- “ALL TO WORK” - Part 03

Spiro will never forget the memorable times he had walking up and down the city promenade with his family, all five walking together while pushing a beautiful stroller that Risto brought from Poland. During the summers it was obligatory that the family go bathing in the Dragor River, which they did every Saturday and Sunday. “Topla Voda” was the place to go for a nice swim. Spiro and Risto also went to other “swimming places” such as “Slavia”, “Kitash” and “Paitonche”, which now no longer exist. As was mentioned many times before, Risto was originally from the village Zhelevo, a mountainous village and as such Risto always loved the mountains and would never pass up an opportunity to go hiking. He welcomed company but if no one was available he climbed the mountains alone. He loved to visit “Neolitsa” where, unfortunately, his life ended. Risto liked to climb up “Snegovo” in the spring, “Tumbe Kafe” at all times of the year and “Pelister” all the way up to the glacier lakes during the summer. He visited the mountain huts at “Begova Cheshma” and “Kopanki”. After Risto retired from his job, both he and Sofia climbed up the mountains looking to collect herbs and other gifts of nature such as mushrooms, blueberries, blackberries, junipers, etc. At that time Spiro was in Skopje studying at the university.

Spiro remembers the time his sister was born when his mother had to go to the hospital in the city centre. He was only five years old then and, when his father went to the hospital for a visit, he had to look after his brother Vasil who then was only three. Risto used to take the boys with him, but because children were not allowed in the hospital they had to remain outside on the street from where they called their mother to come to the window so they could see her. For being good boys their father rewarded them with sweets and pastries including “burek” which they ate for breakfast.

Spiro was a good student with natural learning skills. He was one of the top students in his class and in his grade. At the end of the school year, especially when he was attending elementary school at the “Damian Gruev” school, he always came home with top grades

(five out of five in all subjects). And, of course, his father was very happy about that and rewarded him by treating him to a full plate of “kebabs” at the café near the wooden bridge. Spiro’s performance in school continued to be excellent until his third year in university when he was involved in a car accident and misunderstood a presumed injustice perpetrated against him by Professor Katerina Chundeva. At that point he was ready to leave school and return to Bitola but his parents insisted that he remain in school and finish the term. His father never asked him whether or not he passed the tests, all 54 in total, but always encouraged him to continue his education. Spiro believes one of the most joyful moments in Risto’s life was when Spiro was chosen to do diplomatic work at the Electro Technical Engineering section with Professor Vlastimir Glamochanin. Risto and Tashko Chapkanov, who was also there, were so proud that they left the hall in tears. Spiro received his master’s degree from the Technical Faculty in Bitola in 2011. His master’s degree was in Industrial Management, something which posthumously Spiro would like to dedicate to his father and to his wonderful grandchildren.

After Spiro finished his education he was drafted into the Yugoslav (JNA) army and sent to Nish in Serbia. Spiro’s parents and his wife Elena were present at Spiro’s oath taking ceremony.

As stated earlier, Spiro married Elena Stoikovska, daughter of Petar and Malina Stoikovski. Elena’s father, nicknamed “Babets”, was a famous actor, a great actor not only of the Bitola Theater but in the whole of Macedonia. Spiro remembered Petar from when he was in second grade and had watched Petar perform in the children’s play “Heidi”. Petar, who directed and acted in the play, was the grandfather in that story. Since that time Spiro never missed a single performance in Bitola put on by the Babets. Spiro also attended Drama Theatre and National Theatre performances put on by the Babets in Skopje when Spiro was a student there.

Before Spiro married Elena he ran into a few problems. The two were still students but thanks to Risto, Spiro’s father, these problems were resolved in time and the wedding took place as planned. Spiro and Elena’s wedding was attended by Spiro’s sister Neda, his uncle Nikola, his aunt Vasilka (Nikola’s wife), his first cousin Mial

