Blog

The relationship between Greece and Germany began after the assassination of the first governor of Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias (1831). The three Great Powers (England, France, Russia), considering that the anarchy prevailing in Greece threatened the peace of European states, handed over the power of the newly formed state to Otto (son of Louis, King of Bavaria) in 1833. At the same time, they endowed him with a new loan of 60.000.0000 gold francs. Since then, the relationship between Greece and Germany has been one of love-hate, intervention, control, punishment, destruction (to the detriment of Greece), friendship and support, hostility. A situation that reminds us of the image of an evil stepmother.

In the present, we will examine the behavior of Greek politicians towards the stepmother "protector", especially during the Occupation, since it is a typical example that refers us even to the current period of the shameful Memoranda, which, as is revealed today, were imposed by the dominant Germany in Europe.

Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling, (1887 -1945) it was Norwegian officer and politician fascist beliefs. During the campaign of Nazi troops in Norway, in April of 1940, supported their invasion and, as a reward, was appointed premier in occupied Norway, since February 1942 until its end World War II, as long as the democratically elected government of Johan Nygardsvold was exiled in LondonAs prime minister, he was not at all popular with the Norwegians, who considered him a traitor and collaborator with the Occupation forces in their country.
With the end of the war and the return of the legitimate Government, Quisling was arrested and tried for high treason. Executed by excerpt at October 24 1945His surname is used in many languages ​​(and in EGreek) to declare traitors, often eloquent, hence its mention. And this is because it is particularly useful to know our history today and of course the German occupation and the stance taken at that time by a large section, literally the majority of the political personnel and a large part of the urban world of Greece (1941-1944).

The Greek Quislings in the Occupation

They were the ones that the Greek people, and history, called "Quislings", the politicians of our homeland who at that time chose open collaboration with the occupiers, even forming three occupation governments. These were the governments of General Georgios Tsolakoglou, Konstantinos Logothetopoulos and Ioannis Rallis. These three "prime ministers" were not executed after the war, as happened with Quisling, due to the magnanimity of Marshal Papagos.

These servile governments, in full and friendly cooperation with the occupying forces of the homeland, organized fascist formations, created the famous "Security Battalions" and continued the operation of the City Police, the Gendarmerie and the Special Security, in which resistance fighters, such as Electra Apostolou and the more famous Lela Karagianni, were tortured on a daily basis.
Now if anyone asks what the purpose and who the Police and the Gendarmerie served, the answer is simple and easy: Of course, the occupiers of the homeland, since the occupying troops could not only protect themselves, but also carry out acts of punishment and revenge with terrible and mass massacres of innocent Greeks.
The examples of mass massacres are so numerous that we do not need to mention the names of villages, such as Distomo, Kalavryta, in Lygiades, Ioannina, the not-so-well-known Kommeno in Arta (my place of origin) with 317 executed, including young children and infants, and so many other villages and towns in the homeland that experienced German atrocities and revenge, as they are known to everyone and have been recorded and condemned by history.
The situation we are experiencing today forces us to recall historical events with the action and attitude of the three occupation governments and their collaboration with the Germans. In reality, they were not uninvolved in what was happening to the detriment of the Greek people, but responsible and complicit just like the modern Greek governments that collaborate with the Germans, with the aim of "supposedly" saving the Greek people. And here we will refer to events concerning the political personnel of the country, which are not so well known to many and then think, compare and make the associations with the current economic nightmare that we are still experiencing.

The attitude of the political world

After the occupation of Greece by German and Italian troops, the first occupation government was formed by order of the Germans under the servile Tsolakoglou (I deliberately do not use the honorary title of general), who dared and even sent the Commander-in-Chief of the Greek Armed Forces, Marshal Papagos, with his own signature, to the Dachau camp.
In fact, most parliamentarians were ready to cooperate with the occupying forces of the homeland and would have done so if it were not for the English and the foresight of Churchill that prevented it, since, looking far ahead, he wanted to "rescue" the Greek political conservative system and establishment from betrayal and humiliation, so that British politics would have parliamentary support after the war, as it ultimately did, so that Greece would find itself under British influence, as it ultimately did in the beginning.
To understand what happened and what attitude they showed, let's see what the Athenian newspapers wrote on May 8, 1941, just a few days after the collapse of the front and the formation of the Tsolakoglou government:
«Prime Minister Tsolakoglou received yesterday the political leaders of the country, Messrs. Pagalo, Gonatan, Othonaios, K. Tsaldaris, G. Papandreou, P. Kanellopoulos, V. Diligiannis, G. Pesmatzoglou, G. Mercouris, Velezans and Per. Rallis. After the talks, the following official statement was issued to the press: 'The Prime Minister listened attentively to the opinions of these men, after he had outlined the situation and the directions to be followed by the government. Everyone recognized that the Government of National Emergency must be supported by all Greeks without reservation and sincerely.
"Also, everyone recognized the mistake of the fallen regime in declaring war on Germany and proclaimed the gap that separates Greece from the government of the fugitives settled in Crete. Many of them expressed their vivid disgust because these fugitives did not share their fate with the Greek people, whom, in addition to the calamity of the war, they stripped naked by taking away the Public Money" (K. Pyromaglou, “George Kartalis and his era”, “Historical Research” publications, pp. 136-137).

