THERE IS ONE DESTINY - Part 02

study it later at home. Using the strap and disciplining children was one of the most important educational measures the teachers were required to undertake. If a child did not know the subject material they were beaten. If a child made a mistake in the subject matter, they were beaten. If a child spoke out of turn or misbehaved in any way, they were beaten. If a child was restless they were sent to the basement and locked up like in prison. This is how it was during the Metaxas dictatorship era from 1936 to 1940. The Greek regime, at that time, had also sent a government representative responsible for keeping order in the Lerin Region villages. His name was Tsaksiras and he would not allow anyone to get away with anything. Anyone caught speaking Macedonian, by accident or because they did not know the Greek language, was beaten and fined a hefty monetary fine. There were informers everywhere and no one was immune to punishment, not even young children. It was a very difficult time for everyone. The adults who were members of the Party were sent to prison and endured all sorts of punishment including beating, eating large amount of salted cod and drinking large quantities of castor oil. Every filthy method of punishment invented was used against the Macedonian people in those days. This is what the Metaxas’s dictatorship and King George’s reign brought to the people of Zhelevo.

Assets in the village Zhelevo

Risto Mavrovski’s family had one old house, most of which had deteriorated, and a new one that they later built, which two large rooms.

In terms of fields, the Mavrovski family had a field in Glavieto locality with a large oak tree growing at the edge which produced acorns to feed goats and sheep. They had fields in Gorni Kupot, Dolni Kupot, Olnishta and in Mankoa Livada localities. All these were small pieces of land which the family owned.

In terms of meadows, the family owned two meadows in Golema Livada locality, one meadow in the Klapata locality, one in Boreichki Trap along with a small field.

In terms of vineyards, the family owned two vineyards in the Grobo locality, one small and one larger. These belonged to the extended family that included Vasil and other Mavrevtsi family members.

In terms of gardens, the family owned a garden at the Sitkite locality, one at Paskoa kukia and another at Lazina locality where there was a grove of beech and oak trees used for firewood.

In terms of graves, the family plots were located at the Sveti Atanas cemetery together with all the other Shkavrevi graves. There was a cement cross erected with the names of the departed written on it in white paint. Neda, Spiro and later Mihail were added.

Human resources

In comparative size, Zhelevo was a large village and had people working in various professions including teachers, priests, doctors, lawyers, military officers, etc.

Included among the teachers were Simo Tsarev, Risto Sideri, Taki Kiru (director of the Zhelevo school), Tanas Sideri (taught in Voden) and Tanas Nikolovski. There were also four Greeks who taught in Zhelevo until 1940.

Included among the priests were Pop Andon and Pop Ilia. After the two priests died Pop Spiro Balkov, a local priest, was appointed until 1949 when he left for Poland and died there in the town Mendzhe Guzhe.

Included among the doctors were Dr. Traiko Mirchev who worked in Lerin, Dr. Done Mircho who participated in the first struggle movement, but later lived and worked in Solun.

Included among the lawyers were Pavle Perelov Ianu, Pando Popilia, who worked in the village German, and Pando Stergiou.

Included among the officers were Ilia Marchu Miloshov and Tanas Balku. These were regular officers but there were also reserve officers.

Zhelevo had a local police station which was constantly manned by a police chief (a Greek) and a number of police officers. There was no army in Zhelevo. The army was stationed in Psodery, a neighbouring Vlach village.

In addition to the police there were also two village guards responsible for guarding property, including from mischief conducted by neighbouring villagers. Their primary responsibility was to guard the vineyards, fields, meadows, woods, grazing grounds, etc., particularly from the large flocks of sheep belonging to the Psoderi Karakachans. The guards had their hands full during the summer.

The village had mail service and telephone and telegraph services which were operated by Spiro and Anastas Simovski. The village also had a number of musicians including Vasil Pachko, Iovan Marko, Ilo and Vasil Kiru and Foto Temo who also played in other villages. Operating in Zhelevo were Ilo Timio’s orchestra from the village Trnaa and one other orchestra from the village Oshchima.

The village had a football club called “Andartikon”, using the village’s Greek name, with exclusively Zhelevo membership.