(Mihail, Nikola’s son), and his aunt Tsveta and uncle Ilia Sklifov. Sadly his brother Vasil could not make it, he was serving in the army and was not allowed to leave. Spiro’s godparents Tashko and Neda Chapkanov and their children Marina and Mile, with wife Efimia, were also at the wedding. They later became godparents to Spiro’s son Vasko. Their sons Dimitri and Tashko, in turn, become godparents to Vasko’s children. The wedding was held in the village Bistritsa, in one of the then most representative restaurants in the region called the “Kai Kubura” This was in 1981. Twenty-four years later Vasko, Spiro’s son, married his sweetheart actress Iuliana Mirchevska in the same place. Spiro’s wedding was attended by all of Spiro’s friends from the “Aegean building” including Peter Gatsov – Talentot with his current wife Liupka, Vasko Giorgievski -Tohari with his sister Elena, Borche Tashkov - Trumanot, Traiche Sivakov - Papata, Aleko Petkov - Taliata, both from Australia, Vasko Filipovski - Buliata, Giorgi Steriovski - Dzhonsono, Nikola Mamakis, Liupcho Iovanovski – Pantero, Kire Kukulukovski -Koskata, Stevo Elkov – Bebek, now in Canada, and Vasil Sivakov -Tsiketsot. Some of Spiro’s friends from his school days also attended his wedding, including Veselin Taleski, his brother-in-law, may he rest in peace, Tomche Traikovski - Kiemata, and Risto Cholakov – Chukalo, now a doctor in America.

Spiro’s brother Vasil’s wedding took place in Sofia, Bulgaria back in 1976, while Spiro was attending first year university in Skopje. It was during the Olympic Games held in Montreal Canada, at which time Spiro had attended a student war game exercise. The next day, after he completed the drill, he and his parents and sister took a bus and went to Sofia. There were two orchestras at the wedding, playing wonderful Macedonian songs. Vasil was only 17 years old at the time but it was his decision to get married and that is exactly what he did. Vasil became a grandfather at age 35. His daughter Tvetanka also married young, to Petar Goleshov. And as such, history repeated itself and Vasil’s family multiplied successfully being protected by God.

Neda’s wedding was also a wonderful experience. It was attended by many relatives, aunts and uncles, including Neda’s aunt Sofia (Risto’s sister) and her husband Nikola from Canada. Neda married Zdrave. The wedding was also attended by Dafina and Mitra,

relatives from Tetovo. Neda and Zdrave have two children Metodia and Marika. Metodia married a wonderful young lady named Elena. Both of Neda’s children are educated and successful adults who Spiro loves very much, like they were his own.

Spiro’s trips with his family to his aunt’s in Tetovo, when he was young, were very memorable. And so were the bus and train trips to Gara Elin Pelin and Sofia. These were beautiful moments in Spiro’s life which he will never forget. Later when Spiro owned a car, he used to drive the family to visit his brother, aunt and uncle. Spiro had also driven to Sofia to visit his own son Vasko while Vasko attended the Sofia National Academy of Arts taking acting lessons. Vasko was one of the best students in his class. Spiro and the family also attended many of Vasko’s plays and graduation performances. The family was there when Vasko was handed his diploma. Spiro is a happy and proud father.

One of the trips which Spiro took that was unforgettable, but unfortunately proved to be the last one, was a trip to Greece in 2003 together with his father and mother. The purpose of the trip was to visit his cousin Elena who lived in Atalanti, a town about 90 kilometres outside of Athens, Greece. The trip was in late May or early June when, around 5:30 in the morning, they left home to get there early. Unfortunately the family ran into problems at the border crossing. The Greek border guards “claimed” they displaced Spiro’s “documents” and were looking for them everywhere. They even opened a gift from Spiro’s aunt Tsveta he was expected to deliver to Elena. When they had finished looking, Spiro asked them to put everything back the way they found it. Spiro at the time had a diplomat’s passport because he was a member of the Assembly of the Republic Macedonia. Because he was a diplomat, the Greeks had no right to search his baggage. But they wanted to search it anyway, to see what was inside the wrapped gift package and so they found a way by claiming that they “may have left his documents inside his suitcase…” Anyway, after a brief altercation, everything fell into place. Having personal experience with Greeks, Spiro’s mother and father were begging him not to cause problems.

At around eleven o’clock, after a short stop for breakfast under Mount Olympus, they arrived in Atalanti and were able to quickly

find Elena’s home. Their arrival brought joy and happiness to everyone. On the third day after their arrival, they went for a visit to the Delphi archaeological site, located at a very high altitude. They drove their Lada 110 on a road with many curves and hills. There was a large museum, an amphitheater and many tourists at Delphi. From there they took a downhill road towards the Gulf of Corinth to a place called Galaxidi, which had a huge amusement park and ate lunch in a village called Kiri. The water was warm and beautiful that time of year so they stopped along the seashore and went for a long swim. In the evening they returned to Atalanti and the very next day they were back in the sea at a place called Skala, not far from Atalanti. The water there was wonderful.

