An ELAS guerilla

Greek People's Liberation Army (Greek: Ελληνικός Λαϊκός Απελευθερωτικός Στρατός, Ellinikos Laïkos Apeleftherotikos Stratos), abbreviated to ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM) during the period of the Greek Resistance until February of 1945. The National Liberation Front (EAM) (Greek: , Ethniko Apeleftherotiko Metopo) was the main movement of the Greek Resistance during the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II. It was founded in 27 September 1941 by representatives of four left-wing parties : Lefteris Apostolou for the Communist Party of Greece (KKE... An ELAS fighter The Greek Resistance (Greek: , i. ...

Birth of ELAS

After Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union with the initiation of Operation Barbarossa (June 22, 1941 — with most of Greece having fallen under Axis occupation since April and the Battle of Crete having ended on June 1 — the Greek Communist Party (KKE) was the first communist party to call for national resistance (documented in two letters by Nikolaos Zachariadis and Central Committee decisions) in 1940. The duty was heavier from the moment that Hitler invaded the USSR. The KKE together with minor parties of the Left formed a political structure called the National Liberation Front. They were joined by other, center-left or non-politicised Greek resistance militants. Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Combatants Germany Romania Finland Italy Hungary Slovakia  Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Fedor von Bock Gerd von Rundstedt Heinz Guderian Günther von Kluge Franz Halder Maresal Ion Antonescu C.G.E. Mannerheim Giovanni Messe, CSIR Italo Garibaldi, ARMIR Joseph Stalin Kliment Voroshilov Semyon Timoshenko Fyodor... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... German soldiers raising the Reich War Flag over the Acropolis. ... Combatants Greece United Kingdom New Zealand Australia Germany Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength United Kingdom: 15,000 Greece: 11,000 Australia: 7,100 New Zealand: 6,700 Total: 40,000 (10,000 without fighting capability. ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... KKE sticker The Communist Party of Greece, better known by its acronym KKE (Greek: Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας, Kommunistiko Komma Elladas), is the major communist party in Greece. ... Nikolaos Zachariadis ( 1903- 1973) has been the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece ( KKE) from 1931 to 1956. ...

ELAS initiated actions against the German and Italian forces of occupation in Greece on 7 June 1942. Aris Velouchiotis with a small group of 10-15 guerrillas entered the village of Domnista in Evrytania and proclaimed in front of the surprised villagers that they had set off to "start the war against the forces of Axis and their local collaborators". is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aris Velouchiotis (Άρης Βελουχιώτης), (August 27, 1905-June 16, 1945, real name Thanassis Klaras/Θανάσης Κλάρας) was a prominent leader of the communist segment of Greek guerrilla resistance during World War II which was followed by the Greek Civil War. ... Guerilla may refer to Guerrilla warfare. ... Domnista (Δομνίστα) is a municipality in Evrytania, Greece. ... Evritania, Evrytania (Greek: Ευρυτανία), rarely/Latin: Eurytania is one of the fifty-one prefectures of Greece. ... This article is about the independent states that comprised the Axis powers. ...

Velouchiotis at first was addressed to the traditional "listes" (mountain living bandits, armed against police and state) like Karalivanos, in order to create a small group of experts in guerilla fighting and survival in the harsh mountain conditions. Later, when ELAS (a name that sounds like Hellas; Greece) grew bigger, was addressing to farmers and village people in a very simple way: a uniformed officer (usually a low-rank officer of the Hellenic Army) visited a village, asked for the presence of the village priest and addressed to the people said "ELAS needs you" (a pun on the similar sounding words "Hellas" and ELAS). This article is about the land force of the modern nation of Greece. ... Greece, formally called the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία), is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. ...

Consolidation of strength

Gorgopotamos

A night in September 1942, a small group of British SOE officers parachuted into Greece near Mt. Giona. This group, led by Brigadier Eddie Myers, had been tasked to blow up one of three bridges (Gorgopotamos, Papadia or Asopos) of the country's main railway line, and to get the two main, but competing, guerrilla groups of ELAS and EDES to cooperate. The Special Operations Executive (SOE), sometimes referred to as the Baker Street Irregulars after Sherlock Holmess fictional group of spies, was a World War II organization initiated by Winston Churchill and Hugh Dalton in July 1940 as a mechanism for conducting warfare by means other than direct military engagement. ... Gorgopotamos (Γοργοπόταμος) is a municipality in Phthiotis, Greece. ... The National Republican Greek League (Greek: , Ethnikos Dimokratikos Ellinikos Syndesmos, abbreviated EDES) was a World War II Greek resistance movement. ...