Life in the village from 1928 to 1940

At that time the village was managed under a feudal system. It lacked the necessary requirements for normal life. People worked from dawn to dusk for a slice of bread. There was no electricity, no proper lighting. Families used kerosene when it was available and affordable and candles and animal fat the rest of the time, including during long and dark winter nights. The soil people lived off was cultivated with wooden plows pulled by a pair of oxen. Everything was done by hand using shovels, hoes, picks, pitchforks, rakes, scythes, handsaws, axes, hammers and sledge hammers; all primitive tools. Threshing and removal of grains from the stems was done manually by use of oxen, horses, mules and donkeys on the threshing floor. There were no automated machines, no tractors, no combines or any other mechanized farm tools. This created a hard life for the village’s growing population, which was forced to seek work elsewhere. Many young men, including family men, were

forced to leave the village and seek temporary work in Bulgaria, Serbia, Canada, America, Australia and France.

In Vardar Macedonia (Serbian occupied Macedonia), or Serbia as the people of Zhelevo called it for fear of being heard saying the word “Macedonia” which was a punishable offense at that time, people went to Bitola and to the village Porodin to seek work. Included among those who traveled to Bitola and Porodin were Stoian Markovski, the Simovski brothers, the Lumburovtsi, Bundovtsi, Temovtsi, Kurdzhoi and Sandrini. Included among the people of Zhelevo who went to Bulgaria were the Sarevtsi and Ianovtsi. Migration to Canada began as early as 1902 but a mass exodus took place from 1930 to 1940. An even more massive exodus took place after 1949, at the end of the Greek Civil War. Gradually most of the people of Zhelevo settled in Toronto, Canada where they are today.

Why were the people of Zhelevo forced to leave their village? After the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913, when Macedonia was invaded, occupied and divided between the winners of those wars, i.e. between Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria, Zhelevo fell under Greek occupation. Soon after the occupation, the Greek government began a policy of assimilation by intimidation and force. The Macedonian language was prohibited and no one was allowed to speak it, including those who spoke no other language. There was no transition period and heavy fines and punishment, including prison terms, were leveled against those caught speaking Macedonian. Nothing like that had ever happened to the Macedonian people before that so it was a shock to the entire population. Later, after the First World War and the Greek-Turkish war ended, i.e. after Greece was dealt a catastrophic defeat, the Greek government agreed to a population exchange with Turkey and began to import Turkish Christian colonists and settlers from Asia Minor and deposited them on Macedonian lands. The newly formed socialist USSR inspired some Greeks to begin a socialist movement inside Greece with the formation of the Communist Party of Greece (CPG) in 1926. Fearing this new development, to protect themselves, some leading Greeks created the Pangalos military dictatorship which gave birth to the dreaded Metaxas dictatorship in 1936 to 1940. This was the worst thing that could ever happen to the Macedonian people, which

resulted in drastic measures taken against them. In addition to having their language made illegal to speak, the Macedonian people endured fines, beatings, jailings and prison terms in the Greek island internment camps, as well as many other senseless penalties. The Macedonian people found it safer to remain silent and not to speak in public at all than to risk becoming victims. In addition to being taught to speak Greek and to despise their own language, the Macedonian children were encouraged to attend “party” schools where they were taught to spy and inform on their parents and friends. All organizations were declared illegal and all confirmed communists who belonged to the Communist Party, as well as all suspected of being communists or communist sympathizers were sent to the island internment camps and mercilessly tortured.

Zhelevo during the War years 1939 to 1945

World War II began in September 1939, with Germany attacking Poland. After that England and France stood on Poland’s side and the world became polarized and divided itself into two camps. On one side stood the Axis forces consisting of Berlin-Rome-Tokyo, i.e. Germany, Italy, Japan, later joined by Bulgaria, Spain, Hungary and some others, and on the other side stood the Allied forces consisting of the United States of America, England, France and later the USSR. The War started on September 1, 1939 and ended on May 9, 1945, with the crushing defeat of the Axis powers and their capitulation. The war in Greece began on October 28, 1940 when fascist Italy attempted to invade Greece through Albania. Although Metaxas’s fascist regime was in power in Greece, the Greek state had close ties with England and France and refused to surrender to the Italians. Thus the war with Italy began on Monday October 28, 1940, along the Greek – Albanian border.

After the war started, the Greek army began to use Zhelevo as a place to gather the enlisted. All adult and able men were collected and involved in the front. The elderly, women and children all had to work in support of the front. Zhelevo was also a depot for bringing the wounded and served as the Headquarters for the 303 Regiment which fought bravely in Albania. The first Italian bombers arrived three days after the attempted invasion and bombed the village. This was done a few more times later. The first bombing

caused a few casualties, killing a number of soldiers and wounding Kala Gligorova of Zhelevo, who sadly lost her hand. The villages found life difficult in Zhelevo and many fled and temporarily settled in other villages. Neda and her children fled to Bouf where she spent several weeks. After the Greek army captured the city Korcha and Korcha airport, the front was moved deeper into Albanian territory. This made Zhelevo a little safer and most of its people returned to their homes. Still, the people continued to have problems each day unable to sleep and having to feed the armies that marched on the road by the village on their way from Lerin to the front.