The next day they left for Athens and got to the outskirts in about an hour, but it was a different story inside Athens. It took them about 2 hours to move 10 to 15 kilometres; traffic was that bad. But this was before the 2004 Olympics when many streets were undergoing repairs; buildings were being renovated, etc. The city was in chaos but somehow Spiro managed to get to the Acropolis. There were many cranes in operation and dust was flying everywhere, covering the many tourists lingering around. Also among the tourists was a group from Poland, which delighted Risto and gave him a chance to mingle with the people and speak to them in their language.

Risto was not impressed by what he saw at the Acropolis. His only comment was, “It’s all stone and nothing else”. The next day they left for Solun where they had lunch and then continued to Kallithea where they slept. The following day they took a tour of the place, took advantage of the beautiful weather and went for a swim in the sea. Two days later they left for the village Pozharsko (Aridea) where they spent the night. The next day they had lunch at the waterfalls in Voden. After that they stopped several times to take in the view, with which they were very pleased. They then took the road through Kostur to Pozdivishta and from there to Zhelevo. They had been to Zhelevo several times before and each time it was just as exciting as the last. The first time they came to Zhelevo Risto was very touched; to have returned to a place, where years ago, it had been full of life, and now to find it desolate and absent of life. Risto, Sofia and Spiro stayed at cousin Tanasitsa’s cafe and inn in Broda. They also took advantage of the visit to see the local cemetery

where many of the Mavrovski ancestors were buried. Risto always found these visits difficult to endure. They reminded him of the past, of his days in DAG, of his wounds and the hospitals. Each visit left him sad and emotionally drained.

Spiro was able to witness the greatness in his father in the way Risto treated his father and mother-in-law, whom he respected as if they were his own parents. Risto also had an excellent and special relationship with his brother Nikola, not only as his brother and friend but also as his guardian. Parentless, the brothers faced joy and sorrow, sickness and health together. They were best friends until Risto passed on, a tragedy that devastated Nikola. Five months later Nikola died too. The two brothers and their families were inseparable. Spiro too had a special relationship with his uncle Nikola from the time he was very young. Nikola and his aunt Vasilka were the two other people, outside of his parents, with whom Spiro enjoyed spending time. His other relatives were never that close but Spiro cannot forget their kindness and generosity over the years. Spiro was able to witness their kindness and patience when his aunt Aleksandra, uncle Ilia, their two children Elena and Mihail Ianu who came from Voronesh Rusia to Bitola and stayed together with his aunt Tsveta, uncle Ilia and his brother Vasil Sklifov, all together at Risto’s house. Eleven people in total staying in a 33 square metre apartment and putting up with each other for days at a time. It was mission impossible during which Spiro had to sleep out on the balcony and eat on the floor. But, in spite of all that, those were memorable moments that Spiro remembers and relishes to this day. Spiro’s uncle, Ilia Ianu, was a doctor of historical sciences at the University of Voronesh, also the man to first build links between the university in Russia and the university of Kirl and Metodi in Skopje.

One of the topics that Risto had not written anything about in his diary was his sons Vasil’s departure to Bulgaria and why Vasil was with Spiro’s aunt Tsveta and uncle Ilia. Why was Vasil given to Tsveta and Ilia as if he was their own child and why did Vasil and his family live in Bulgaria? Risto did not want to speak about this at all but one time when Risto and Spiro were returning from Bulgaria Spiro asked his father about it. Risto’s reply was, “because the family made this agreement when they were all still in Poland.” The

family had agreed that the next child born to Risto and Sofia would be living with Tsveta and Ilia. But when Spiro pushed the issue, insisting to know why, Risto told him because Tsveta and Ilia could not have children of their own. When the agreement was made, however, it was decided that the two families would always live close to one another in Macedonia. But after the families settled, Ilia was put in jail for something stupid, for allegedly writing “Down with Tito’s revisionism” on the wall of the “Teteks” factory for which he was sentenced to jail. Some time after he was released, the Sklifov and six other families left Macedonia and went to Bulgaria. There they were given jobs, houses and other benefits. Vasil resumed his education in Bulgaria. He left Bitola when he was in public school. As the younger of the two, Vasil always followed Spiro wherever Spiro went. Spiro missed that very much after his brother left.

This was the first and last time Spiro had this conversation with his father because Spiro realized that it was difficult for Risto to talk about. Risto and Sofia’s decision to give up Vasil to the Sklifov’s was never challenged or questioned by either Spiro or Neda. Risto and Sofia’s decision, although it brought them sadness, was always respected.

