-- WORLD WARS -- - Part 01

-- WORLD WARS --

1914 - First World War begins. Bulgaria occupies Macedonia in 1915.

1917 - LAW 1051

Greece inaugurates new administrative jurisdictions for governing newly acquired lands in Greek occupied Macedonia.

1918 - End of WW I, Macedonia becomes part of Serbia again. The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes is founded, and is renamed to Yugoslavia in 1929.

1919 - Treaty of Versailles (Paris) (November 27) between the Allied and Associated Powers and Bulgaria, and Protocol and Declaration signed at Neuilly-sur-Seine, on November 27, 1919. England and France ratify the principles of the Bucharest Treaty and endorse the partition of Macedonia.

Greece pursues the forced expulsion and denationalization of Macedonians and begins colonization by transferring “Greeks” into Aegean Macedonia.

Article 51 of Treaty of Versailles espouses equality of civil rights, education, language, and religion for all national minorities which Greece violates and ignores.

Neuilly Convention and forced exchange of populations. About 70,000 Macedonians expelled from Aegean Macedonia to Bulgaria and 25,000 Greeks transferred from Bulgaria to Aegean Macedonia.

Greek Commission on Toponyms issues instructions for choosing Hellenized names for Macedonian places in Aegean Macedonia.

1919 - “IMRO” is restored under the leadership of the new Central Committee: Todor Aleksandrov, Aleksandar Protogerov and Petar Chaulev. The primary aim of the organization is to free Macedonia and create an autonomous and independent country within its geographical and ethnic borders.

1920 - Greek Ministry of Internal Affairs publishes booklet: “Advice on the change of the names of municipalities and villages” in Greek occupied Macedonia.

1923 - Treaty of Lausanne is signed on July 24. By the Treaty of Lausanne the Greco-Turkish war came to an end. Greece and Turkey signed a population exchange agreement using “religion as the basic criterion for nationality”.

1924 - CPG all for United and Independent Macedonia

February 1924 – CPG adopts resolution in support of a united and independent Macedonia

In February 1924, during its extraordinary Congress, the CPG adopted a truly revolutionary Resolution with regards to the “Macedonian Question”. Among other things the CPG said:

“The most recent imperialistic wars and post war conditions in the Balkans not only did not solve, but further complicated the Macedonian and Thracian National Questions. For many years the people in both Macedonia and Thrace have endured aggressive and violent attacks in the neighbouring countries, were they have been

exterminated in the many years of wars, and when they economically collapsed they were divided between Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece.”

“However, Macedonia’s division between Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria further strengthened the Macedonian people’s desire to unite their country, and to create a united and independent Macedonia. The Congress recognized the slogans raised during the 6th and 7th Balkan Communist Federation Conference calling for ‘a united and independent Macedonia’ and for ‘a united and independent Thrace’ which are fully functional and revolutionary.”

1924 - May 6, the “May Manifest” is signed in Vienna by the members of the Central Committee by all the fractions of VMRO (IMRO). Its aim is to unite the Macedonian revolutionary forces into a single Macedonian revolutionary front for freedom and unification of the partitioned territories of Macedonia making it an independent and single political unit within its natural geographical and ethnic borders. A few months later the Bulgaro-Vrhovists gave up from the “May Manifest”.

1925 - 76 names of Macedonian villages changed in Greek occupied Macedonia into Greek names, a process that was initiated in 1918 by Greek authorities.

League of Nations put pressures on Greece to extend rights to Macedonian minority.

1925 - ABECEDAR Primer printed in Athens for use by Macedonian school children in Aegean Macedonia. Written in Latin alphabet and reflects the Macedonian language spoken in Bitola-Lerin district in Western Greek occupied Macedonia.

Serbians and Bulgarians protest to League of Nations. Primer undermines their claim that Macedonians are Serbs and Bulgarians respectively.

Greece counters with last minute cable to League: “the population…..knows neither the Serbian nor the Bulgarian language and speaks nothing but a Macedonian idiom.”

Greece “retreats” so as to preserve Balkan alliances. Primer is destroyed after League of Nations delegates leave Salonika (Solun).

Thereafter, Greece denies existence of Macedonians. Refers to Macedonians as “Slavophone Greeks”, “Old Bulgarians” and many other appellations but not as Macedonians.