While Neda and the children were evacuated to Bouf and stayed with the Beikov family, Mihail, Risto’s father, remained at home in Zhelevo and protected the property. About a month later most Zhelevo residents, including Neda and her children, returned to Zhelevo. After his return, Risto was hired by the Trendov family to work in their café. Risto’s wages, for working day and night, were three meals a day. Risto did this until April 1941 when the Germans came to the village and the café closed.

The Greek – Italian war lasted until April 1941 when Germany invaded Yugoslavia, swept through Bulgaria and crossed the border into Greece. Zhelevo fell in German hands just before Easter 1941. The Macedonian soldiers fighting at the Albanian front were left to fend for themselves after Greece capitulated. They experienced a very difficult time. Included among the people of Zhelevo who became casualties while fleeing the Greek - Italian front were Andoni Luchkov, Risto Giamo (died in Albania) and Foti Timcho (died at the Bulgarian border). Besides those who died there were also many who were wounded and left permanently maimed.

Before and during the war, the Zhelevo Board was managed by a number of prominent Zhelevo residents. Included among them were the Mayor, a Secretary and a number of advisors including a teacher and a priest. Board members were always selected from the more respected families in the village, recognized for their ability to supposedly work for the benefit of the village along the line of Greek government interests. After Greece capitulated, the Italians came to the village and Zhelevo was placed under the Italian sphere of influence which remained active from 1941 to July 9, 1943, when

Fascist Italy capitulated. There were many problems experienced during those years, including a famine in 1941, but fortunately no one died of starvation, but the people had to work very hard and endure much hardship in order to survive. The Italian soldiers in Zhelevo were supplied with their food by the village which included meat, potatoes, beans, eggs, chicken and cheese. Whatever they needed they helped themselves to it without compensation. The worst thing the Italians did was take all the village cattle, sheep and goats. Another bad thing they did was arming a number of people with guns and placing them to guard the village in favour of the Italians but under Kalchev’s pro-Bulgarian flag.

The German army passed by Zhelevo in the spring of 1941, on its way to Greece to put down a small English and Greek army still active in Greece. At about the same time there was much war material including guns, ammunition and medical supplies floating around in the village, which was secretly collected by certain people and turned in to members of the Party organization. Included in the group of people who belonged to the Party organization was Spiro Mavrovski, Risto’s older brother. Spiro and his comrades were responsible for collecting all this material and securing it in secret places outside of the village. Everything that was done was managed by Pando Trendovski, Spiro Simovski, Ilia Markov, Tode Kirovski and some others. A little later the Italians came to the village and one of their units, called the Carabinieri, settled there. Its arrival, along with that of the Germans and Bulgarians, complicated matters and made life difficult for the villagers. As occupiers of the region the Germans, Italians and Bulgarians became the new masters and began to take all the wealth for themselves. By the fall and winter of 1941 there was nothing left for the people of Zhelevo as poverty set in. The region was poverty stricken and people everywhere began to die of hunger, especially in the larger cities. People began to fight over bread. Those starving were attacking those who had food. The Party had to step in and put an end to the fighting and help those who were starving. The program was successful and managed to save many people until the next harvest. The slogan that year was: “help feed the people to survive”.

On September 27, 1941 EAM, the first Greek national liberation organization, was formed which came up with the slogan: “all

honest, decent and progressive people step forward, pick up guns and fight against our common enemy the fascist occupiers.” On June 22, 1941 Germany was attacked by the USSR and the war began to expand. The village Zhelevo was also involved in organizing in EAM but under very difficult conditions being constantly watched by the Italians.

Terror and intimidation continued to increase and by the beginning of 1942 Bulgarian propaganda began to filter into the village with the slogan “we are all Bulgarians”. To turn Macedonians into Bulgarians the village Armenovo was given corn. Then, in the spring of 1943, the Bulgarians sent armed bands from Kostur Region to Zhelevo, threatening the village with violence because they claimed it was a “Grekman” village (affiliated with the Greeks). They were threatening to plunder it and burn it down. That, fortunately, did not happen because a large number of the people from Zhelevo were armed and prepared to defend it. The Organization again stepped in and took control of the situation. This gave the Organization a chance and a reason to arm itself and to be one of the first villages to send its people to the mountains. The armed villagers from Kostur Region, led by Kalchev, a German spy, were prepared to fight against their fellow villagers in Zhelevo in the interest of Germany, Italy and Bulgaria. During this period of time, 1941and 1942, Risto remained home with his father but was unhappy unless he was out there helping his older brother Spiro.