Risto was a great Macedonian patriot. His national sentiment and pride in being Macedonian was expressed a thousand times, enough times to implant it deep into the souls of his children. Spiro remembers the many conversations that Risto had with his uncle Ilia Sklifov who originally was from the village Zagorichani, a patriotic Macedonian village located in Greek occupied Macedonia which had seen many battles. Ilia Sklifov was a great patriot and never missed a chance to express his love for Macedonia, even when he lived in Bulgaria. Spiro remembers a conversation taking place in the 1970’s in Iambul, Bulgaria where Spiro and Risto spent the night. The conversation was about the Greek Civil War and was taking place between Risto, who was almost missing an arm, a friend and co-fighter of Risto’s named Iani, who was missing a leg, and Spiro’s uncle who was shot in the head. They were having a philosophical discussion as to what went wrong and who was to blame for starting the war. The discussion ended in a draw because they could not agree on anything. The only thing that united them

and kept them from yelling at each other was their love for Macedonia. The conversation was difficult for Spiro to listen to but he learned many things which he would otherwise not have known. And now that he is given the chance, Spiro will write about them.

The first time Spiro was witness to his father’s feelings about “these matters” was at the Bitola centre when, for the first time, Risto saw a soldier wearing a military uniform belonging to the free and independent Republic of Macedonia. Risto could not hold back so he grabbed hold of the young man and hugged and kissed him. Risto was speechless and unable to hold back his tears. Although surprised, the young soldier looked happy and satisfied. Risto continued to cry for a long time.

Risto was personally active in many things but, from his own life experience, he rarely dealt in politics and almost never in public but he did support Spiro’s candidacy for Member of Parliament in 2002. Risto took part in all the rallies and constantly advised Spiro. At that time Spiro did not understand everything that his father told him but he understands things better now and more than ever is grateful to Risto for his advice. Risto was engaged in several organizations like the union of fighters and sports clubs and when something needed to be done he was always there and ready to help. He helped Vangel Chaldarov, Todor Atanasovski, Nikola Stefanovski, Aleksandar Popovski in Skopje, Tashko Chapkanov and others. Risto was always ready to help the sports clubs because his soul was into sports. He even practiced throwing darts on his own balcony because he had no space anywhere else in the house. His practice paid off, resulting in many trophies and awards. The Association of Macedonians from the Aegean part of Macedonia was another place where Risto, together with Aleksandar Popovski, spent a long time. Risto was always glad to help the Association and was one of the first people to organize a meeting in the village Trnovo. The people from the Association in turn respected Risto and would not start the meeting without the presence of the Mavrovski family. The same people later began to visit Spiro at his villa.

Of course there were problems. Every time one gets involved in something they are bound to run into problems. But because of his sociability and desire to communicate and socialize, Risto was able

to resolve most problems. Spiro remembers when he was a child a circus coming to town with performers from Poland whom Risto invited to his home. The family had a wonderful time being with these people but sadly for only a few days. A police inspector from the Ministry of the Interior arrived at Risto’s house first inquiring about why these people were there and then warning Risto that they had “ulterior motives” for being there. Risto was astonished at the stupidity of some people and could not believe what was happening. The next time Risto ran into problems was when his father-in-law Methodi came to Bitola. A police inspector came over to the house asking the 70 year old man bizarre questions which Spiro, to this day, has difficulty understanding why. Spiro remembers his grandfather being very excited and upset. When Risto returned home from work he went straight to the Interior Ministry and demanded an explanation and an apology. Unfortunately he did not get an explanation and no one came to the house to apologize to the old man.

Spiro would like to start with one of his first images of Bitola where, for two years, his father took him on a bicycle in front of the western gate of the city stadium under Tumbe Kafe hill. These were memorable moments in Spiro’s life which left a good impression on him, so much so that he never intentionally missed a game since he was 5 or 6 years old. Spiro attended as many games as possible in every sport, even practice games. Spiro continued to be involved in sports in Skopje when he was attending university.