After much deliberation, the Gorgopotamos bridge was chosen due to the difficulty of making repairs to the structure. But, for the mission to succeed, it was important to meet the guerrillas. Dimos Karalivanos, an ELAS guerrilla, was the first guerrilla the British found. At the end of October a second group of British officers was parachuted into the Greek mountains. Their leaders were Themis Marinos and Colonel Christopher Woodhouse. Their mission was to locate the guerrillas of EDES and their leader Napoleon Zervas, who were friendlier to the British Headquarters of the Middle-East than the ELAS, and co-operate with them. The resulting mission was a challenge for the two guerrilla groups, EDES and ELAS. Finally, they agreed to collaborate. British did not favour the participation of ELAS, because it was a pro-communist group, but the forces of ELAS were larger and better organised, and without their participation, the mission was likely to fail. So, in a rare and unique event, ELAS and EDES-EOEA joined forces. Christopher Woodhouse might refer to: Christopher Montague Woodhouse, 5th Baron Terrington (1917–2001), Conservative Member of Parliament for Oxford 1959–1966 and 1970–1974 Christopher Woodhouse, 6th Baron Terrington (born 1946), urologist Category: ... Napoleon Zervas ( Arta, May 17, 1891 - 1957) was a Greek general and resistance leader during World War II. He organized and led the National Republican Greek League (EDES), a resistance organization against the Nazi occupation of Greece. ... Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos (ELAS) (Greek Εθνικός Λαϊκός Απελευθερωτικός Στράτος (ΕΛΑΣ) National Popular Liberation Army) was the military arm of the Ethniko Apeleftherotiko Metopo (ELAM) during the period of the Greek Resistance and the Greek Civil War. ...

On November 14, the 12 British saboteurs, the forces of ELAS (150 men) and those of EDES (60-65 men) met in the village Viniani in Evrytania and the operation started. Ten days later, the forces were at Gorgopotamos. On the night of November 25, at 23:00, the guerrillas started the attack against the Italian garrison. The Italians were startled, and after little resistance, they were defeated. After the defeat of the Italians, the saboteurs set the explosives. ELAS forces also had placed ambushes on the routes towards the bridge, to block the approach of Italian reinforcements. The explosion occurred at 03:00. Afterwards, the guerrillas' forces returned to Viniani, to celebrate the success of the mission. is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Viniani (Βίνιανη) is a municipality in Evrytania, Greece. ... Evritania, Evrytania (Greek: Ευρυτανία), rarely/Latin: Eurytania is one of the fifty-one prefectures of Greece. ... Viniani (Βίνιανη) is a municipality in Evrytania, Greece. ...

The destruction of the Gorgopotamos bridge was, along with the Norwegian heavy water sabotage in Rjukan, one of the two biggest guerrilla acts in occupied Europe. The blowing up of the bridge disrupted the German transportation of ammunition via Greece to Rommel's forces for several weeks, taking place at a time where the German forces in North Africa, retreating after the defeat of El Alamein, were in absolute necessity of provisions. The Vemork hydroelectric plant, site of ammonia production with a militarily important byproduct, heavy water. ... Rommel is the family name of Eddie Rommel baseball pitcher; Erwin Rommel (German Field Marshal), and his son Manfred Rommel (former Mayor of Stuttgart). ... For the Battle of Alam Halfa, which is also often termed the Second Battle of El Alamein, see Battle of Alam Halfa Combatants British Eighth Army: United Kingdom Australia New Zealand South Africa India Panzer Army Africa: Nazi Germany Fascist Italy Commanders Bernard Montgomery Erwin Rommel Strength 220,000 men...