The Germans at that time did not have the same flare as those who had first come to the village. After experiencing their first defeat to Russia they seemed to be panicky and withdrawn. The battle at Stalingrad was a moral blow to them. They lost many of their elite fighters belonging to Field Marshal Powers. At the same time they were losing in Africa to the Anglo-American forces. The same was happening in the Balkans where the Italians and Bulgarians were suffering large losses to the growing partisan movement in Yugoslavia.

In 1942, Risto began to accompany his father and help him with his work. He needed to do this in order to keep the family afloat and from starving. During the winter of 1942 the Italians drafted the entire village and deployed the people to remove snow from the road

leading to Lerin. All able bodies in the Mavrovski family were involved in this. It was quite cold during that winter and a lot of snow had fallen. The region was also hit by typhoid. Risto’s cousin Vasil (Tasa’s son) died from it and Risto became very ill. He lay in bed, looking like a skeleton, for two months being unable to eat solid food for forty days. Mihail, Risto’s father, asked a medic from the Italian core to see him and give him advice on how to treat him. A liquid diet of boiled cow’s milk and boiled mountain tea was prescribed for forty days. After that Risto began to slowly get up and eat small amounts of solid food, consisting mainly of soup and boiled potatoes. It took Risto a long time to recover. He had lost all his hair but as he began to recover his hair started to grow back. As far as Risto knew, he had suffered no permanent damage from the typhoid. After his recovery, Risto joined the Youth Organization which was formed in February 1943 under the leadership of EAM and ELAS, which in turn were established by the CPG, by the Agrarian Party and by other progressive parties.

The first partisans from Zhelevo appeared at Mount Vicho in the spring of 1943 and with that safety measures and control in the village further strengthened. At the time of the dissolution of the Greek army and the arrival of German troops in the village, CPG members and supporters worked hard collecting arms, ammunition, clothes, medical supplies and other military materials. Everything that was acquired was hidden in secure places and with the appearance of the partisans it began to be used. The Italians capitulated on July 9, 1943 and the Germans took their place in the village until the war ended.

Several fighters from Zhelevo, in 1944, started to leave the village, crossed over the border into the Republic of Macedonia and remained in the ranks of Gotse’s battalion (later a brigade) until the spring of 1945, at which time they returned home. Later in 1945, when the Greeks returned to the village, those fighters again fled to the Republic of Macedonia.

Soon after EAM was established, ELAS (National Liberation Army of Greece) was formed and the village organizations began to increase in members and activists. The Zhelevo organization worked hard to prepare the first village detachment, but poor weather

conditions did not allow it until March 1943. Included among the first group of fighters to come out of Zhelevo and join the struggle were Pando Markov, Nikola Fundako, Giorgi Gusho, Giorgi Bogdano and Spiro Mircho. More groups followed in the summer of 1943. These were all illegal groups and worked on various operational and courier activities. Spiro Mavrovski, Risto’s older brother, was involved with these groups, which in May of 1943 were joined by Risto Mavrovski, Stoian Stanishev, Risto Trkalov, Vangel Bogdanov, Iani Iankula, Lambro Rumiako, Micho Gaducho, Naso (Dilo’s son) and others who Risto does not remember. They were all divided into groups who did not know each other, for precaution if they were caught by the enemy. They experienced hard times under the Italian occupation.

By the end of 1943 the movement had gained a lot of momentum and was determined to form battalions. Zhelevo had already formed a unit under the command of “Daskalot” (the teacher) and so did Oshchima under the leadership of Mito Tupurka - Titan. Initially these units acted on their own and later joined the battalion under the command of Ilia Dimovski – Gotse (1909-1961), from the village Statitsa. Gotse, at the time, lived in Lerin and was one of the first people from Lerin Region to join the partisans. The units in Greek occupied Macedonia, at that time, were also joined by a unit from the Bitola – Prespa Regions, which had been driven out from the Republic of Macedonia by the Bulgarian occupier. This unit acted on Mount Vicho, Prespa and other surrounding places and was commanded by Kole Kaninski from the village Kanino, Bitola Region, who, along with Gotse, performed synchronized actions, but not for long. They had to separate because the Greek organizations EAM and ELAS were against a common struggle and would not allow it.