Almost every game that Spiro attended in Bitola he did with his father and his uncle Nikola. His father was a member of the football club administration. The football club was sponsored by the refrigerator factory “Gorgi Naumov” where Risto worked. The factory had its own bus so, in addition to attending local games, Risto, Nikola and Spiro traveled around and attended regional matches. Later when Spiro got his own car, he traveled everywhere, even to rural matches in the villages Novatsi, Logovardi, Kravari, Dobrusevo, Kukurechani and many other places. As the sport began to further develop, its fans took to the road and traveled to all the towns throughout Macedonia. Spiro and his father regularly went to Prilep, especially when “Pobeda” played in the third league and

“Pelister” was in the second league. “Pobeda” played in Prilep on Saturdays and “Pelister” on Sundays.

As mentioned earlier, Spiro later became president of the Handball Club Pelister and every Saturday, together with his father and uncle, they were always the first to show up at the stadium and watch all the games. The first matches were played by the younger players and later from 4 to 8 pm they watched the older players. Risto was especially interested in boxing and was sure to attend every match. Mite, one of the boxers, was one of Risto’s students. Mite was among the first generation of boxers from the Aegean (Greek occupied) part of Macedonia. Included among the other boxers from Greek occupied Macedonia were Laze Giakovski, one of the best technicians, the brothers Robev, Tashko, Trifun who had a professional career in Canada and Kocho Steriov. Included among others who joined later were Lalicho, Ilche Beldzhigerov, Sead Amedovski, Pupucho, Sedat Kerimov, the brothers Rustemov, Sherif, Sedat, Dilaber Iusufov, Osmani, Salihu and Dragan Kostich, then professional European champion, Ile Buchko, Bebio and, Macedonia coach, Hristo Dimitrovski. Spiro is aware that he may not have mentioned everyone and apologizes for that.

There were also others who practiced sports. Included among them were Vasil Anastasovski - Tsile, who played football for “Pelister”, “Ovche Pole” and many years in Canada, and Kocho Malkov who played football for “Pelister”. Involved in judo with a good dealt of success were Mile and Petse Gulevski, Tomche Gatsov and Ice and Kire Damianovski were involved in handball in “Pelister”. The first Macedonian champion in karate and the first to work with “nun-chaks” was Pande Petkov, may rest in peace, he died young. Among the first body builders in Bitola were Stase Ralev, Traiche Sivakov, Laze Bebiot, Mishako and many others. Motocross tournaments were also held in Bitola during the 1960’s and 1970’s in the meadows of the villages Bukovo and Bratindol where it was continued year after year to this day. There are also auto races held around the River Dragor in Bitola. Sports were an important segment of life in Macedonia.

Spiro feels obliged to say something more about his father. Whenever they talked Risto never forgot to say that he was grateful

to God for keeping him alive, especially after he was badly wounded and tossed with the dead to be buried. The entire family is grateful to Risto’s cousin Sevda Stanisheva and to the older man who was with her who recognized and saved Risto. As mentioned earlier, the old man took out a newspaper, lit it and placed the flame under Risto’s bare feet. Risto flinched and was sent to a hospital, on the first available truck, instead of a grave. After many operations and surgeries that lasted nine hours, performed in Albania by a Bulgarian Red Cross doctor, Risto’s arm was saved from amputation but left him disabled for life. Any change in the weather caused him great pain.

Very often, even 30 years after being wounded on the head, very small pieces of shrapnel came out of Risto’s face when he shaved. This, Risto interpreted as a sign from God who wanted him to live and to continue the work he started before he was wounded. And when someone asked him where he wanted to die, Risto would say “on the mountains”. Unfortunately his wish to die on a mountain came true on July 17, 2005. He died all alone after climbing Mount Neolitsa. People who were there later told Spiro that after Risto climbed to the top of the mountain he became ill but soon felt better and then went on his own to gather tea plants. That’s when he died. Whether this was his choice to die on the mountain or whether God heard him and granted him his wish, Spiro does not know. That day Risto left his physical world but his spirit will forever remain here, with us, as the great man that he was, as long as we remember him. We are proud to be his descendents.

“I love and miss my father very much!!!” says Spiro.

Risto’s view of World War II

Following is a summary of the start of World War II and things that Risto learned about the war in school, which he would like to share with us.

A great event took place at the end of the Great War (First World War 1914 to 1918) which changed the course of world history. Initiated by the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks and led by Vladimir Ilich Lenin, the October Revolution took place in Tsarist Russia.

