{"id":73206,"date":"2024-10-21T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T06:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploringgreece.tv\/greece\/the-village-in-crete-the-first-in-europe-where-the-germans-massively-executed-civilians\/73206\/"},"modified":"2024-11-21T18:58:24","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T16:58:24","slug":"kandanos-village-crete-first-in-europe-where-the-nazis-massively-executed-civilians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploringgreece.tv\/en\/greece\/crete\/kandanos-village-crete-first-in-europe-where-the-nazis-massively-executed-civilians\/73206\/","title":{"rendered":"This village in Crete, is the first in Europe where the Nazis massively executed civilians"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was in April 1941, when the Germans invaded Greece. For the next three and a half years, the country will live on one of the darkest pages of its history. Thousands of Greeks die from hunger, hardship, and torture by the conquerors. Hitler’s Nazis during the years of occupation constantly show their repugnant face, but also their vengeful fury to a people who, while suffering and having to fight with hunger and survival, never stopped trying for their liberation.<\/p>\n

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\u2192 October 28, 1940: The first Greek soldier to fall in battle in the epic of the ’40s<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Kontomari and Kandanos: The two villages that experienced the atrocities of the Nazis<\/strong><\/h2>\n

And this resistance of the Greeks irritated the Germans, especially when they counted hundreds of their dead. From April 1941 until October 1944, when they withdrew from Greece, the Nazis carried out barbaric reprisals for the resistance activities of the Greeks, often assisted in their dark work by their Italian and Bulgarian allies. Their mass crimes against the civilian population spread throughout the country, from Northern Greece to Crete as the horror unfortunately did not overtake anyone. Dozens of towns and villages experienced the massive Nazi atrocity, and today the “Network of Martyr Towns and Villages” exceeds 100, while applications from other places martyred during the Occupation are pending.<\/p>\n

Kontomari: The first village where civilians were executed en masse<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Kontomari,<\/picture>The German invasion of Greece in 1941 reached Crete. On May 20, the Battle of Crete began, with the Cretans – having on their side, the allies – showing an unprecedented resistance, even using agricultural tools in battle. The battle ended on 1 June and the casualties were high for both sides, only the Germans came out badly wounded and to their prestige, with the debacle of their paratroopers who were almost decimated and practically did not take part in any other mission until the end of World War II. The humiliation of Hitler’s invulnerable war machine was great. And the Nazis are committing an atrocity that shocks Europe. Student, the island’s military commander, ordered reprisals against the civilian population. And the village of Kontomari is the first “victim” in the black and long list that will follow in the coming years, which knows the vengeful fury of the Germans. Or rather the atrocities of the conquerors.<\/p>\n

\"Crete<\/picture>It is also the first in Europe where the Nazis carried out mass execution of the civilian population during World War II. Kontomari, whose history goes back to the Venetian occupation, belongs to the municipality of Platanias. It is 18 km west of the city of Chania and is within walking distance from the historic village of Maleme, with the majority of residents today engaged in agriculture, livestock farming, or tourism. In this small village, the conquerors put into practice their first inhuman plan. On June 2, they surrounded Kontomari, gathered all the inhabitants in the square, and then transferred 26 men, aged 18-50, to an olive grove. The head of the detachment, Lieutenant Horst Trebs, announces that they will be executed in retaliation for the deaths of German soldiers.<\/p>\n

\"Crete<\/picture>Trebbs gives the signal and the execution begins. Of the 26 men, 24 fall dead, while two manage to run, trying to escape, badly wounded. They escape, but only one survives. This atrocity was even captured by the camera, frame by frame. Wehrmacht propaganda correspondent Franz Peter Weixler was with the contingent when he entered the village, photographing all the moments of horror. The documentary photographs were well kept in the archives of the German army until 1980 when they were first identified and published by journalist Vassos Mathiopoulos. Trebbs was soon after decorated for his “bravery” in wiping out a civilian village. The village of Kontomari today<\/p>\n