Greek Resistance The Greek Resistance ( , i . e . , " National Resistance " ) is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis occupation of Greece in the period 1941 – 1944 , during World War II . Origins . The rise of resistance movements in Greece was precipitated by the invasion and occupation of Greece by Nazi Germany ( and its allies Italy and Bulgaria ) from 1941 – 44 . Italy led the way with its attempted invasion from Albania in 1940 , which was repelled by the Greek Army . After the German invasion , the occupation of Athens and the fall of Crete , King George II and his government escaped to Egypt , where they proclaimed a government - in - exile , recognised by the Western Allies , but not yet by the Soviet Union , which was temporarily friendly to Nazi Germany after the signature of the Molotov – Ribbentrop Pact . The British actively encouraged , even coerced , the King to appoint centrist , moderate ministers ; only two of his ministers were members of the dictatorial government that had governed Greece before the German invasion . Despite that some in the left - wing resistance claimed the government to be illegitimate , on account of its roots in the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas from 1936 – 41 . The Germans set up a Greek collaborationist government , headed by General Georgios Tsolakoglou , before entering Athens . Some high - profile officers of the pre - war Greek regime served the Germans in various posts . This government however , lacked legitimacy and support , being utterly dependent on the German and Italian occupation authorities , and discredited because of its inability to prevent the cession of much of Greek Macedonia and Western Thrace to Bulgaria . Both the collaborationist government and the occupation forces were further undermined due to their failure to prevent the outbreak of the Great Famine , with the mortality rate reaching a peak in the winter of 1941 – 42 , which seriously harmed the Greek civilian population . First resistance acts . Although there is an unconfirmed incident connected with Evzone Konstantinos Koukidis the day the Germans occupied Athens , the first confirmed resistance act in Greece had taken place on the night of 30 May 1941 , even before the end of the Battle of Crete . Two young students , Apostolos Santas , a law student , and Manolis Glezos , a student at the Athens University of Economics and Business , secretly climbed the northwest face of the Acropolis and tore down the swastika banner which had been placed there by the occupation authorities . The first wider resistance movements occurred in northern Greece , where the Bulgarians annexed Greek territories . The first mass uprising occurred around the town of Drama in eastern Macedonia , in the Bulgarian occupation zone . The Bulgarian authorities had initiated large - scale Bulgarization policies , causing the Greek population ' s reaction . During the night of 28 – 29 September 1941 the people of Drama and its outskirts rose up . This badly - organized revolt was suppressed by the Bulgarian Army , which retaliated executing over three thousand people in Drama alone . An estimated fifteen thousand Greeks were killed from the Bulgarian occupational army during the next few weeks and in the countryside entire villages were machine gunned and looted . The town of Doxato and the village of Choristi are officially considered today Martyr Cities . At the same time , large demonstrations were organized in Greek Macedonia n cities by the Defenders of Northern Greece ( YVE ) , a right - wing organization , in protest against the Bulgarian annexation of Greek territories . Armed groups consisted of " andartes - αντάρτες " ( " guerillas " ) first appeared in the mountains of Macedonia by October 1941 , and the first armed clashes resulted in 488 civilians being murdered in reprisal s by the Germans , which succeeded in severely limiting Resistance activity for the next few months . However , these harsh actions , together with the plundering of Greece ' s natural resources by the Germans , turned Greeks more against the occupiers . Establishment of the first resistance groups . The lack of a legitimate government and the inactivity of the established political class created a power vacuum and meant an absence of a rallying point for the Greek people . Most officers and citizens who wanted to continue the fight fled to the British - controlled Middle East , and those who remained behind were unsure of their prospects against the Wehrmacht . This situation resulted in the creation of several new groupings , where the pre - war establishment was largely absent , which assumed the role of resisting the occupation powers . The first major resistance group to be founded was the National Liberation Front ( EAM ) . EAM was a political movement . Until 1944 EAM became the most powerful resistance movement in Europe , with more than 1 , 800 , 000 members ( the Greek population was