The very fact that official Greece did not, either de jure or do facto, see the Macedonians as a Bulgarian minority, but rather as a separate Slav group (‘Slav speaking minority’), is of particular significance. The primer, published in the Latin alphabet, was based on the Lerin - Bilola dialect. After Gianelli’s Dictionary dating from the 16th Century, and the Daniloviot Cetirijazicnik written in the 19th century, this was yet another book written in the Macedonian vernacular. The primer was mailed to some regions in Western Aegean-Macedonia (Kostur, Lerin and Voden), and the school authorities prepared to give Macedonian children, from the first to the fourth grade of the elementary school, instruction in their own mother tongue. (Grigorios Dafnis, ‘Greece between the two world wars’, ‘Elefteria’ newspaper, March 15, 1953, Dionisios Romas in ‘Elefteria’ newspaper of October 9 and 12, 1954 and Dimitrios Vazuglis in Racial and religious minorities in Greece and Bulgaria, 1954)

1925 - 6th IMRO Congress takes place in February and a new IMRO Central Committee is formed with members Ivan Mihailov, Aleksandar Protogerov and Georgi Pop Hristov. The IMRO aims remained the same: struggle to unite partitioned Macedonia within its geographical and ethnic borders and to achieve political autonomy.

1925 - IMRO (United) is founded in Vienna in October under the leadership of Dimitar Vlahov, Pavel Satev, Georgi Zankov, Rizo Rizov, Vladimir Pop Timov and Hristo Iankov. Their main objective is to free Macedonia within its geographical and ethic borders and to create an independent political unit that will become an equal member of a future Balkan Federation. Under the pressure of The League of Nations, a Macedonian language primer, the Abecedar is

published in Greece to educate Macedonian children in their native language.

1926 - Racist flyer distributed in Lerin

January 27, 1926 – On this day the organization “Elino-Makedoniki pigmi” (Greeko-Macedonian fist) distributed a flyer in Lerin with the following content: “From today forward we prohibit the use of the Bulgarian dialect spoken in social centers, trade relations, meetings, assemblies, festive gatherings, banquets, weddings, etc. We demand that only Greek be spoken in all the above mentioned instances. We recommend to all political and military authorities, to all public and private employees to not accommodate requests or give out information in a language other than Greek. Parents, teachers, priests, elders and minors, we invite you all to fulfill your patriotic debt; otherwise we will hold you and your subordinates responsible for the offenses you commit. Violators of the ordinance are considered traitors to the motherland and will fall under the terrible blows of our organization which was created to study the situation. The slogan “fatherland above all” means punishing anyone who will not fulfill our orders.

1926 - Secret Youth organization founded

March 1926 - The Macedonian Young People’s Secret Revolutionary Organization (“Makedonska mladinska tajna revolucionerna organizacija” - MMTRO) is founded which has aims to help IMRO in its fight for freedom for the Macedonian people and for the unification of the three parts of Macedonia into one autonomous political unit.

1926 - Legal act on change of names issued

November 1926 - a legal Act was issued on the change of Macedonian geographic names into the Greek version. The news was published in the government daily Efimeris tis Kivemiseos No. 322 of November 21, 1926. The same newspaper in its No. 346 published the new, official, Greek names. The names of the people were changed too. First names as well as family names were

changed to Greek versions. These are still officially binding to this day.

All place names (toponymia) were Hellenized; that is the names of cities, villages, rivers and mountains were discarded and Greek names put in their place. At the same time the Macedonians were forced to change their first and surnames; every Macedonian surname had to end in ‘os’, ‘es’, or ‘poulos’.

The news of these acts and the new, official Greek names were published in the Greek government daily Efimeris tis Kiverniseos no. 322 and 324 of November 21 and 23, 1926.

1927 - Cyrillic letters erased in churches and tombstones

1927 - Cyrillic inscriptions (Macedonian alphabet) in churches, tombstones and icons rewritten or destroyed. Church services in the Macedonian language are outlawed.

Macedonians ordered to abandon personal names and under Duress adopt Greek names assigned to them by the Greek state.

1928 - Events in Greek occupied Macedonia - In the period from 1928 to 1934, when there seemed to be a movement for better relations between the Balkans countries successive Greek governments of the time appeared a little more elastic in their attitudes towards the Macedonian language. Some even made serious statements in favour of the Macedonians. But in order to see the differences between what Greek politicians said and did regarding the Macedonian Question, we need to emphasize the fact that back in 1926 a law was passed by the Greek Government, as published in the Greek Official Gazette no. 332 of 21. XI. 1926, which entailed the erasure of the Macedonian toponymy and replacing it with a Greek one. In other words, the Greek government passed a law to change the names of all villages, towns, rivers and mountains in Greek occupied Macedonian from Macedonian to Greek. At about the same in 1926 the Greek government allowed various different Greek nationalist organizations, such as the “Elino - Makedoniki pigmi” (Greco - Macedonian fist) and “EEE”

(National Organization of youth), to appear which were openly raising the issue of banning the Macedonian language.

1928 - 1, 497 Macedonian place names changed in Greek occupied Macedonia turned into Greek (since 1926).

English Journalist V. Hild reveals, “The Greeks do not only persecute living Macedonians but they even persecute dead ones. They do not leave them in peace even in the graves. They erase the Macedonian inscriptions on the headstones, remove the bones and burn them.”