The Italians also acted. First they gathered a lot of cattle and sheep from the village and took them to Kostur. Then they twice took a group of people to the Kostur prison. The first group remained in prison for a short time. After the first group was released, a second group was immediately taken. The following people from the second group were executed: Bothers Pando and Pavle Popovski. Ilio Mircho, Ilio Sandrin, Vasil Giamov and Pando Steriu Lasko. Only Priest Spiro survived from this group and only because he was

a priest (reverend). By doing this and by executing people from other villages, the enemy showed its weakness; that it was indeed threatened by the people’s armed movements.

The summer of 1943 became even more difficult for the enemy when Russia inflicted heavy casualties on the Germans and the Anglo-Americans on the Italians, resulting in Fascist Italy’s capitulation on September 9, 1943. Italy capitulated after the Americans landed in Sicily. When Italy capitulated, the Italian soldiers stationed in Zhelevo abandoned their positions and left much of their military material behind. The Zhelevo organization took advantage of the situation and collected weapons, ammunition, clothes, sanitary materials and anything else that could be salvaged. This material was then taken to the mountains and given to the partisans. After Italy’s capitulation, a large part of the Prespa territory became free. Unfortunately Zhelevo was retaken by the Germans who stayed there until the end of 1944.

The war continued against the Germans and Bulgarians with more and more fighters and activists joining the movement. Soon afterwards women began to join the struggle and the partisan units. The first woman from Zhelevo to join the partisans was the brave and beautiful Sofia Temu Sotirova. The struggle was also joined by former Greek officers, lawyers, teachers, etc., under great agitation from the organization. While the Germans were still there the organization grew, inducting young, brave and capable people who were more than willing to help the partisans with food, ammunition, information about enemy numbers and movements, etc. At that time there were also quisling groups who fought on the side of the enemy, like Zerva who fought for the king, Kalchev, the Albanian Balists, etc., and as such illegal activities were difficult to perform.

A lot of snow fell during the winter of 1943 – 1944, making movement and travel very difficult. At that time the Germans had taken black people as prisoners and had brought some to Zhelevo. The prisoners along with a number of people, young and old, from the village were taken to Bigla to provide free slow removal. Risto was among that group of people. For several weeks the road had to be cleaned regularly to keep traffic moving so that the German army could transport ammunition and other supplies to Kostur and

Albania. In the spring of 1944, the Germans, Bulgarians and the Albanian Balists began an offensive against the partisans. The offensive luckily lasted only several days. A Russian captive named Vasil had escaped the Germans and found himself in Zhelevo. After connecting with the partisan units he disappeared. The offensive was launched from Lerin and went along Trsie, Statitsa and Psoderi before reaching Zhelevo. The offensive units consisted mainly of Bulgarian soldiers but had Albanian Balisti and German soldiers as well. It was the first and only time that Bulgarian soldiers entered Zhelevo. The occupation lasted only two days but in those two days the Bulgarians helped themselves to everything the village had to offer without paying. They ate, sang and danced and then left for Prespa. The Germans recaptured Vasil the Russian in the village Besfina and seized Stavro, Nedelko’s son, and a few others from Zhelevo.

Stavro and the others were sent to Germany while the Russian was executed in Lerin during a short stopover. When the Bulgarians arrived in the village German, Prespa Region, they found a few people from Lerin who they then took to the village Dupeni, forced them to dig a hole in the ground, killed them with pickaxes and buried them in a common grave, the same hole they had dug. It was one of the most savage murders ever witnessed in the area. The offensive ended with only Spiro Mircho, from the village Zhelevo, being killed. In the whole of the country the situation was different. There were great losses on both sides in some areas. After the offensive was over, the Germans brought Armenian soldiers to Zhelevo. They were captured on the eastern front. Soldiers from the same unit were also held at Mount Bigla and sought to escape and join the partisans. With help from the organizations, the Armenians were freed and joined the partisans. Spiro Mavrovski, Risto’s brother, was instrumental in connecting the Armenians with the Partisans and making their escape possible. Spiro, who at the time was working with the village courier service, took the Armenians and surrendered them to Gotse’s Battalion. At the same time the organization disarmed many of the villagers who had joined Kalchev’s units. A small number of these armed people voluntarily joined Mito Tupurka Titan’s unit.

