“That memorable heroic soul was the pride and joy of Greek valiance and self sacrifice. Born in Marseilles, on March 29, 1870, Pavlos Melas came to Greece in 1874. He was educated in a unique environment, enjoying both his mother’s kindness and humanity, and his father’s ardor; he was from a generation of patriotic men...
“On February 21, 1913 the independent town of Ioannina could count 480 years of slavery. Slavery that went away with the presence of the Greek army, and after hard battles that lasted over four months. Seeing Thessalonica come to Greeks, the commander of the Turkish army in Ioannina, Esat-pasha, assigned his subordinate, Vehip-Bei, who was...
“We, the 8 million Greeks, in 1940 we said ‘NO’ to the 130 million Italian and German who wanted to enslave us. It was a mature and familiar word, repetition of the ancient ‘come and take’, the Byzantine ‘never shall we yield the City (Constantinople) to the barbarians’, or as Rigas Fereos wrote in ‘Thourios’:...
“The General Staff in Athens ordered the commanding officer of the Eighth Division, Major General Haralabos Katsimitros to put into practice a scheme and withdraw to the low flow of the Arahthos River. He did NOT follow the order taking full responsibility for it. He did not abandon Epirus, for together with the Artillery Colonel...
“The contribution of the Greek women was of great importance in all the Nations struggles. Always and everywhere she plays a leading role in the significant historical events on land and at sea alike. Thus, there she is again in this hard war of 1940. Their touching contribution was spontaneous and unasked. Those farm women...
“Although it had to cover a front of 180 km of land and 100km of sea coasts, our Artillery –both field and mountain ones– defended Epirus, supported our infantry, managed feats, and brought victories. It turned out to be a ghost both in the invaders’ sleep and while they were awake. In the beginning of...
“They were first aid stations for the Greek soldiers wounded on the front. Many lives were saved thanks to the prompt treatment and care. The doctors’ contribution and plight was significant. For most historians they are unsung heroes. For the benefited ones their presence was invaluable. Stretcher-bearers or various animals transported the wounded there; women...
“On April 6, 1941, the powers of the Axis declared war against Greece. The same way we said ‘NO’ to the Italian fascists on October 28, 1940, we did the same to the German Nazis. Here, on Macedonian soil, the second ‘NO’ was heard that day. From March 1st, Germany had Bulgaria on its side,...
“Crete, which bears fine upstanding men and women, was and still is the first in sacrifice, brave deed, worthiness, heroism and self-sacrifice. As a universal phenomenon, it is a unique case of resistance on part of its civilian population against the German conqueror; resistance not only during the battle itself but also throughout the German...
“For 34 years, the sole permanent inhabitant of the island across Antifellos, in Asia Minor –a place associated with ancient Lycia– was Despina Achladiotou, the frontierswoman of the Aegean and Greece, ‘the Lady of Ro’. From 1927 until 1961 she lived there and every day she would hoist the Greek flag stating in this way...