1929 - Legal act issued on protection of public order

During Eleftherios Venizelos’s rule a legal Act was issued “On the protection of public order”. In line with this Act each demand for nationality rights is regarded as high treason. This law is still in force.

LAW 4096 directive on renaming Macedonian place names.

1932 - CPG adopts conditional support for the Macedonians

During the CPG Central Committee 4th Plenum the CPG modified the paragraph that said “united and independent Macedonia and Thrace” without considering that the Macedonians represented a separate nation that was striving for its national liberation. Specifically, during the March 1932 4th Plenum it was concluded that Greece was an imperialistic country which violently occupied large areas inhabited by other nationalities (Macedonia’s and Thracians) and subjected them to colonial exploitation, persecution and extermination.

“In the name of Bolshevik principles, the Communist Party of Greece took away the Macedonian and Thracian people’s right to self-determination and to completely breakaway from the Greek state, the right to and independent Macedonia and Thrace and boldly supported the revolutionary struggle of the population in these areas for their national liberation...”

According to former Greek Party leader Stavridis, the CPG was prepared to support the right to self-determination up to secession and the right to form a united and independent Macedonia and Thrace, if there was an IMRO (United) coordinated armed struggle to take place in the three parts of Macedonia which would include the objectives of the Vlach minority (because the Vlachs like the Macedonians were disadvantaged), the Albanian Revolutionary Committee, and the Jews in Macedonia, who were now more than before willing to see an autonomous Macedonia. If these conditions were to be met then the CPG would be prepared to materially support such a movement.

1935 - Macedonian students association found

The Macedonian student’s association “Vardar” was founded in Zagreb, but soon the authorities banished their monthly journal “Naš vesnik” (“Our Journal”).

1936 - Macedonian national movement founded in Ohrid

August 28, 1936. The organization MANAPO (Macedonian national movement) was founded in Ohrid.

1936 - Legal act issued “On the activity against state security”

December 18, 1936 – Metaxas’ dictatorial government issued a legal Act “On the activity against state security” on the strength of which thousands of Macedonians were arrested, imprisoned or expelled from their homeland.

1936 - Reign of terror by fascist dictator

Reign of terror by fascist dictator General Metaxas, (1936-40). Macedonians suffer state terrorism and pogroms.

Thousands of Macedonians jailed, sent to internal exile (EXORIA) on arid, inhospitable Greek islands, where many perish. Their crime? Being ethnic Macedonian by birth.

LAW 6429 reinforces Law 4096 on turning Macedonian place names to Greek place names.

DECREE 87 accelerates denationalization of Macedonians.

Greek Ministry of Education sends “Specially trained” instructors to accelerate conversion to Greek language.

Another association of Macedonian students – “Vardar” was founded in Belgrade.

1938 - First collection of poems “Fire” (“Ogin”) by Venko Markovski was published in Macedonian. He was a member (1945) of the Commission that worked on the codification of the Macedonian literary language, but in 1965 he moved into Bulgaria where, after declaring himself to be a Bulgarian, was awarded with the most prestigious honours by the Bulgarian state.

1938 - Legal Act No. 2366 was issued on September 7 which banned the use of the Macedonian language. All Macedonian localities were flooded with posters: “Speak Greek”. Evening schools were opened in which adult Macedonians were taught Greek. Not a single Macedonian school functioned at that time. Macedonians fined, beaten or jailed for speaking Macedonian. Adults and school children further humiliated by being forced to drink castor oil when caught speaking Macedonian.

LAW 1418 reinforces previous laws on renaming.

1939 - The book “White Dawns” is published. (“Beli Mugri”) is published. This book is a collection of Macedonian poems from the first modern Macedonian poet Kocho Ratsin.

1939 - Italian troops landed in Albania on March 23 and occupied its territory

1939 - WW II begins, Germany invades Yugoslavia

-- 1940 ---

1940 - 39 Macedonian place-names changed turned to Greek since 1929.

1940 - Germany, Italy and Japan cooperate

Germany, Italy and Japan signed a cooperation agreement. This basically identified their intentions with respect to each others' spheres of influence, defining their political, economic and defense strategies as well as their obligations to each other. The agreement came to be known as the “tripartite pact”.

Soon after consolidating control in Albania, on October 28th, 1940, Italy declared war on Greece. Greece.

Metodia Shatorov - Sarlo becomes Political Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party in Macedonia. This begins the realization of the Macedonian national platform: creating a Macedonian republic as part of Yugoslavia with rights to succession.