After these developments in Zhelevo, the Germans brought soldiers to the village from a special SS division, who remained there until October 1944. These soldiers were housed at Fote Sotirov Temo’s café located at the Lerin-Kostur-Prespa-Albania main road. The German officers were housed in Tanas Ianu Shoferot’s (the driver) house in Broda locality in a good strategic position. The German local command was housed in the Nanovtsi house. The soldiers were located outside of the village, which created better conditions for freedom of movement, especially for the organization. In the summer of 1944 some of the German SS soldiers stopped Neda, Risto’s mother, at the entrance of the village when she was coming home with Risto and their donkey loaded with hay. Risto believes some villagers had gone to the Germans and accused his mother of supplying the partisans with food. As a result, she was tossed into a large pool of water and they sent a dog, a German shepherd, after her. But despite Risto’s crying and pleading with them to pull her out, they kept pushing her back and left her in the pool until she was unconscious. She was then pulled out and thrown on the grass where she remained unconscious for a long period of time. The soldiers who did this laughed it off like it was some sort of joke. Desperate, Risto ran into Tanas’s house where the non SS Germans were stationed and got a medic to examine her. In spite his attempts to revive her, she still remained unconscious. The soldiers then took her home. Ever since then Neda was never the same. She remained in bed until the end of her life in April 1948. Two or three days later the same German soldiers did the same to Mitoitsa Ianovska, but she was a younger and stronger woman and was able to overcome her ordeal.

In July 1944 Risto was sent to the village Bouf to deliver a letter. Bouf was far from Zhelevo but, because his Father Mihail worked there, Risto knew the way and knew many of the Bouf residents. Risto left early in the morning on foot and got to Bouf before nightfall. After spending the night at the Iankula – Gagachev house, the next day Risto was on his way back to Zhelevo. The people in Bouf gave him some apples to take with him to eat on the road and sent him off. Unfortunately there was a German guard unit stationed at the locality Mala Bigla. Risto was allowed to travel because he had an “ausvais’ (identification card) from the village but when he went towards the guard house, instead of being greeted by a guard

he was greeted with a machine gun pointing at him. The German guard gestured for him to raise his arms and lie face down in front of the gun barrel. Risto cannot remember how long he lay there but it seemed like it was for a long time. What Risto remembers is that while laying there, a number of motorized mechanized units followed by a column of trucks passed by him. They were coming from Lerin and headed to Albania. They were loaded with weapons. After that, the German guard went over to Risto and asked him where he was going. When he saw Risto’s ID card he stopped one of the trucks which then took him to the village. When the truck pulled out Risto saw three poles with a couple of male bodies hanging from each pole. They were prisoners from Lerin. The German driver told Risto that “bandits” (partisans) had placed a landmine on the road which exploded and wounded a German officer. The Germans hung these people in revenge. The same driver who brought Risto to Zhelevo, says Risto, opened the truck door when they arrived and gave Risto a swift kick on the butt to remind him to stay home and not to travel in dangerous areas. But as soon as Risto came home, he went to the organization and reported what he had found out.

Soviet troops entered Bulgaria on September 9, 1944, causing it to capitulate. After that only Germany was left fighting in the war. The partisans had cut off the Kostur to Lerin road and the Germans were forced to march to the village Rulia to get their food and other supplies. When the partisans were notified of this they gave the Germans a good reception. Three German soldiers and their guard dog were killed during an ambush. The rest picked up their dead and returned to Zhelevo. After that the German units did not venture out of the village until the war was over.

At the same time the EAM and ELAS leadership made catastrophic mistakes, whose consequences were made obvious after the war ended. They made the mistake of placing the ELAS units under English command and agreeing to cooperate with the exiled Greek government in Egypt, which tried to disband the Macedonian units by sending them south into Greece because they were afraid of losing Greek occupied Macedonia. And thus from September 18 to 20, 1944, the leadership of ELAS ran into a number of disagreements which split ELAS in two. A large ELAS unit, consisting almost exclusively of Macedonians under Ilia Dimovski –

Gotse’s command, fled Greek occupied Macedonia and crossed over into the Republic of Macedonia where it participated in the final battles for the liberation of the Republic of Macedonia. At that point in time it was unknown to the Macedonian fighters that the Greeks would declare them traitors and autonomists and that there would be consequences for leaving.

