. We hear him often wondering about what is happening and trying to explain the actions of the higher echelons. We experience with him the events of the second phase of the invasion, but also the drama of the Cypriots and the National Guards after the end of the war. We hear him recount many heroic exploits of lesser leaders that others told him. The author, through this book, asks through the mouth of the protagonist, Lieutenant Orestes Machos: ¾ That the contribution of the fighters of Cyprus, living and dead, be recognized and that they be given the honors and war decorations they deserve, because the awarding of a commemorative medal is not an honor but rather an insult. (They deserve the war decorations they are entitled to based on the proposals of their superiors, under whose orders they fought). Only in this way will the UNJUSTICES of 1974 be satisfied. ¾ The word treason should stop being heard for the warriors of Cyprus because they all fought heroically and did their duty regardless of whether some, and even himself, made wrong assessments and wrong actions. It is not their fault, but those who misled them with false information and those who left them helpless, because they did not believe in victory. ¾ The whispers against the Greek Cypriot National Guards that they were supposedly cowards and did not fight should stop. In those departments where there was reliable leadership, they remained in their positions and even sacrificed their lives. ¾ It should be understood that the destruction of Cyprus was the complacency and belief cultivated by the leadership that the allies would not allow any action against it, and for this reason our foreign policy must be unhooked from foreign dependencies and Greece must cease to be "DEPENDENT" (here's another new word). ¾ To remember their origins (Greeks) and find their identity. They need to look for new Kolokotronis, Botsareos, Karaiskakis, Miaoulis and make them leaders. ¾ Strengthen the EDs. and to restore the prestige of the Officers. ¾ To address the problem of illegal immigrants based on national interest and economic criteria. I believe that this book, in addition to being able to serve as a historical document, could be a useful aid for all executives, especially low-ranking ones, because it contains many useful lessons. In conclusion, I would like to add that, in my opinion, what is presented in the book are the real events as experienced or at least as perceived by the author's source, the Fighter, with the psychology of the fighter and the fear of mortals. There is no attempt to heroize anyone or to absolve themselves of responsibilities and shift them to others. There is also no evidence of intent to stigmatize anyone. Even for those who are criticized, mitigating factors are sought, such as: for someone who says: "It is not possible that he did not inform or ask for reinforcements, but for some reason he did not receive them." Finally, I respond to Machos, who wonders in the epilogue whether he did right or wrong, that in my opinion he did the right thing. In the circumstances he found himself in, he couldn't have done anything better. Warm congratulations, Kostas, and keep writing. You can do it!!! PRESENTATION BY REVERSE ADMIRAL n.a. C. DEMESTIHA P.N. Honorary Fleet Commander It is a special honor to be invited to today's event, to present, to a distinguished audience, the book of the late Admiral Taxiarchos. Konstantinos Argyropoulos with the title "1974 – The Unjust". Those present today constitute the select, I would say special audience, because many of you experienced/we experienced the Cyprus struggle in its various phases and many of you remain "unjustified" because the Greek State judged it so. Only some Municipalities (such as the Municipality of Papagou) and some Communities honored the young men (Officers - Non-Commissioned Officers - Soldiers) who sacrificed their lives either in the events of 1964, or 1974, or in 1996 in Imia. The state remained indifferent, as if it were not its children who were sacrificed or injured in Cyprus, and timidly, as if ashamed, gave some people commemorative medals and belatedly took some inadequate financial measures for the families of the victims. The book "1974 - The Unjust" is a testament to the soul of a then young Lieutenant, Orestis Machos and current Taxiarch Konstantinos Argyropoulos, with whom I have had the honor of collaborating in the Hellenic Army for several years and thus being able to appreciate his diverse qualifications, among which his frankness, his education, modesty, hard work, resourcefulness and other qualifications stand out, which make him an invaluable collaborator within our Society who, with the few means at his disposal, tries to promote ideas which, if utilized, may be useful in addressing some of the country's problems. In this effort, Orestis Machos remains the persistent fighter of '74 and exploits and fights for every idea and position that is considered nationally correct. The book "1974 - The Unjust" records in pleasant and descriptive language, in detail, the events of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, as experienced personally by Lieutenant Orestis Machos, what he, his men and his colleagues faced, all of whom consciously (as he states) and despite any prejudice of their later critics, gave themselves - as complete and ready as they felt - for the homeland. In this brief presentation of the book, I will avoid referring to individuals. History, by cross-referencing what has been published from time to time with official documents and testimonies, will place everyone who participated in the events of that period in the position they deserve. Thirty years after the Turkish invasion in 1974, the Cyprus file remains closed. In the dark remain the events and actions that led to this national disaster, in the dark also remain the brave actions that undoubtedly took place during the tragic events of July and August of '74, while some with appropriate public relations have called themselves heroes for actions that have not been recorded. Everything that happened during that tragic period will see the light of day someday. But why couldn't this once upon a time be yesterday so that we could learn from the suffering and not repeat the same mistakes in similar cases? Mistakes in '74 in Cyprus, mistakes in the Imia crisis in '96. Some factors are common in both cases, while the state turned its back on the dead heroes. The book "1974 - The Unjust" is a Historical/Critical - Human book and has been written with Modesty; I would say Humility. The book is Historical because it accurately describes what Lieutenant Orestes Machos saw and experienced with his men, during Attila 1, when with the PAO elements they moved from Nicosia to Kyrenia where they found themselves next to the landing beach and clashed, even by contact, with the Turkish invaders, as well as during Attila 2 in