-- 1941 --

1941 - Bulgarian attempt to take Macedonian Party

A bid was made by the Bulgarian People’s Communist Party to take over the Macedonian party organization in the Vardar part of Macedonia. The same bid was also made in Greek occupied Macedonia in 1941 when Hristo Kalajdzhiev arrived in Lerin and made contact with Ilija Dimovski – Gotse. Aware of the latest Bulgarian communist tactics Ilija Dimovski – Gotse intervened and strongly objected to the takeover rendering Kalajdzhiev’s mission unsuccessful. Ilija Dimovski – Gotse had already made contact with the Peoples’ Liberation Organization in the Vardar side of Macedonia and was already working with them. Early in 1941 Ilija Dimovski – Gotse illegally crossed the border to Bitola and established links with the Bitola Region Party Organization. Then in late 1941 early 1942 an illegal courier service was established between Bitola and Lerin.

1941 - Bulgaria allied with axis powers 295 March 1, 1941 - After war broke out in Europe, Bulgaria allied itself with the axis powers and joined the German led pact.

1841 - Yugoslav Regent joins Germany

March 25, 1941 - To avoid German wrath the Yugoslav Regent, Prince Paul, also joined the German led pact.

Bulgarian and Italian military forces occupy Serbian “Vardar” occupied Macedonia.

1941 - April 6, German army marches into Greece

By the end of April, 1941 Greek occupied Macedonia was divided into three occupied zones: Eastern Macedonia east from the river Struma along with Thrace was held by Fascist Bulgaria, the southern part of Kostur Region, Kozheni Region and part of Lerin Region was held by the Italians and central Macedonia to Solun was occupied by the Germans.

1941 - May 20, Greece divided into occupational zones

In accordance with Hitler’s May 17, 1941 order, Greece was officially divided into occupation zones: German, Italian and Bulgarian.

1941 - June 22, Hitler attacks Soviet Union

The CPG in Greece and in Greek occupied Macedonia was placed on alert. All progressive organizations in major cities such as Solun, Voden, Negush, Kostur, Lerin, etc., were quickly re-established and rearmed with new arms. One of the strongest organizations, founded by the Macedonian Trifun Hadzhijanov in 1924, was reactivated in Voden on July 1st, 1941.

1941 - June 28, Bulgarian propaganda in Macedonia

The second and more dramatic time Bulgarian propaganda reached the Macedonian people was during the Second World War when a

group of 27 Macedonian and Greek communists were released from “Akronavplion” prison on June 28, 1941, with the help of Julia Schneider. Julia, who spoke German, informed the German authorities that the Macedonians in the prison were not jailed because they were communists but the Greeks had jailed them because they were “Bulgarians”. The Bulgarian authorities demanded that they be released under the condition that they agree to receive Bulgarian citizenship. Naturally this was used by the Greek nationalist press and by some Greek politicians to vilify the CPG, charging it with allegedly working for the services of the occupier and for surrendering Macedonia to the Bulgarians.

At the end of June 1941, the sixth plenum of the central committee of the CPG met to formulate a plan to defend against the occupiers and to overthrow the foreign fascist yoke. To this end the people were invited to join in the formation of the Greek National Liberation Front, which was founded in September 1941.

1941 - CPG abandons the Macedonians

July 1, 1941 - During its 6th Plenum the CPG Central Committee abandons the Macedonians

Unfortunately, during its 6th Plenum on July 1, 1941 the CPG Central Committee abandoned the Macedonians when it admitted that, for the sake of “national unity”, the “Macedonian Question” did not exist for Greece. This was one of the requirements for the CPG joining the Papandreou “national unity” program. (See: Dragan Kliakich, “General Markos”. Edition, Globus, Zagreb, 1979, p. 75.)

1941 - August, Atlantic Charter is drafted which expressed the post-World War II aims of the United States and Great Britain. President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain adopted the declaration in August 1941 during a conference aboard a ship off the coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and decided among other things that all people who participated in the liberation of the world from Fascism and Nazism would have the right to choose the form of government under which they would live; and to see sovereign

rights and self-government restored to those who had been forcibly deprived of them.

1941 - August 29, Macedonians executed. Among the people executed on August 29, 1941 in Lerin Region were Kon. Lijakov, Stavros Stangulis and Mih. Tesijanos for allegedly possessing and concealing arms. On September 24th, 1941 Stefanos Hristoforidis and Kostas Klasidis were executed in Solun, no reason was given. On October 5th, 1941 Jeremijas Stefanidis, Kirjakos Chotilis and Kostas were killed in the village Gostoljubi, Meglen Region for allegedly moving arms. On October 30th, 1941 Panajotis Jalamas was executed in Enidzhe-Vardar for allegedly taking part in the resistance. On November 4th, 1941 Mihail Vojadzhopulos was hung in Nigrita for allegedly taking part in the resistance. On November 13th, 1941 Macedonian students Ilija Kapeshev and Sokrat Djariros in Solun were executed, no reason given. On December 27th, 1941 496 people were executed in the German zone (Solun Region, Kukush Region, Gumendzha Region, Voden Region and part of Lerin Region) for allegedly raising arms, alleged sabotage and alleged participation in acts against the occupier. More were killed in actions with the Nigrita Region detachment “Andrutsos” in the village Krmsko, Kaljar Region. (The stats above were reported in the newspaper “Makhethonia” in Solun on February 19, 1959).