In October 1944, the German forces began to withdraw from Greece and Albania. The German soldiers headed for Lerin and Yugoslavia passed by Zhelevo’s main road. Their aim was to avoid contact with the Soviet and Yugoslav forces but ultimately these same German units remained and fought in Yugoslavia until May 15, 1945 and well after Germany capitulated. After leaving Greece, the Germans concentrated their campaigns in Yugoslavia, mainly in Kosovo, Bosnia and Srem. Yugoslavia’s Tito asked Russia’s Stalin for help. The Red Army, with one corps from Bulgaria and one from Romania, entered Yugoslavia and participated in the Liberation of Belgrade. The fighting continued in Srem, Novi Sad, Subotitsa, Hungary, Austria, etc. The German army continued to fight and refused to surrender until it was destroyed.

During the last days of the war, a small ELAS unit sought help from the Zhelevo organization and acquired weapons to set an ambush at the border between Zhelevo and Psoderi. The unit cut the telephone wires and waited for the Germans to come and repair them. The Germans arrived on motorcycles from Zhelevo and a battle ensued. Two Germans were killed and one wounded. The partisans then wasted no time in robbing the dead Germans of their weapons and other possessions, neglecting the German who was wounded and who escaped to reach the village to inform command of what had happened. He told command that he and the others had been attacked by unshaven bandits who wore a certain type of coat, not representative of the village Zhelevo. This alone saved the village from severe repercussions, mass beatings, murders and burning of properties. The Zhelevo mayor, who spoke a bit of German, also helped by offering them free food, meat and whatever else they wanted. And as such no revenge was taken on the village. Soon afterwards the Germans left the village, leaving behind all kinds of weapons, ammunition and other equipment. They also left a cannon behind, which they threw into the river.

After the Germans left, the people of Zhelevo gathered together and celebrated through the streets by singing and dancing; happy to be finally free of the most current occupiers. One group of people built a wooden coffin and marched it through the village in Broda locality to mark the German departure. On October 18, 1944 the village put on a dance and invited everyone to join in and have a great time. A short time later Lerin was liberated by ELAS and a people’s militia was established to serve as a police force. This was also done in Zhelevo. A few days later one of Koroveshi’s units entered Zhelevo. This was an exclusively Macedonian unit. It remained in Zhelevo for only one day, during which time many fiery speeches were made encouraging the young people of Zhelevo to join it. After leaving Zhelevo the unit went to the village Breznitsa. Some time later the unit was attacked by ELAS killing Pero, one of its fighters. To avoid further conflict, the unit left and crossed over the border into the Republic of Macedonia. ELAS units remained in Zhelevo until April 1945. After that an English unit came to Zhelevo. This was the first time English soldiers had come to the village. They remained there until April 1946, when Papandreou’s Monarcho-Fascist army was established in Greece. At about the same time ELAS was attacking Gotse’s Macedonian battalion. This happened at the Lerin Pole flatlands. And as such, to avoid further conflict, Gotse’s battalion also crossed over into the Republic of Macedonia where it participated in putting down remnants of German, Albanian Balist and other armed groups.

After the Germans left, Risto Mavrovski remained in the village and took on a job as a shepherd looking after Giorgi Trendov’s sheep. Risto’s safety at the time was guaranteed by Pando Trendov, a member of the Party. Unfortunately, one day while grazing the sheep at Broda locality with Fote Stepanov, the same place the Germans were stationed, Risto came upon a landmine that was uncovered by the sheep. Being young and curious about these things, and also unaware of the complete danger, the boys poked at the mine with a stick until it exploded. Fortunately the mine was buried deep in soil and they were far enough away to avoid its full effects. They only suffered minor cuts from the pebbles and soil that sprayed them. They were lucky they learned their lesson without lasting consequences, except for the fear and panic they acquired

which remained with them for a long time. The fear remained but with help from Kuzo Gligorov, his mother Neda and his aunts, Risto was able to quickly recover from the shock and go back to work. Risto remained on the job until Giurgiovden (St. George holiday) 1945.

The Greek Civil War, 1945 to 1949

On December 3, 1944, Great Britain began its military intervention against ELAS in Athens, which lasted a long time and caused many casualties with great human losses. After that Greece became a British protectorate under occupation. This did not go unnoticed in Greek occupied Macedonia where people put their support behind ELAS with rallies and marches. Unfortunately a split inside EAM and ELAS began to appear regarding the formation of armed groups belonging to EDES which were in support of the king and the British. At the same time Macedonian organizations such as NOF, AFZH and NOMS began to appear, agitating and campaigning for the rights of the Macedonian people.