From 1942 to 1943: the turning point

The blowing up of Gorgopotamos bridge favored ELAS. Soon, lots of the inhabitants of the villages of Central Greece became members of ELAS. Furthermore, people sympathised the ELAS guerrillas because they weren't helped by the British ^{[citation needed]} in contrast with EDES. When 25 guerrillas deserted from ELAS, Aris Velouchiotis went to Epirus to threaten Napoleon Zervas not to come in touch with them. Later, the 25 deserters were arrested and executed in the village of Sperhiada. The winter of 1942, ELAS groups were formed in other Greek regions, like Thessaly and Macedonia. In Central Greece, Aris Velouchiotis succeeded to form a powerful semi-conventional army which could attack German and Italian forces. Aris became a legendary figure who imposed an iron discipline in ELAS. At the same time, some members of ELAS (Periklis, Tasos Leuterias, Diamantis, Nikiforos, Thiseas, Dimos Karalivanos, Belis) have been discerned during the battles. Aris Velouchiotis formed a group of 30-35 men, called "Mavroskoufides" (the "black berets"), who were his personal guards. During the winter of 1942-1943, new units of ELAS were composed in many regions of Greece. Some areas in the mountains of Central Greece passed from the control of Axis forces to that of ELAS. Central Greece (Greek: Στερεά Ελλάδα - Stereá Elláda) is one of the thirteen peripheries of Greece. ... Aris Velouchiotis (Άρης Βελουχιώτης), (August 27, 1905-June 16, 1945, real name Thanassis Klaras/Θανάσης Κλάρας) was a prominent leader of the communist segment of Greek guerrilla resistance during World War II which was followed by the Greek Civil War. ... Napoleon Zervas ( Arta, May 17, 1891 - 1957) was a Greek general and resistance leader during World War II. He organized and led the National Republican Greek League (EDES), a resistance organization against the Nazi occupation of Greece. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map showing Thessaly periphery in Greece Thessaly (Θεσσαλια; modern Greek Thessalía; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. ... Aris Velouchiotis (Άρης Βελουχιώτης), (August 27, 1905-June 16, 1945, real name Thanassis Klaras/Θανάσης Κλάρας) was a prominent leader of the communist segment of Greek guerrilla resistance during World War II which was followed by the Greek Civil War. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the independent states that comprised the Axis powers. ...

At this time, the leadership of KKE told Aris to come in Athens for talks about the future of ELAS. In fact, this was a plan to isolate ELAS from its captain, because the leaders of the KKE did not agree with Aris. One reason was that Aris had signed a statement of denunciation of KKE, while jailed and tortured in Corfu by the Ioannis Metaxas dictatorship, which had resulted to his release from prison. KKE wanted to impose communist general Stefanos Sarafis as ELAS' leader ^{[citation needed]}, but this didn't happen. Finally the leadership of ELAS had this form: Aris Velouchiotis was its actual leader (captain), Stefanos Sarafis was the military leader and Andreas Tzimas (Vasilis Samariniotis) was the political leader. Pontikonisi island in the background with the Vlaheraina Monastery in the foreground. ... Ioannis Metaxas (Greek Ιωάννης Μεταξάς, April 12, 1871 – January 29, 1941) was a Greek General and the Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. ... Stefanos Sarafis (Greek: , 1890 - 31 May 1957) was an officer of the Hellenic Army who played an important role during the Greek Resistance. ...

Two events of great importance took place in this period. KKE, after passing great difficulties, succeeded in reorganizing its groups destroyed by Metaxas. Lots of members were recruited and with the help of ELAS, which became the largest partisan army in Greece, KKE became the largest political organization in Greece with almost 100,000 members and supporters^{[citation needed]}. The second great event was the foundation of the United Panhellenic Organization of Youth (EPON) (Greek: Ενιαία Πανελλαδική Οργάνωση Νέων).

Two years after its foundation, ELAS' military strength had grown from the small group of fighters in Domnitsa to more than 50.000 guerrillas[1], almost 50.000 members[2][3] and more than 1.500.000 supporters[4], being one of the largest resistance groups formed in Europe, similar to the French Maquis and the Yugoslavian Partisans. Maquis is a type of high ground in southeastern France]] covered with scrub growth. ... Yugoslav Partisan Flag The Yugoslav Partisans were one of the two main resistance movements engaged in the fight against the Axis forces in the Balkans during World War II, alongside rival Chetniks, the Yugoslav Peoples Liberation War. ...