1941 - September 27, EAM in Greece is formed without any Macedonian markings. Its aims were to expel the German, Italian and Bulgarian occupiers, establishing the integrity of Greece, establishing the self-determination of Cyprus, the Dodecanese and Northern Epirus but nothing was said anywhere about the Macedonians.

The EAM included the Communist Party of Greece, the Agricultural Party, the National Socialist - Democratic Party, the General Workers Federation, the General Federation of State Officials, the National Solidarity Organization and representatives of the political, scientific and cultural life in Greece.

1941 - October 11, Macedonians rebel against occupier with aims at creating an independent Macedonian state.

The first anti-fascist war of national liberation began in the Republic of Macedonia on October 11, 1941. October 11th is the “Second Ilinden” for the Macedonian people. Since 1941 they have celebrated it as “Macedonian Revolution Day”.

-- 1942 --

1942 - February 15, ELAS is created. A new Greek Army, appropriately named ELAS, was created on February 15, 1942 with the appearance of its first ELAS military units. The first detachment of ELAS formed in Greek occupied Macedonia was in Kostur on December 7, 1942 and it consisted of 10 Macedonians, 7 Greeks and 2 Vlachs.

1942 - December 3, ELAS conduct first campaign against the occupier in the Gumendzha Region by successfully destroying the Greek gendarme post at Boemidzhki Bridge, killing all the German guards and capturing the gendarmes. The bridge was bombed and destroyed along with a German train. The train engineer and a German officer (a major) on board were both killed. One hundred and twenty regular partisans and 250 volunteers from the neighbouring Gumendzhe villages took part in this mission.

The importance of this mission was captured by historiographer Chrysochoou who wrote: “During the night of December 3rd, 1942 an armed group of EAM resistance fighters attacked and destroyed the railway station in Gumendzhe capturing one officer and five gendarmes and killing the German train engineer. Similarly the group destroyed the German bridge watchtower, wounding a German soldier and five Czech workers. The same Partisan group on the night of December 7th attacked the Mavrodendro mine near the village Fanos, and stole large amounts of dynamite and other items.” (Chrysochoou , “The Occupation in Macedonia”, Thessaloniki 1950, Vol. 1, Page 40)

1942 - December 12, 25 innocent people killed in Solun by Germans

As punishment for destroying a German train, bombing a bridge and attacking the watch tower, the Germans, on December 12, 1942, killed 25 innocent people in Solun. (“Makhethonia”, February 20, 1959)

-- 1943 --

1943 - February 28, Vicho Detachment formed

The first Lerin Region resistance detachment called “Vicho” is formed in the village Lagen. Among the first fighters to join this detachment were Ilija Dimovski – Gotse, Kocho Kalinov, Lambe Popovski, Miltiadi Popnikolov, Gijorgij Kalinov, Gijorgij Rusov, Jani Chochev, Hristo Sahidis-Pandelis Masiotis, Giogos Gavriilidis, Pashalis Papadopoulos – Spartakos, Atanas Furtunas and Stojan from Lerin. A few days later more men enlisted including Risto Kolentsev from Lerin bringing the number to 35.

1943 - Kostur Macedonian Committee formed

March 5, 1943 - The “Macedonian Committee” for Kostur Region is formed. Macedonian patriotism was put into action on March 5th, 1943 in Kostur Region when an Assembly of 48 members, representatives of the various villages, was convened and decided to form the “Macedonian Committee” for Kostur Region whose aim was to defend the 54 to 60 villages in that region. They were allowed to arm themselves (by the Italian occupiers) because they needed protection from the Greeks. Everything else that has been said about them is a lie.

The first armed military unit was formed in Kostur, consisting 9,850 armed men. They called themselves fighters, defenders against the armed Greek nationalist gangs. In western Macedonia, in 1943, these armed nationalist Greek gangs were responsible for intimidating the Macedonian people by spreading anti-Macedonian propaganda in the form of leaflets and by other means.

1943 - CPM founded in Tetovo

The Communist Party of Macedonia is founded in Tetovo. The process of creating government authorities – National Councils for Liberation – begins. The Main headquarters of NOV (People's Liberation Struggle) issues a Manifesto expressing the aims of the liberation war.