After that Russia was the first socialist state in the world to successfully change its political system. The socialists ended all imperial pursuits and began to build the Soviet Union. The establishment of socialist Russia sparked the development of communist parties all throughout the Western world in the period from 1918 to 1920. In response to this, many states in the Western world began to act aggressively towards the Soviet Union endlessly supporting actions against it and expecting to bring Russia back to its old system. But after four years of trying war and internal aggression, Russia’s enemies were defeated and the Soviet Union became an even stronger country. Unfortunately Lenin received a wound in 1922 and died prematurely in 1924. His body was embalmed, for the first time in recent history, and placed on display for people to see. Risto was one of the people who went to see Lenin’s body. After Lenin died Iosif Visarionovich Stalin came to power and held power until 1953, when he died.

Included in the forces that were defeated during the Great War were the countries Germany, Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Included in the forces that were victorious during the Great War were the countries England (Britain), France, Poland, Serbia, Russia and many other smaller counties. After that the victors, along with the United States, teamed up and bore force against the “Bear from the East” (Soviet Union) in an attempt to master it, but failed. In 1929 and 1930, the Western world experienced a major economic crisis while holding an economic blockade against the Soviet Union. The blockade, and all other attempts by the West to subdue the Soviet Union, failed miserably. The only thing they succeeded in doing was causing problems for themselves by invoking the progressive elements in their own countries to demand rights. But the West has not subsided in seeking ways to overthrow the Soviet Union (and now to destroy Russia).

In 1933 the National Socialist Party, led by Adolph Hitler, won the elections in Germany. The Fascist Party, led by Duce Mussolini, took power in Italy. Military dictatorships began to appear in the Balkan countries, taking power in Yugoslavia and Greece. The military dictatorship in Greece was headed by Metaxas. And as such, all this was a precursor to a new division in the world which quickly began to take shape. In 1937 Hitler annexed Austria-

Hungary. In 1936 Italy attacked Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia) and conquered it. Parliamentary elections took place in Spain in 1936 where the Socialists won and wanted to put a people’s government in power. Hitler and Mussolini however would not support such a government so they helped General Franco’s Royal Army start a civil war. The Spanish Civil War lasted almost three years. Many volunteers from the various labour forces in Europe came to assist the socialists but unfortunately were unable to stem the tide and the dictator Franco took power in Spain. Shortly afterwards Germany annexed Czechoslovakia and in 1939 Italy appropriated Albania. Britain and the United States remain neutral during these developments but were secretly working against the socialists, particularly against the Soviets, and were economically supporting the fascists. In Asia, Japan attacked China and on September 1, 1939, unprovoked and without warning Germany attacks Poland. This time Britain and France came to Poland’s aid and as such the Second World War began in Europe, Asia and Africa.

On one side were the Axis Powers, Rome – Berlin –Tokyo, which were later joined by Tsar Boris’s Bulgaria, the quisling governments in Romania, Yugoslavia, France, Ukraine and some others. In 1940 Germany began to occupy Western Europe including the Scandinavian countries and France. The only country that remained unoccupied, but was under attack, was Britain. At the same time a non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union was concluded, allowing the Soviets to declare war on Finland and recover former lost territories. On October 28, 1940, Italy declared war on Greece through Albania. At this point in time the only country that remained free was Yugoslavia. On April 6, 1941 Yugoslavia was attacked and conquered within a week. The Axis powers then attacked Greece which immediately surrendered. The only country that remained neutral in the Balkans was Turkey, but it leaned more towards the German side. The only countries that remained un-conquered in May 1941 were Britain and the Soviet Union. Although Hitler was looking towards Britain, he was thinking of when and how to attack the Soviet Union, from where his biggest threat came. Hitler had started the war with the Soviet Union internally, much earlier, through the means of a fifth column which did much damage to its councils and sent many innocent

people to exile in Siberia or to the executioner. While this was going on, Hitler worked on plans to invade the Soviet Union and on June 22, 1941 he did that through the operation codenamed “Barbarossa”. This started one of the greatest battles in history. So now the fate of the war was transferred into the hands of the Soviet people, the Red Army and the whole international movement. By doing so Hitler made his biggest mistake and from that day forward he began to lose his position in Europe and elsewhere. The first major defeat the Germans suffered was at the outskirts of Moscow when they were pushed back 240 kilometres. Until then the Germans had appeared to be invincible. The Soviet victory caused an avalanche of guerrilla movements in Yugoslavia with Tito, Greece, Albania, France, Scandinavia and in other parts of Europe. The next great victory for the Soviets and for the world came at the battle for Stalingrad when the most elite German units were defeated. The Anglo-American forces inflicted heavy losses on the Germans in Africa. At about the same time (December 1941) Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbour forcing the Americans to join the war. The course of the war began to change around 1942/43 and the Rome - Berlin -Tokyo axis began to crack.