around 7 , 500 , 000 at that time ) . EAM was organized by the Communist Party of Greece ( KKE ) and other smaller parties , but all major political parties refused to participate either in EAM or in any other resistance movement . On February 16 , 1942 , EAM gave permission to a communist veteran , called Athanasios ( Thanasis ) Klaras ( later known as Aris Velouchiotis ) to examine the possibilities of a victorious armed resistance movement . Soon the first andartes ( guerrillas ) joined ELAS and many battles were fought and won against both the Italians and Nazis ( the sabotage of Gorgopotamos bridge [ with the participation of EDES partisans and British commandos of SOE ] , the battle at Mikro Horio , etc . ) The second to be found was Venizelist - oriented National Republican Greek League ( EDES ) , led by a former army officer , Colonel Napoleon Zervas , with exiled republican General Nikolaos Plastiras as its nominal head . Although its foundation was announced in late 1941 , there were no military acts until 1942 , when the Greek People ' s Liberation Army ( ELAS ) , the armed forces of EAM , was born . Resistance in the mountains – " Andartiko " . Greece is a mountainous country , with a long tradition in " andartiko " ( αντάρτικο , " guerrilla warfare " ) , dating back to the days of the klephts ( anti - Turkish bandits ) of the Ottoman period , who often enjoyed folk - hero status . In the 1940s , the countryside was poor , the road network not very well developed , and state control outside the cities usually exercised by the Greek Gendarmerie . But by 1942 , due to the weakness of the central government in Athens , the countryside was gradually slipping out of its control , while the Resistance groups had acquired a firm and wide - ranging organization , parallel and more effective than that of the official state . Emergence of the armed resistance . In February 1942 , EAM , an organization controlled by the local Communist Party formed a military corps , ELAS , that would first operate in the mountains of Central Greece , with Aris Velouchiotis a communist activist as their chief captain . Later , on 28 July 1942 , a centrist ex - army officer Col . Napoleon Zervas announced the foundation of the " National Groups of Greek Guerrillas " ( EOEA ) , as EDES ' military arm , to operate , at first , in the region of Aetolia - Acarnania . National and Social Liberation ( EKKA ) also formed a military corps , named after the famous 5 / 42 Evzone Regiment , under Col . Dimitrios Psarros , that was mainly localized in the area of Mount Giona . Until the summer of 1942 , the occupation authorities had been little troubled by the armed Resistance , which was still in its infancy . The Italians in particular , in control of most of the countryside , considered the situation to have been normalized . From that point , however , the Resistance gained pace , with EAM / ELAS in particular expanding rapidly , with armed groups attacking and disarming local gendarmerie stations and isolated Italian outposts , or touring the villages and giving speeches . The Italians were forced to re - evaluate their assessment , and take such measures such as the deportation of Army officers to camps in Italy and Germany , which naturally only encouraged the latter to join the underground " en masse " by escaping " to the mountains " . These developments emerged most dramatically as the Greek Resistance announced its presence to the world with one of the war ' s most spectacular sabotage acts , the blowing up of the Gorgopotamos railway bridge , linking northern and southern Greece , on 25 November 1942 . This operation was the result of British mediation between ELAS and EDES ( Operation " Harling " ) , carried out by 12 British Special Operations Executive ( SOE ) saboteur s and a joint ELAS - EDES force . This was the first and last time that the two major Resistance groups would cooperate , due to the rapidly developing rivalry and ideological retrenchment between them . The establishment of " Free Greece " . Nevertheless , constant attacks and acts of sabotage followed against the Italians , such as the Battle of Fardykampos , resulting in the capture of several hundred Italian soldiers and significant amounts of equipment . By the late spring of 1943 , the Italians were forced to withdraw from several areas . The towns of Karditsa , Grevena , Trikkala , Metsovon and others were liberated by July . The Axis forces and their collaborators remained in control only of the main towns and the connecting roads , with the interior left to the " andartes " . This was " Free Greece " , stretching from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean and from the borders of the German zone in Macedonia to Boeotia , a territory of 30 , 000 km² and 750 , 000 inhabitants . Italian collapse and German takeover . By this time ( July 1943 ) , the overall strength of the " andartes " was around 20 - 30 , 000 , with most belonging to the