1943 - Partisans destroy train on the Lerin-Voden rail line

May 20, 1943 - Partisans attack and destroyed a train on the Lerin-Voden rail line in order to free the political prisoners being transported. Among those freed was Haralambos Haralambidis – Atanatos. Four Germans were killed and Papatanasiou, a well known collaborator, was wounded. All the prisoners were freed and in the process a large number of arms were acquired.

On several occasions the Vicho detachment combined forces with the Dame Gruev detachment from Bitola to perform joint missions.

1943 - May 22, Macedonian detachments combine

Gotse Delchev Detachment combines with Dame Gruev Datachment

On May 22nd, 1943 in the village Prekopana, Lerin Region, the “Gotse Delchev” detachment was formed by combining fighters from the “Dame Gruev” detachment and from the newly recruited fighters.

The formation of the “Gotse Delchev” detachment was welcomed by Naum Shupurkovski - Leon, the political commissar of the Lerin Region Partisan detachment “Vicho”. In his speech he emphasized the importance of the help offered by the Partisans from Vardar Macedonia against the disarming of the counter-bands in Lerin and Kostur Regions.

1943 - Dame Gruev Detachment breaks way

July 1, 1943 – Detachment “Dame Gruev” brakes away from detachments “Vicho” and “Gotse Delchev

On July 1st, 1943 the detachment “Dame Gruev” broke away from the detachments “Vicho” and “Gotse Delchev” and crossed over the border into Vardar Prespa. The “Vicho” and “Gotse Delchev” detachments, commanded by Ilija Dimovski – Gotse, continued with

their mission in disarming the counter-bands with much success. Without resistance the counter-bands surrendered their arms and joined on mass the Partisans and the peoples’ freedom movement.

1943 - July 5, ELAS placed under British command

Guided by this strategy and tactics, the CPG and ELAS leaderships signed an agreement on July 5, 1943 to place ELAS under British command to be led by British Headquarters for the Middle East. They agreed to form joint headquarters for the guerrilla forces in Greece. They agreed to reject previous commitments made in June 20 to 25, 1943 to representatives of the Communist Parties of Yugoslavia and Albania, for establishing a joint Balkan liberation headquarters.

1943 - July 16, ELAS under Middle East Command

ELAS and the English agree for ELAS to be under Middle East Command

ELAS Commander Sarafis and English Mission Military Chief Colonel Edie Mayers signed a joint declaration by which ELAS was recognized as an army and was subordinated to Middle East Command.

Given that out of the 70,000 ELAS fighters, 40,000 were Macedonians, did anyone consult with them that “this” was what they wanted to do? It was a huge army and, by rights, it should have had its own military leadership and military General Headquarters. But did it? Will our history be able to point out the names of any of the senior Macedonian officers serving in that army? I don’t think so, because those in control of the army did not want Macedonians in leading positions!

1943 - July 18, “Gotse Delchev” detachment crosses over into Vardar Macedonia

Around July 18th and 19th, 1943, after a twenty day mission in the Lerin and Kostur Regions, the “Gotse Delchev” detachment also crossed over into Vardar Macedonia.

The military and material aid provided by the Macedonian Partisans and the common military actions between Aegean and Vardar detachments, in spite of all Greek Communist Party obstacles, were of great importance in the awakening of the freedom movement in Greek occupied Macedonia.

Here is what Andreas Dzimas, member of the Central Committee of the Greek Communist Party and commissar of the main headquarters of the Greek National Liberation Army of Greece, had to say: “Under great pressure from the mass movement in Aegean Macedonia the politburo and the Central Committee of the Greek Communist Party agreed to suspend the Lebanon Agreement and immediately began to orientate themselves towards Yugoslavia’s People’s Liberation Army.

…one of the contributing factors that drew the Macedonians in the war against the occupiers, besides the connections they had with the Greek democratic movement, was the strong influence of the Macedonian Partisans of Yugoslav Macedonia. Their presence in Lerin, Kostur and Voden regions broke the last vestiges of the counter-bands and stirred the Macedonian peoples’ spirits into action against the occupiers…”

1943 - Vicho Detachment split

July 20, 1943 - Leadership decides to Split the Vicho detachment into smaller detachments

On July 20th, 1944 a conference was held in the village Belkamen, Lerin Region which was attended by the Partisans active on Vicho and Western Kajmakchalan. One of the resolutions reached was the re-organization of the Partisan forces into three detachments. The first lead by Aetos was assigned to operate in Vicho, the second lead by Ilija Dimovski – Gotse was assigned to Bigla – Koreshtata and the third was ordered to go to Western Kajmakchalan. In August 1943 Hristo Kolentsev was appointed detachment commissar for Vicho, replacing Commissar Naum Shupurkovski – Leon who left for a new assignment.

The vast majority of leaders and fighters in these detachments were Macedonians and this did not bode well with the Communist Party of Greece but in spite of its objections Macedonians continued to conduct business as usual and recruit Macedonian fighters from an overwhelming pool of volunteers.

