Information AboutElas |
|
Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos (ELAS) ( Greek Εθνικός Λαϊκός Απελευθερωτικός Στρατός (ΕΛΑΣ) "National Popular Liberation Army") was the military arm of the communist Ethniko Apeleftherotiko Metopo (EAM) (Εθνικό Απελευθερωτικό Μέτωπο (ΕΑΜ) National Liberation Front) during the period of the Greek Resistance and the Greek Civil War . BEGINNINGS ELAS initiated actions against the German and Italian forces of Occupation In Greece in 7 June 1942. Aris Velouchiotis with a small group of 10-15 guerillas entered the village Domnista in Evrytania and they 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". Two years later ELAS military strength had grown from the small group of fighters in Domnitsa to more than 50.000 soldiers, almost 50.000 reservists and more than 1.500.000 supporters, being one of the largest resistance groups formed in Europe, similar to the French Maquis and the Yugoslavian Partisans . Velouchiotis at first was adressed 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, the name of Greece) grew bigger, was adressing to farmers and village people in a very simple way: an uniformed officer (usually a low-rank officer of the greek army) visited a villaga, asked for the presence of the village priest an adressing to the people said "ELAS needs you!". People, although they couldn't hear the difference between "ELAS" and "Hellas", could easily understand the difference between the Nazi occupied villages (with all the atrocities and the confiscation of food supplies) and the liberated mountain villages, were life was almost normal and nobody was hungry. So they easily joined ELAS> CONSOLIDATION OF STRENGTH Gorgopotamos The night of September 1942, a small group of British officers fell with parachutes in the mountain og Giona. This group, which has from leader the brigadier Endy Mayers, had as missions the blowing up of the railway Germany-Athens, and the co-ordination of the guerilla's groups. The British must blow up one of the three bridges (Gorgopotamos, Papadia, Asopos), from where the railway passes and finally it is chosen this of Gorgopotamos. But from the success of the two missions, it is important to find the guerillas. The soldier of ELAS, ''Dimos Karalivanos'' it's the first guerilla they found. At the end of Octomber a second group of British officials fell to the greek mountains. Leaders were Themis Marinos and the colonel Chris Woodhouse. Their mission is to find the guerillas of EDES and their leader Napoleon Zervas which is more friendly to British Headquarters of Middle-East. The challenge of the mission was a surprise for the two guerilla's groups, EDES and ELAS, but, finally the two groups accept to collaborate from the success of the mission. British don't prefer the participation of ELAS, because there was a communist group. But, the forces of ELAS, were larger and more organised. If they didn't participate, the mission would certainly be unsucessful. At November 14, 12 British, the forces of ELAS (150 men) and the forces of EDES (60-65 men) met in the village Viniani of Evrytania and the operation started. Ten days later, the forces were at Gorgopotamos. The night of November 25, at eleven o' clock, the guerillas started the attack against the italian guards to the bridge. The Italians were startled, and after a little resistance , they heve been defeated. After the defeat of the Italians, the saboteurs put the explosive material. Forces of ELAS have put ambushes towards the bridge, to not come other Italians. The explosion became at 3.00 o' clock. After that, the guerilla's forces returned to Viniani, to celebrate the succes of the mission. The blowing up of the bridge of Gorgopotamos was, with the sabotage in the tank of heavy water in Rzoukan of North Norvege, the two biggest guerilla's acts in the occupied Europe. The blowing up of the bridge became the time that the German forces in North Africa, in their retreat after the defeat of El-Alamein, have absolute necessity of the provisions, which came from the Balkans. From 1942 to 1943: the turning point. The blowing up of the bridge favoured ELAS. Soon lots of the inhabitants of the villages of Roumeli became members of ELAS. Furthermore, people sympathised the ELAS guerillas because they weren't helped by the British in contrast with EDES. When 25 guerillas deserted from ELAS, Aris Velouchiotis went to Epirus to threaten Napoleon Zervas not to have contact with ELAS. 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 Roumeli, Aris Velouchiotis succeded to form a powerful group 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, "Mavroscoufides"(those who wear black berets), who were his own guards. THE "MOUNTAIN GOVERNMENT" ELAS not only resisted German and Italian occupation forces but also re-organised life in the mountainus areas (i.e. the biggest part of Greece) that controlled. The political groups of EAM helped the local people organise schools, hospitalise refugees from the big cities and protect the crops from the German looting. Amateur actors and musicians created travelling theaters and bands, something that most rural communities had never seen or heard before. Another achievement of ELAS (due partially to the progressive ideas and partially to the lack of men) was to promote women liberties. Young girls, who till then were closed at home or working at the fields, had the opportunity to education and exress their own opinions. There were also improvised telecommunications either by telephone lines or by messengers and there were systems of re-distribution of food-resources, so that no village wound starve. All these were co-ordinated and organised by a shadow-government, called the "Mountain Government", in which participated not only communist leaders but also progressive bourgeois, that had nothinγ to do with communist ideas. ANTAGONISM WITH OTHER RESISTANCE GROUPS After the German attack against the Soviet Union and while Greece was under occupation, the Greek Communists together with other parts of the Left formed a resistance group called the National People's Liberation Army (in Greek the Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos or ELAS). They were joined by other, center-left or non-politicised Greek resistance fighters and by 1944 they controlled three-fifths of the country. As the outcome of the war was becoming inevitable, ELAS and other non-communist resistance groups, including the republican Greek National Democratic Union or (EDES), fought increasingly bitter battles against each other to secure post-war dominance. In a rare instance, ELAS and EDES-EOEA joined forces on November 25, 1942, and blew up the Gorgopotamos bridge in Phokis . This action disrupted the German transportation of ammunition via Greece to Rommel . TRANSFORMATION TO DEMOCRATIC ARMY AND THE CIVIL WAR At the end of the war, fighting broke out between ELAS and the Greek government. ELAS forces were backed by Greece's Communist neighbors, whereas the Greek government was backed by the British army. Following a cease fire agreement known as Varkiza pact, ELAS laid down arms with the idea of a political process. However, alleging percecutions of leftists after the Varkiza accord, ELAS reversed its stance and restarted armed fighting in 1946. The war was extremely violent, with heavy casualties on both sides. The Greek Civil War was to last until 1949 , with the defeat of the communists. LIST OF IMPORTANT ELAS BATTLES ELAS fighted against the occupation forces in many battles, which include:
LIST OF FAMOUS ELAS SOLDIERS Famous soldiers of ELAS were:
SEE ALSO
|
|
|