ELAS , newly under the command of General Stefanos Sarafis . EDES was limited in operations to Epirus , and EKKA operated in a small area in Central Greece . The Italian capitulation in September 1943 provided a windfall for the Resistance , as the Italian Army in many places simply disintegrated . Most Italian troops were swiftly disarmed and interned by the Germans , but in many places significant amounts of weaponry and equipment , as well as men , fell into the hands of the Resistance . The most spectacular case was that of the " Pinerolo " division and the " Aosta " Cavalry Regiment , which went completely over to the EAMite " andartes " . The Germans now took over the Italian zone , and soon proved to be a totally different opponent from the demoralized , war - weary and far less brutal Italians . Already since the early summer of 1943 , German troops had been pouring into Greece , fearing an Allied landing there ( in fact falling victims to a grand - scale Allied strategic deception operation , " Operation Barclay " ) . Soon they became involved in wide - ranging counterguerrilla operations , which they carried out with great ruthlessness , based on their experiences in Yugoslavia . In the course of these operations , mass reprisal s were carried out , resulting in war crimes such as at Kommeno on August 16 , the Massacre of Kalavryta in December and the Massacre of Distomo in June 1944 . At the same time , hundreds of villages were systematically torched and almost one million people left homeless . Prelude to Civil War : the first conflicts . Despite the signing of an agreement in July 1943 between the three main Resistance groups ( EAM / ELAS , EDES and EKKA ) to cooperate and to subject themselves to the Allied Middle East High Command under General Wilson ( the " National Bands Agreement " ) , in the political field , the mutual mistrust between EAM and the other groups escalated . EAM - ELAS was by now the dominant political and military force in Greece , and EDES and EKKA , along with the British and the Greek government - in - exile , feared that after the inevitable German withdrawal , it would try to dominate the country and establish a soviet regime . This prospect was not only linked with the increasing distrust shown by many conservative and traditional liberal members of the Greek society towards the Communists and EAM , but also with British . The British were opposed to an EAM ' s after - war dominance in Greece due to their political opposition to communism , while on the logic of the spheres of influence they believed that such a development would lead the country , which traditionally considered belongs in their sphere of influence , to that of the Soviet Union . Finally the conflict of interests between them and the USSR settled after British secured Soviet assent to this in the so - called " percentages agreement " between Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin in October 1944 . EAM on its part considered itself " the only true resistance group " . Its leadership was intensely distrustful of British policies for Greece , and viewed Zervas ' contacts with London and the Greek government with suspicion . At the same time , EAM found itself under attack by the Germans and their collaborators . Dominated by the old political class , and looking already to the oncoming post - Liberation era , the new Ioannis Rallis government had established the notorious Security Battalions , with the blessing of the German authorities , in order to fight exclusively against ELAS . Other anti - communist resistance groups , such as the royalist Organization " X " , were also reinforced , receiving arms and funding by the British . A virtual civil war was now being waged under the eyes of the Germans . In October 1943 , ELAS attacked EDES in Epirus , where the latter organization was the dominant resistance group , by transferring units from the neighbouring regions . This conflict continued until February 1944 , when the British mission in Greece succeeded in negotiating a ceasefire ( the Plaka agreement ) which in the event proved to be only temporary . The attack led to an unofficial truce between EDES and the German forces in Epirus under General Hubert Lanz . But the fight continued amongst ELAS and the other minor resistance groups ( like " X " ) , as well as against the Security Battalions , even in the streets of Athens , until the German withdrawal in October 1944 . In March , EAM established its own rival government in Free Greece , the Political Committee of National Liberation , clearly staking its claim to a dominant role in post - war Greece . Consequently , on Easter Monday , 17 April 1944 , ELAS forces attacked and destroyed the EKKA ' s 5 / 42 Regiment , capturing and executing many of its men , including its leader Colonel Dimitrios Psarros . The event caused a major shock in the Greek political scene , since Psarros was a well - known republican , patriot and anti - royalist . For EAM - ELAS , this act was fatal , as it strengthened suspicion of its intentions for the post - Occupation period , and drove many liberals and moderates , especially in the cities , against it , cementing the emerging rift in Greek society between pro - and anti - EAM segments . Resistance in the islands and Crete . The resistance in Crete was centred in the mountainous interior , and despite the heavy presence of German troops , developed significant activity . Notable figures of the Cretan Resistance include Patrick Leigh Fermor , Petrakogiorgis and George Psychoundakis . Resistance operations included the abduction of General Heinrich Kreipe by Patrick Leigh Fermor and Bill Stanley Moss and the battle of Trahili . Resistance in the cities . Resistance in the cities was organized quickly , but of necessity groups were small and fragmented . The cities , and the working - class suburbs of Athens in particular , witnessed appalling suffering in the winter of 1941 - 42 , when food confiscations and disrupted communications caused widespread famine and perhaps hundreds of thousands of deaths . This caused fertile ground for recruitment , but lack of equipment , funds and organization limited the spread of the resistance . The main roles of resistance operatives were intelligence and sabotage , mostly in cooperation with British Intelligence . One of the earliest jobs of the urban resistance was helping stranded Commonwealth soldiers escape . The resistance groups stayed in touch with British handlers through wireless sets , met and helped British spies and saboteurs that parachuted in , provided intelligence , conducted propaganda efforts , and ran escape networks for allied operatives and Greek young men wishing to join the Hellenic forces in exile . Wireless equipment , money , weapons and other support was mainly supplied by British Intelligence , but it was never enough . Fragmentation of groups , the need for secrecy , and emerging conflicts between right and left , monarchists and republicans , did not help . Urban resistance work was very dangerous : operatives were always in danger of arrest and summary execution , and suffered heavy casualties . Captured fighters were routinely tortured by the Abwehr and the Gestapo , and confessions used to roll up networks . The job of wireless operators was perhaps the most dangerous , since the Germans used direction - finding equipment to pinpoint the location of transmitters ; operators were often shot on the spot , and those were the lucky ones , since immediate execution prevented torture . Urban protest . One of the most important forms of resistance were the mass protest movements . The first such event occurred during the national anniversary of 25 March 1942 , when students attempted to lay a wreath at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier . This resulted in clashes with mounted " Carabinieri " , and marked the awakening of the spirit of Resistance amongst the wider urban population . Soon after , from 12 – 14 April , the " TTT " ( Telecommunications & Postal ) workers began a strike in Athens , which spread throughout the country . Initially , the strikers ' demands were financial , but it quickly assumed a political aspect , as the strike was encouraged by EAM ' s labour union organization , EEAM . Finally , the strike ended on April 21 , with the full capitulation of the collaborationist government to the strikers ' demands , including the immediate release of arrested strike leaders . In early 1943 , rumours spread of a planned mobilization of the labour force by the occupation authorities , with the intent of sending them to work in Germany . The first reactions began amongst students on 7 February , but soon grew in scope and volume . Throughout February , successive strikes and demonstrations paralyzed Athens , culminating in a massive rally on the 24th . The tense climate was amply displayed at the funeral of Greece ' s national poet , Kostis Palamas , on 28 February , which turned into an anti - Axis demonstration . Risks involved . Resisting the Axis occupation was fraught with risks . Foremost among these for the partisans was death in combat as the German military forces were far superior . However , the guerrilla fighters also had to face starvation , brutal environmental conditions in the mountains of Greece , while poorly clothed and shod . The resistance also involved risks for ordinary Greeks . Attacks often incited reprisal killings of civilians by the German occupying forces . Villages were burned and its inhabitants massacred . The Germans also resorted to hostage taking . There were also accusations that many of ELAS ' attacks against German soldiers didn ' t happen for resistance reasons but aiming the destruction of specific villages and the recruitment of their men . Quotas were even introduced determining the number of civilians or hostages to be killed in response to the death or wounding of German soldiers .