the Nicosia area and further south. The movements of his unit, the attempt to carry out the orders, the failures in gaining contact with units to which it was to join, and amidst all this, the adverse conditions in which it was operating under fire from the Turkish Air Force and the Turkish invaders, the high temperatures due to summer, and the composition of his section where most of his men were conscripts are described with precision. Through all of this, the obsession with the goal is highlighted, namely how the opponent will be beaten, in what best way the Warrior and his men will contribute to the fight for victory. The book recounts with precision (in place and time) what was observed from the actions of the friendly units to which the Combatant's unit was either placed at the disposal or collaborated, as well as the actions of the enemy tank and soldier units with which it came into contact. In any case, the 40 chapters of the book contain both the author's thoughts at the time, as well as thoughts and mainly judgments and comparisons that he made later. The author is insightful and tries to express the situations not only as he himself experienced them as the head of the unit, but also as his subordinates experienced them. He still tries, between some events, to understand the psychology of the Turkish enemy, since in some cases he found himself side by side. He gives examples of the foresight of his superiors who took the initiative without orders, saved material and personnel by moving their unit in a timely manner, but also of frivolity when unverified information was taken as real with results that cost losses during the course of events. He mentions the strategic surprise they suffered, despite widespread information about an imminent Turkish invasion, but also the hesitation of the Turkish troops to move from the landing beach during the initial phases and after their initial establishment in the limited bridgehead they created. It gives examples of poor coordination between our forces, but also points out mistakes made by the enemy, some of which were exploited by the Greek forces. The book is Human. In any case, there is this young Lieutenant's concern for his men. He understands the fears that every soldier has, he worries like every leader, young or old, setting an example for his men so that each time his unit is installed where he himself judges to be the most suitable location for attacking the enemy. He justifies on several occasions the unjustified orders he received that turned out to be incorrect. He encourages his men, awaits the help that will come to Cyprus from Greece, is anxious and disappointed, but without changing his purpose. He himself is injured, remains unconscious, gets up alone and worries about the men and valuables of PAO. He bends over dead men and feels remorse, wondering what he did wrong, he sends his wounded men forward for treatment and buries his dead soldier in the soil of Cyprus. And he always worries. What didn't he do well? You did everything well, excellently, Lieutenant Orestes Macho. You developed initiative when it was not possible to establish communication with superior units, you advanced and came into direct contact with the enemy where you expected to find friendly units, you attacked the enemy with everything you had. The author ponders whether, with today's devaluation of values, the pleasure-seeking, it is possible to have a fighter worthy of the battlefield. The brave Greek exists today and will be ready for sacrifices, like the ancients, as long as there is preparation, we get rid of the complacency that there will be no war, we decide that the defense of our sovereign rights is above all else, and of course there is concern and actions that will raise the morale of both the people and the army. The book is Modest. The author praises everyone else except himself. He was the leader of his unit. The attack on the enemy, personnel and tanks, was carried out by the PAO elements of the unit he commanded. The author rejoices in the actions of his colleagues from other units and at the same time is concerned that he may have omitted some action. The author is a harsh judge of himself, while quickly going over, without comment, brave decisions he made and actions he took, and he gets angry with himself when he is left on the ground, beaten, and tries to catch his breath to see what happens to his unit. The children of Greece were ready to fight, to sacrifice and to win. However, victory requires preparation with leadership responsibility and determination. These elements were missing in '74, but allow me to say, also in subsequent cases of Turkish claims. When the leadership believes that there are only crises and that ultimately there will be no war (since there will be the God of the machine who will not allow it), then the people and the army are surprised by the opponent who now gains the initiative and, especially when the opponent is strong, ultimately imposes his will. After the operations of '74, the rule governing the officers of the Greek Armed Forces continued. Those who fought were quickly removed from active service without moral rewards, without widespread recognition for their actions. They are "the unjust." Those who did not take risks, as a rule, advanced to leadership positions. We need to recognize and honor those who pushed forward, but also to recognize the few who were left behind. The correct presentation of the facts will help in drawing useful conclusions and at the same time, responsibilities and justification will be distributed. Knowing the whole truth, perhaps those in charge today will understand that instead of promoting the partition of Cyprus by perpetuating the situation of '74, other methods should be promoted that will lead to a solution to the Cyprus problem. No need for dogmatic pronouncements. Since there cannot be an acceptable political solution, prudent silent preparation is needed so that we are in a position to promote a just solution when the right conditions arise. History teaches that at some point the right conditions are created. We just have to believe that Cyprus is close, it is next to us. There the soil of enslaved Northern Cyprus has been watered with Greek blood, there in Cyprus the Greek soldier, sailor, and airman showed the complete love, loyalty, and devotion they have for the Homeland. The dead heroes of '74 and '64 are buried in the Makedonitissa tomb and in the old cemetery of Nicosia. A sacred pilgrimage for all of us with Pentadaktylos groaning under the huge flag of the conquerors drawn on the sacred soil to declare their presence. "The Unjust" are present and the dead often speak louder than the living, as long as we are willing to listen to them and vindicate them with actions that will show that we are worthy descendants of heroic ancestors and that we want to maintain a strong Greece that protects Hellenism.