GREECE PELOPONNESE ACHAIA KALAVRYTA

Kalavryta is a village of some 2000 residents at an altitude of 740 m in a remote region of the Achaean mountains, flanked by mountain massives of more than 2000 m. Kalavryta is well known for two events: on March 25, 1821 archbishop Germanos of Patras consecrated the flag of the freedom fighters in the nearby Agia Lavra monastery, declaring the War of Liberation against the Turks, and on December 13, 1943 members of the German army murdered all of the male population of the village.

During the Nazi occupation of Greece the partisans had a quite strong position in the area of Kalavryta although there was not much support from the conservative locals. In October 1943 the ELAS fighters managed to capture about 80 German soldiers that were to be exchanged for imprisoned partisans. When the German army refused negotiations and began to concentrate troops in the area the German prisoners were shot on December 7, 1943. Already in November 1943 the "Unternehmen Kalavrita" was ordered to destroy the 'bandits'. The 117th light infantry division under the command of major general Karl von Le Suire began to demolish Kalavryta and 25 villages in the area on December 9, 1943. On December 13 all residents were ordered to the school building, women and children arrested there, and all men aged 14 to 65 urged to a hill where they were shot by machine guns. The women and children were then somehow released - perhaps by a single conscience-stricken soldier - and the school and all of the town burned to the ground. In total, 695 Greeks were killed in this operation. Needless to say that none of the Nazi soldiers was ever put on trial for this war crime.

Above left: View to Kalavryta amid the Achaean mountains. - Above right: One of the church clocks records the time of its destruction by the fire, 14:34, when all of the town was set on fire by the Nazi troops. - Below: The 'Museum of the Sacrifice of the People of Kalavryta' and a commemorative plaque.

Above and below: Greek resistance fighters. - German troops marching into Kalavryta. - Murdered civilians. - Burnt Kalavryta.

Above left: 'The grieving mother', sculpture by Anna Vafia. - Above right and below: Memorial at the site of the 1943 massacre, where more than 500 civilians were killed.