Even the Molder

Even General Plastiras, the "Black Horseman" and hero during the operations in Asia Minor, called on the people in his letter to cooperate with the conquerors of the homeland, if possible. Specifically, he wrote: "I am of the opinion that a pro-German government should be established, in order to make the defeat less painful. This should be done even if we knew that the war would end in just a few months with the complete defeat of the Axis (which is unlikely).» (KATHIMERINI, 14 September 1998).
Of course, here we should mention the subsequent political stance of some of the aforementioned, who later revised their stance and separated their positions and found themselves in the National Resistance, such as George Papandreou and General Plastiras, who assumed the political leadership of EDES.
All of the above, which are extremely revealing of the attitude and behavior of the political world of Greece during its occupation by the Axis troops in 1941. At the same time, these events also constitute a powerful shock resulting from the attitude and perceptions of the individuals in question when they called the official government [albeit unelected] that temporarily fled to Crete and then to the Middle East "fugitives."
It was also shocking when this so-called "Cairo government" was blamed for the "declaration of war against Germany", as they called the German-Italian attack against Greece, while calling on the Greek people to support the government of the sycophants, without reservations and sincerely.

The Resistance

While the Greek Cairo government, what the dosilogi called "fugitives" was almost cut off from the country, the enslaved Greeks began to look for ways to resist the conqueror. The struggle for the survival of the people was already a first spontaneous act of resistance. The people's soup kitchens, which began to operate on the initiative of the most active elements of the various professional organizations and workers' associations, constituted the first victory that the Greek people won against the conquerors.
The first resistance organization "Freedom» was founded in SKG (she was also first in Europe also), on May 15 1941, about a month after the city was captured by the German troops. An impressive blow to the occupation troops was given by the lowering of the Nazi flag from the Acropolis. On the night of May 30, 1941, two young students, the living Manolis Glezos of the Higher School of Economics and Commercial Sciences and the Apostle Santas of Law, expressing the mood of the Greek people, climb the Sacred Rock from the northwest side and, without being noticed by the German guard, approach the mast and lower the swastika.
Slowly, the people's resistance against the occupiers began to spread and organize. In 11 Σεπτεμβρίου 1941 the establishment of the National Democratic Hellenic League (EDES). The political leadership of EDES was headed by General Nikolaos Plastiras (fortunately he recovered quickly), while his military leader was taken over by General Napoleon ZervasOn September 27, 1941, the National Liberation Front (EAM) with the cooperation of the parties Communist Party of Greece, Socialist Party of Greece, Union of People's Democracy, Agrarian Party of Greece.
In October 1942 the organization was founded National and Social LiberationOther resistance groups officially recognized by the Greek state are the National SolidarityThe Panhellenic Association of Fighting Youth (PEAN), the National Democratic Union of Greek Children (EDEE), the HELLENIC GIRLThe Reserve Officers Patriotic Organization (EAPO), the Holy Brigade and the Federation of Greek Seafarers' Organizations (OENO).
Other organizations have also been National Salvation Committee, the National Salvation Front, the organization Bouboulina, the ECHR (Union of Fellow Fighters of the National Struggle) and PAO (Panhellenic Liberation Organization)^. EAM managed to become more massive than the resistance organizations.

Similarities with today

The National Resistance during the Occupation period was organized and developed promptly, dynamically and impressively by the Greek people. Taking a brief historical look back, we see the multitude of resistance organizations, of all political shades, that were created immediately after the triple occupation (German, Italian and Bulgarian in Macedonia), a sign of the will of the Greek people for resistance.
Today, when the situation continues to be dramatic for the people after nine years of Memoranda, today when the homeland is now under occupation, not only economically, but also essentially, since decisions are not made in Athens by the Greek government at the time, but in Berlin, by the Directorate there as then, which is its reaction and resistance to what the German hegemony imposed on us? What is happening to this proud and "unruly", unruly people, who were chosen to be the (economic) experimental animal of Europe and do not react to the imposed economic impoverishment, but stoically endure the sanctions?
The country has been sold out and the national property has been pledged to our creditors. And the worst of all is the flight of Greeks (the best minds) abroad, in search of a better fate. It is estimated that there are about 500.000, which means that two generations of Greeks have been lost. If we combine this with our major national issue of demographics and the upcoming demographic shrinkage of the homeland, then we should be talking about a national disaster, worse than the Asia Minor disaster, possibly on the verge of our future national annihilation.
* Ioannis Athan. Baltzoi is a Lieutenant General (ret.), former Defense Attaché in Tel Aviv, former ECMM Operations Officer in the Bosnian War, a graduate of the Tactical Intelligence School (US Army), with a Master's Degree (M.Sc.) in Geopolitical Analysis, Geostrategic Composition and Defense and International Law Studies from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Institute for Strategic Studies (ELISME).