On the other side were all “the allies”, all those who fought against the axis powers. The first meeting between the “big three leaders” Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt, was held in Tehran in 1943. The meeting was called by Churchill during which Stalin asked that a second front be opened, but unfortunately this took place much later. It took the Western allies from July to September 1943 to disembark in Sicily where, on September 9, 1943, they forced Italy to capitulate. By that time there were all sorts of guerrilla movements everywhere and the Red Army was nearing the borders of Poland, Hungary and Romania. Then, in the summer of 1944, the Soviet army entered Polish territory and continued towards Germany. Another Soviet army entered Romania.

On September 9, 1944 Bulgaria capitulated. When the Red Army reached the Greek border it was diverted. Tito asked for its assistance to conclude the final battles in Yugoslavia. Dimitrov from Bulgaria offered the Bulgarian Patriotic Army to assist in those struggles and as such its units participated in the fighting in Yugoslavia from Macedonia to Croatia.

In the fall of 1944, the Anglo-Americans, French and Canadian forces invaded Normandy and opened a second front. The reason for this front was fear of Stalin, their new enemy; because the Soviet Red Army was deep inside Europe, entering Germany, and there would be no one to stop it from overrunning Europe. The “big three leaders” met again, this time in Yalta, where they sat in front of a large map of the world and decided to divide the world; to decide who was going to have influence over whom after the axis powers were defeated.

In the spring of 1945 the Red Army entered German territory. By then it had freed Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and much of Austria. Towards the end of April 1945, the Soviets invaded Berlin, the last stronghold of the Nazis. Hitler had committed suicide and Goebbels, the great Nazi propagandist, first killed his family and then himself to avoid capture. And as such, after unconditionally surrendering on July 9, 1945, German command capitulated and the war in Europe ended. The last city to be freed was Zagreb, Yugoslavia. This city was freed on May 15, 1945. This was the worst war ever experienced in recent human history with many casualties, wounded, huge human and material losses and a disruption of interethnic relations which lasted for several decades.

The war continued in the Far East, in Japan where the United States of America dropped two atomic bombs, first on Hiroshima and then on Nagasaki, forcing the Japanese to surrender unconditionally. This demonstrated that mankind is capable of being more brutal than ever before where many thousands of innocent people, mostly civilians, lost their lives.

The biggest burden of this war fell on the Soviet Union which lost somewhere around 20 million people. Besides the dead there were many thousands of wounded and maimed. There was also a heavy incalculable material loss due to the battles that took place on Soviet territory. Poland lost 7 million people, nearly all Jews from the Polish ghettos, and suffered 90% devastation in material goods. Yugoslavia lost 1.7 million people with thousands of wounded and mutilated. The worst damages were inflicted in Bosnia, Serbia and

Croatia. Britain and France, which had participated in the war since it first started, also suffered human and material losses, mainly from the bombardments. Human losses, however, were small. The United States suffered mostly military losses, weapons and soldiers, with no material damage on its territory. In addition to Yugoslavia, Greece and Albania also suffered losses in the Balkans.

Germany suffered the greatest losses on the side of the axis powers, followed by Japan and Italy. Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Spain suffered much material damage due to being bombed, but little human loss in comparison. This, in short, was what happened in Europe during the war years 1939 to 1945.

What did the allies accomplish as a result of this war? First, they divided Germany into four zones of influence, American, English, French and Soviet. Austria was divided into three parts; American, English and Soviet. Japan was given to the United States with a small part in the north put under Soviet influence. North Korea, China, Mongolia, North Vietnam etc., became socialist states. Ethiopia, Libya, Angola, Congo, Yemen, Cuba etc., became third world countries. The world was divided into two spheres of influence, socialist and capitalist.

New People’s Republics were born in Europe after the war. These were Poland, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania. Only Greece remained under Western influence, first under British which brought back the King, and later under American. The people in Greece who fought against the Germans, Italians and Bulgarians and who participated in the various deadly battles and fronts to bring democracy to Greece gained nothing and were again forced to fight in a Civil War which brought them nothing but misery.

Risto wrote the above in the 1990’s during which time unexpected things had happened like the fall of communism and the destruction of the Berlin wall. Risto was witness to the dismantling of the socialist countries, the Warsaw Pact and all the repercussions in Yugoslavia. It was hard for him to believe that a civil war had taken place in Yugoslavia involving Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and later in Macedonia.