The "Mountain Government"

Main article: Political Committee of National Liberation

In 10 March 1944 the EAM-ELAS, now in control of most of the country, established the Political Committee of National Liberation (PEEA), widely known as the "Mountain Government" (Greek: Κυβέρνηση του βουνού), in effect a third Greek government to rival the collaborationist one in Athens and the government-in-exile in Cairo. Its aims, according to its founding Act, were, "to intensify the struggle against the conquerors (...) for full national liberation, for the consolidation of the independence and integrity of our country (...) and for the annihilation of domestic fascism and armed traitor formations." The Political Committee of National Liberation (Greek: , Politiki Epitropi Ethikis Apeleftherosis (PEEA)) was a communist-dominated government established in Greece in 1944 in opposition to both the collaborationist German-controlled government at Athens and to the royal government-in-exile in Cairo. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Political Committee of National Liberation (Greek: , Politiki Epitropi Ethikis Apeleftherosis (PEEA)) was a communist-dominated government established in Greece in 1944 in opposition to both the collaborationist German-controlled government at Athens and to the royal government-in-exile in Cairo. ...

Antagonism with other resistance groups — first phase of the Civil War

ELAS became the strongest of all resistance armed organizations, controlling by 1944 three-fifths of the country, and it engaged in battles against all non-communist resistance fighters, besides the para-military forces of the collaborationist government. EAM began to attack the National Republican Greek League (EDES) on unfounded accusations of collaboration with the Germans; the real reason behind the attacks was that, as the outcome of the war was becoming inevitable, EAM-ELAS wanted to secure armed dominance in post-war Greece. This situation led to triangular battles among ELAS, EDES and the Germans. Given the support of the British and the Greek Cairo Government for EDES, these conflicts precipitated a civil war. In October 1943 ELAS launched major attacks against its rivals, particularly EDES, precipitating a civil war across many parts of Greece which continued until February 1944, when the British agents in Greece negotiated a ceasefire (the Plaka agreement); ELAS broke the agreement by murdering the EKKA resistance group leader, Dimitrios Psaros. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Security Battalions (Greek: Τάγματα Ασφαλείας, Tágmata Asfalías) were Greek collaborationist military groups, formed during World War II in order to support the German occupation troops. ... The National Republican Greek League (Greek: , Ethnikos Dimokratikos Ellinikos Syndesmos, abbreviated EDES) was a World War II Greek resistance movement. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

List of important ELAS battles

ELAS fought against the occupation forces in many battles, which include:

• The battle of Ryka (40 Italians killed),
• The battle of Mikro Horio (70 Italians killed),
• The battle of Gorgopotamos,
• The battle of Fardycambos.
• The battle of Saradaporo (155 Germans killed)
• The battle of Porta (many Italians killed)

List of famous ELAS guerillas

Famous ELAS guerillas included:

• Aris Velouchiotis (Thanassis Klaras)
• Stefanos Sarafis
• Markos Vafiadis
• Charilaos Florakis
• Kostoulas Agrafiotis (Nikos Kavretzos)
• Nikiforos (Dimitrios Dimitriou)
• Periklis (Giorgos Houliaras)
• Thanos (Fotis Mastrokostas)
• Pelopidas (Pandelis Laskos)
• Diamantis (Yannis Alexandrou)
• Ahilleas (Lambros Koubouras)
• Leuteris (Leuteris Tsiliyannis)
• Lambros (Spiros Bekios)
• Nakos Belis
• Dimos Karalivanos
• Boukouvalas (Dimitrios Tasos)
• Kozakas (Thomas Pallas)
• Smolikas (Nikos Xinos)
• Tasos Lefterias (Vangelis Papadakis)
• Javellas (Yannis Aggeletos)
• Ermis (Vasilis Priovolos)
• Papa-Holevas
• Papa-Anypomonos (Priest Germanos Dimakos)
• Gerasimos Avgeropoulos
• Andreas Zacharopoulos
• Euripides Bakirtzis
• Vasilis Samariniotis (Andreas Tzimas)
• Ektoras (Theodoros Makridis)
• Thomas (Yannis Hatzipanagiotou)
• Armatolos (Christos Margaritis)
• Kavalaris (Yorgos Zaroyannis)
• Chimarros (Vassilis Ganatsios)
• Kostas Kalogeros
• Iannis Xenakis