1943 - September, “Lazo Trpovski” detachment created. This new detachment was named “Lazo Trpovski” after the influential Macedonian fighter and political leader from Dmbeni who had been killed in the village Imera, Kozheni Region on April 11, 1943 by a band of collaborators belonging to the racist Panhellenic Liberation Organization.

The Macedonian lead detachments were very popular with the Macedonian people and attracted massive numbers of recruits from the Macedonian population which unfortunately disturbed the Greeks.

1943 - September 8, Italy capitulates

1943 - September detachment is transferred to Gramos

In September 1943, with orders from the 28th regiment of the National Liberation Army of Greece Ilija Dimovski – Gotse’s detachment was transferred to Gramos where it remained until December of the same year when it was again ordered to return to Vicho to help put down enemy activities in that region.

1943 - October 20, SNOF is created. The CPG, EAM and ELAS leaderships, ‘concerned’ about the situation that existed in Greek occupied Macedonia, especially in Kostur, Lerin and Voden Regions, decided to create a separate Macedonian organization; SNOF (Slavo-Macedonia National Liberation Front). SNOF, for Kostur and Lerin Regions, was created on October 20, 1943 in the village Snichani, Kostur Region, and for Voden Region a little later. The people who created SNOF were Greeks who belonged to the CPG District Committee for Western Macedonia; Hristos Kalfas (Andreas), Antonis Andonopulos (Periklis), CPG District Committee Secretary for Kostur Region and Thanassis Kartsunis,

CPG District Committee Secretary for Kozhani Region. Less than 6 months after it was created SNOF was disbanded.

-- 1944 --

1944 - January, Slavo-Macedonian army formed

In January 1944, the CPG allowed the formation of a so-called “Slavo-Macedonian” army called SNOV and placed it under the direct leadership of EAM and ELAS. Later it was from this “army” that the “Aegean Brigade” was formed and transferred to Tito’s Army in Yugoslavia.

1944 - February 24, CPG signed Plaka Agreement

The CPG also signed the Plaka Agreement on February 24, 1944 to end hostilities between ELAS and EDES. And finally, as part of the agreement, the CPG dissolved SNOF.

1944 - May, Macedonian NOF in Greece is disbanded

During the Macedonian National Liberation Front regional conference held on April 12, 1944 Greek representatives of the CPG and Greek National Liberation Front were very pleased with the Macedonian National Liberation Front’s recent successes but a few days later the same Greeks suddenly and unexpectedly denounced the Macedonian organization calling it a redundant and useless and demanding that it be dismantled and its fighters be merged with the Greek Liberation Front. They argued that “two organizations with the same aims were not needed” and “national unity could not possibly be achieved by having redundant organizations”.

In the beginning of May 1944, during a CPG conference held in the village Mogila, Kostur Region, a final decision was made to break up the Macedonian organization. A similar decision was also made during a conference held in the village Lagen, Lerin Region and another one in the Macedonian ward in Voden.

Naturally and justifiably the Macedonian people found it hard to accept this especially since Macedonians created this organization through struggle and personal sacrifice.

The fact that the Macedonians in the Republic of Macedonia were having their own organizations, their own army, their own general headquarters and their recognized right to separate as an ethnic Macedonian identity made the Macedonians in Greek occupied Macedonia feel like they were taking steps backwards. Besides being stripped of their right to be recognized as an ethnic Macedonian identity in Greece, these Macedonians began to lose everything they had worked for, even the rights they had achieved thus far. This was not only unacceptable, it was incomprehensible.

In addition to breaking up the Macedonian National Liberation Front’s political body, the CPG leadership also disbanded its fighters and forced them to join ELAS. This was not what Macedonians wanted and naturally created negative feelings towards the Greeks which did not go unnoticed by the Fascists and directly fueled the autonomist propaganda which began to work hard to attract these disgruntled Macedonians who found themselves robbed not only of their rights but of also of their dignity.

The kind of politics the CPG was conducting was neither new nor unknown to the Macedonian leadership. As early as January 1944 Lazo Damovski, the secretary of the regional council of the Macedonian National Liberation Front for Kostur Region, addressed the CPG council for Macedonia and warned of this. On January 24, 1944 Damovski wrote: “The conditions created by World War II for the liberation movements in all of occupied Europe including the Balkans have opened new roads for the self-determination of all people. Macedonians are no exception. Macedonians have spilled blood in the 1903 Ilinden Uprising and are now fighting, spilling blood and making sacrifices to gain their freedom from the Fascists. Our friends in Vardar Macedonia are going in the right direction…”

“The Macedonians in Lerin and Kostur Regions represent the majority of the population (70%) and are fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Greek people. When they become liberated, will

they, according to the Atlantic Charter, have the rights to self declare? Will they be granted the promised rights?”

