Crimes of kreta

Objective research on factual information regarding German military related warcrimes.
phylo_roadking
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Post by phylo_roadking »

Strangely enough, there was very litttle that was specifically done in revenge or reprisal for the kidnapping. For many years it was assumed that the destruction of the four villiages of Kamares, Lokhria, Margarikari and Saktouria that Paddy Leigh Fermor and Billy Moss hear during their march were carried out as reprisal, but these actions were already on hands and "planned" at the time of the kidnapping in reprisal for other major Resistance actions. Similarly the "cleaning out" of the Valley of the Amari in late 1944 was long regarded as reprisal, but this now doesn't seem to have been the case, it was a pre-emptive sweep through the area by the Germans before their withdrawal from the area, both to neutralize this "problem" community and to sweep up as much in the way of food and provisions as they could.

As intended - it seems the Germans were far more embarassed than incensed AND the kidnap of Gen. Keipe was of very little military significance. It also coincided with the death of a garrison senior officer near Patras, and a post-kidnap whispering campaign that Kreipe had organised it himself to arrange his escape from the island!
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Andy H
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Post by Andy H »

Hi Phylo

Thanks for that. When I looked at these events years ago there was little to back up what I had read or even after the film of these events was released.

To you have by chance any details on the 'planned' actions you mentioned?

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phylo_roadking
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Post by phylo_roadking »

They were in reprisal for a number of activities immediately before the kidnapping; a VERY major gunrunning incident on the 20th of April, when 20 mule-loads of weapons arrived by sea, and a massed attack by the Andartes band led by Petrakageorgis at Easter, when 8 Germans had been killed in the fighting. Also, the arrest of three sheperds inside the coastal "no-go" strip at Plakias had resulted in a spiralling-up of the incident into a pitched battle when Andartes from Rodakino attempted to free them. Five german soldiers were killed in the fight, and two taken prisoner were found killed the next day.

The notice issued by the Germans immediately after the destruction of the four villages tied these directly to the Reistance activities; Margarikari was Petrakageorgis' home village, weapons had been found in Lokharia when the village was searched, and Kamares had supported a large local band for some time.

This is the statement released by the Germans.
The villages of Kamares, Lokharia, Margarikari, and Saktouria and the neighbouring parts of the Nome of Heraklion have been destroyed and extinguished. The men have been taken prisoner and the women and children moved to other villages.

These villagers had offered shelter and protection for months to Communist band under the leadership of mercenary individuals. At the same time the peaceable part of the population is equally guilty because they failed to report these treasonable practices.

Bandits frequented the Saktouria region with the support of the population and transported arms, supplies and terrorists, and concealed them there. Kamares and Lokharia gave refuge and food to the bandits. At Margarikari, which also supported them with shelter and supplies, the traitor and agitator Petrakageorgis celebrated Easter without any interference from the inhabitants.
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xavier
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Post by xavier »

long ago I posted alink to a very graphic page about the atrocities sufered by the german paras, sadly the page is now gone
http://home.online.no/~vestil/crete/index.htm
but, I do remeber vividly a couple pics showing bodies with genitalia cut, guts exposed (pulled out of the body in purpose), genitalia burnt, and also with objects inserted in the anus....just to name a few..I guess reprisals were justified
Xavier
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phylo_roadking
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Post by phylo_roadking »

Specifically-designated "Reprisals", and hostage-taking to demand culprits be surrendered WAS permitted - but the Hostages Trial established that there was a "scale" to be adhered to, beyond which it became a war crime in itself rather than a permitted action. AND culprits surrendered foir arrest as a result of hostage-taking have to receive trial by court martial, or whatever legal process is judged to be in place in a locality.

This is why Kondomari isn't regarded as a "purist" war crime - because it was a "permitted" hostage-taking; however, it was Student's order about no trials that put the immediately post-invasion killings in a questionable legal position versus the Hague Rules, and the total number of deaths on the day.

IIRC didn't someone give a similar order in Norway about trials not being necessary?
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panzermahn
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Post by panzermahn »

Paddy Keating wrote:When the Bund Deutscher Fallschirmjäger requested that Brauer be reinterred in the military cemetery near Hill 107, George Psychoundakis himself supervised the burial. As for Kondomeri, some of the men executed by the Fallschirmjäger in May and June 1941 probably did not deserve such an end but some of them certainly did deserve it. The burning of the town was, however, excessive. But soldiers tend not to be very charitable towards civilians in areas where irregular combattants, aided by the civilian population, murder their comrades in bestial ways. Given the Cretan women have traditionally taken in torturing foreign men to death, the women of Kondomeri were probably fortunate not to have been burned alive inside their houses, which happened as a matter of course on the Eastern Front. I do not know what the population of Kondomeri was on 2.6.1941 but it must have been at least a couple of hundred people so the shooting of nineteen men of military age, identified by witnesses as part of the mob that tortured German paratroopers to death, hardly constitutes a "massacre", much less a "war crime".

PK

PK
Hi Paddy,

You mentioned that the Kondomari shooting of 19 men identified by witnesses as part of the mob that tortured German paratroopers to death. Was this shooting conducted as a reprisal of the mssacre of a mixed German Fallschirmjaeger and Fallschirmpionere at Kandanos, Crete 1941? Do you have more information on this Kondomari shooting?

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xavier
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Re: Crimes of kreta

Post by xavier »

bump..
Xavier
"Assiduus usus uni rei deditus et ingenium et artem saepe vincit"

Constant practice devoted to one subject often outdues both intelligence and skill:
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