After the Greek government in exile, headed by Georgios Papandreou, returned to Greece from Egypt, assisted by the British, managed to persuade EAM and ELAS to disarm their fighters, hand over their weapons and participate in the formation of a government after parliamentary elections took place that would be conducted freely throughout Greece. This was part of the Varkiza Agreement as a condition for disarming. Some units however did not disarm. These were the units belonging to Zervas, Zvolo, Chirimoko and others, which fully joined the British and Greek government in the persecution of the free people initiating a new and even more severe terror against anyone who fought against the Germans, Italians, Bulgarians, or any other fascists. From this moment on the partisan fighters found themselves in a worse situation than they were in the previous four years while they fought against the occupiers. And so, Greece now found itself under a new occupation. The EAM and ELAS leaders began to go underground in order to avoid falling in the hands of the enemy. This lasted up until May 9, 1945, after Germany’s capitulation.

Germany capitulated after the battle for Berlin was won by the Soviets and the Allies. Poland was freed by Gomulka, Czechoslovakia by Svoboda, Hungary by Rakosi, Romania by Giorge Dezh, Bulgaria by Dimitrov, Yugoslavia by Tito, Albania by Enver Hoxha, and so on. All these republics came under the Soviet zone of influence. Their freedom should be credited to the Soviet Union headed by Joseph Stalin Visarionovich. Only Greece failed to move forward to a great victory and again remained trapped and oppressed, in spite of the many sacrifices ELAS made for Greece’s freedom from the Fascists. The socialists in Greece had the support of the majority of the people but due to the will of the Great Powers, Greece was placed under Western influence. Sadly, on top of that, there were a number of errors made by some members the Socialist leadership such as Shantos, Partsalidis, Ioannidou and others, who betrayed the revolution and failed to make Greece a People’s Republic.

A lot of people from Zhelevo left for Canada and the United States during 1945, 1946 and during the spring of 1947. Many of the Greeks who had come to Greek occupied Macedonia began to leave during the spring as the partisans reappeared at the start of the Greek Civil War.

As was stated above, the ELAS and EAM leadership had signed various Agreements with the British which brought them under British control. After the British crushed the riots in Athens, they made plans to bring the Greek government in exile, headed by Georgios Papandreou, from Egypt back to Greece. But ever since Germany’s capitulation there was a fierce struggle for power between the various parties in Greece and as such the new government decided to proclaim all those who fought on the side of the Germans as its own fighters.

And as such, from the moment the ELAS units surrendered their arms, they became victims of terror. Many were detained and sent to prison camps on the dry Greek islands without being guilty of anything. The same happened to people who had previously worked behind the scenes. Despite the fact that the Varkiza Agreement recognized all parties, including EAM and CPG, as having the freedom to freely act, there was a great and unexpected twist. Great

unprecedented terror was unleashed in the summer of 1945, especially in Greek occupied Macedonia where men were tortured and jailed, women raped, livestock stolen, etc… many other disgraceful things were done to the people. At about the same time the Macedonian veterans from World War II, those who had previously fled and fought on the territory of Yugoslavia, were returning home. All this, everything that was happening, was a sure sign that yet another war was looming on the horizon.

At about this time Risto, his father Mihail, his brother Spiro and a friend named Dane were renovating the old Mavrovski house in Zhelevo, as well as building a new one. Risto’s job was to mix the mortar (red clay) and do every other odd job that did not require much skill. After the construction was completed, Risto joined the local youth organization which, at that time, was operating under very difficult conditions. There was a Greek military force as well as a Greek police force stationed in Zhelevo, which made movement very difficult. In November Mihail found Risto a job to look after Mito Trpchela’s sheep. The Trpchela family had a barn far from Zhelevo, closer to Oshchima and Besfina. This job gave Risto mobility and a reason to travel and as such was able to help the partisans. Risto worked at this job until May 1946. By then the partisan movement on Mount Vicho was well-established with the formation of the first Macedonian detachments. The fact that Macedonian detachments were forming in Vicho caused much alarm among the Greeks who ordered their army to step up its terror tactics against the Macedonian population, particularly in the remote villages. Zhelevo was not immune to this terror. A policeman, a Vlach (Karakachan), beat a number of innocent Macedonian people in the middle of Zhelevo square, in front of the entire village, for absolutely no reason, other than to frighten the population. Included among the villagers beaten were Tode Kirov (a blind man), Giorgi Markov and Done Mandzhukov.

In the spring of 1946, Greece implemented the first parliamentary elections to elect a new parliament. Here again the EAM party made another mistake by boycotting the elections. With the slogan “do not vote”, it discouraged progressive supporters from going to the polls. The excuse this time was that the people in the villages were in danger due to the violence and unrest in the population. After the