It was a pleasant surprise for Risto, after all the struggling our people have been through, to finally see the formation of a free and independent Macedonian state in 1990. More impressive for him were the parliamentary elections, the Macedonian army and police, democratic elections and the various parties competing for power in a pluralistic society. This was a new capitalism for him with human rights and freedoms. His biggest fear in this changing world, however, was that history would again repeat itself and we would again have high unemployment, a weak economy and the forthcoming big wars that we would again have to fight for our survival and economic development.

Risto’s view of DAG’s defeat in the Greek Civil War

In the period after Vicho fell, the Greek government moved its forces to Gramos where, after many vicious and bloody battles, everything ended on August 26, 1949 with the withdrawal of DAG units to Albania. As such, the Greek Civil War that raged on from 1945 to 1949 finally ended with a Monarcho-Fascist victory. The DAG units that survived with their many sick and wounded fighters ended up in Albanian territories in the camps Sukt, Elbasan, Bureli and other places.

Risto has spoken about DAG’s disastrous defeat on several occasions and has made his point of view very clear. This was a defeat with many consequences which left behind many dead, wounded, captured and imprisoned. Many lives were destroyed. Homes and entire villages were also destroyed. When the partisans were leaving they could not take everything with them so much of the heavy weaponry, ammunition and other military material was left behind. The struggle was unequal. The Monarcho-Fascists were not only a larger force and more numerous than the partisans but they were also better trained, better prepared and armed with the latest and most modern weapons. Knowing all this, in the winter of 1949, DAG Headquarters took the offensive and tried to surprise the enemy. In Karpenisi it had little success. In Sobotsko, Aradea and Vodesko, DAG was utterly defeated. In Negush it was devastatingly defeated with many losses. The biggest mistake it ever made was in Lerin when it tried to attack the city in February 1949, turning it into

a place of massacre for the young and freshly recruited and inexperienced Macedonian fighters.

By taking this path, DAG Headquarters proved itself to be incompetent when it came to conducting military campaigns. DAG went on the offensive against a more powerful, well-armed and well-prepared enemy, especially in urban areas, and by doing so it managed to destroy its entire 114 Brigade. The responsibility for this devastating loss was pinned on Commander Georgiadis who was then convicted and executed. And this is how DAG General Headquarters managed to hide its own incompetence. There were rumours circulating at the time, in the circles of fighters, that Georgiadis was executed so that he could not be a witness against the Minister of the Military and against those in charge at the top who were responsible for starting and conducting these battles. Those in charge, however, insisted that the losses were due to treachery and betrayals from the many partisan fighters who abandoned their posts and fled to the ranks of the Monarcho-Fascists. So, instead of investigating and finding the real reasons for the failures, it was easier to blame someone else, someone who was dead and could not talk. This was a big mistake and a turning point for the war.

But that was not all. Another big error the CPG made was before the war (Greek Civil War) had even begun when arrangements were made, between EAM and ELAS on one side and the English on the other, for ELAS (the partisans) to surrender its weapons, which it did obediently. The CPG was promised a place in governing the country through free elections but that did not happen. Before the elections took place “white terror” was introduced in Greece by the Greek Right, supported by the English and unleashed against all CPG supporters, especially in Greek occupied Macedonia, which not only filled the prisons with people loyal to the CPG but also with many innocent Macedonians. The next mistake the CPG made was to boycott the elections and let the Right form a government without it. After that the CPG hesitated and, while unprepared, called for renewing the armed struggle. It did this before it made arrangements to raise the “proletariat” in the cities and large towns. The agitators and recruiters were insufficiently prepared and ill advised about these CPG plans and were unable to “create” the necessary striking

force to fight back. As a result, the CPG strictly relied on the Macedonian village population to carry the entire weight of the war on its back. In the beginning there were no reserves, and no large unit formations, so the enemy was able to conduct clean up operations all throughout 1948. Clean up began in Crete, the Peloponnesus, Old Greece up to Epirus, Gramos, Vicho, Pireis and Kaimakchalan. In 1949 the Monarcho-Fascists managed to drive out the partisans from Vermo, Epirus and Kaimakchalan leaving only Vicho and a small part of Gramos free. The latest Greek Monarcho-Fascist offensive was carried out with the most modern weapons and with support from the United States. The offensive was started and ended in August 1949 with a Monarcho-Fascist victory. All DAG units were expelled to Albania.

Risto’s view of US aid and the end of the Greek Civil War