“The CPG promised the Macedonian people equal rights within the framework of a Peoples Republic of Greece, the same way it promised the people of the Dodekanis and Cyprus. If the CPG is serious about delivering on those promises when will it then allow the Macedonian people to freely express their ethnic culture? When will it let the Macedonians fight for their own ideals and for composing something unique to show that they are truly Macedonians? Is the CPG really afraid of being criticized by the chauvinist elements? If so, how then does it propose to form “national unity” and not receive any criticism? Does the CPG truly understand the Macedonian question? Because if it doesn’t it better learn it fast and start facing reality and make the right decision…”

One by one the CPG ordered all regional Macedonian National Liberation Front wards to close down and all fighters to disband and join the ranks of ELAS. This however was not what the Macedonians wanted and some began to show dissatisfaction.

1944 - May, Macedonians fighters leave ELAS and cross into Yugoslavia

In May 1944 a large group of Macedonian fighters and activists lead by Naum Pejov, separated themselves from ELAS in a symbolic protest against the dismantling of the Macedonian National Liberation Front. Ilija Dimovski – Gotse too was suspended from duty because he was in support of this separation. Similar events also took place in Lerin Region where a group of Macedonian fighters lead by Gjorgij Turundzhov fled ELAS. Another group from Voden Region also fled but their leader Vangel Aianov, who insisted on forming Macedonian detachments, was caught, put in jail and taken away to Mount Pajak. Pursued by Greek communist forces most of these renegade groups crossed over the Yugoslav border and fled into the Republic of Macedonia.

These acts of protest demonstrated by the Macedonians were neither forgiven nor forgotten by the CPG-ELAS leaderships. The Greek communists immediately issued orders to hunt down, capture and

punish these renegades. Captured and jailed were Lazo Damovski, Paskal Mitrevski and Lazo Poplazov from Kostur region. In a disgraceful manner killed at Kajmakchalan were Macedonian ward leaders Pando Dzhikov, Dimitar Leskov from Ostrov Region, ten people from the village Chegan and three more from the village Rusilovo.

The CPG made no effort to explain why these people were killed or to justify its action or to take responsibility for its part in the destruction of the Macedonian National Liberation Front which propagated these demonstrations in the first place. Instead it took the easy way out and accused these people of subversion and of creating “division” among the Macedonians in Greek occupied Macedonia by allegedly spreading “autonomous ideas” to the population. In other words the CPG lied its way out by accusing the Macedonians of wanting to split away from Greece. Greeks have this inherent and primordial fear that the Macedonians one day will take away their precious part of Macedonia. I wonder why?

After the fleeing fighters from Greek occupied Macedonia crossed over to the Republic of Macedonia they joined the resistance movement there. The CPG however was not at all pleased with their action and demanded that they be immediately sent back to Greece. While the fighters explained their reasons for leaving, the CPG insisted that they were “deserters” and needed to be sent back so that “an example” could be made of them. Without bothering to explain the underlying reasons why these fighters fled Greece the CPG took their case to the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY) and adamantly insisted that the fighters be immediately returned. The CPY however did not give in to the CPG’s demands and used this opportunity to put pressure on the CPG to deliver on its promises to the Macedonian people. Further, the CPY recommended that if the CPG wanted its fighters back it would have to allow them to form their own Macedonian military units in Voden, Lerin and Kostur regions.

1944 - May 20, Lebanon Agreement is signed

The Greek resistance leadership signed an agreement on May 20th, 1944 in Lebanon to form a coalition government with other civilian

parties from Greece which was unwelcome to the Macedonians. The agreement was viewed with suspicion because much of its content was insulting and demeaning to the Macedonian people. The agreement called for disarming the Macedonian people and was interpreted as a means to destroy the National Liberation Front. The Lebanon agreement was the end result of the so called “national unity” with other Greek parties which the CPG so desperately desired to create.

The Lebanon Agreement for forming a “National Unity Government” was signed by the CPG and EAM on one side and by the Greek government in exile on the other.

1944 - July 16, Macedonian Voden battalion is formed in Kajmakchalan. The announcement was welcome news for the Macedonian youth who began to arrive in massive numbers to join as volunteers. The battalion was camped above the village Gorno Rodivo in Kajmakchalan and every day more than a dozen youths came from the local villages with a single desire, to be soldiers in the Macedonian army.

1944 - August 2, First ASNOM session held

The First session of the Antifascist Council for the National Liberation of Macedonia, ASNOM is held at the monastery Sveti Prohor Pchinski. The ASNOM presidium is formed. Metodia Andonov Chento is appointed first President. A decision is reached to constitute a modern Macedonian state that will become part of the new Federal Yugoslavia.

1944 - The Lerin-Kostur Macedonian battalion is formed