PERSONALITIES - Part 02

1930 – January 27. A confidential letter sent from the Greek military Ninth Division, based in Kozhani, to the Ninth border sector in Lerin Region. The letter advised the Greek military in this sector and the Greek police authorities in Lerin Region to increase their vigilance against suspicious persons. Because of their “Macedonian sentiments” these people needed to be watched and their movements tracked from village to village to find out what they were doing. The letter also recommended that surprise searches be conducted in their apartments.

1931 – March 21. The persecution and mass terror against Macedonian and Greek communists in Greece, on account of their position supporting an independent Macedonia and Thrace, stirred into action the progressive Macedonian and Greek immigrants in America and Canada. A protest rally was organized on the initiative of the Macedonian progressive group “Vardar” in Toronto on March 21, 1931, during which speeches were delivered by L. Boshev, G. Shaldev, Spiro Vasilev (Spiro Basil Tupurkovski) and N. Kiriakopulos, former CPG Greek MP from Lerin Region. During his speech, P. Ioannou said that Venizelos had sent Macedonians to the Ukraine as part of a Greek military expedition to fight against the young Soviet socialist state, and to Asia Minor to fight for the interests of the imperialists. Today Venizelos torments these same Macedonians and drives them out of their homes.

1931 – August 2. Seven protesters were killed in Solun and twenty were wounded. In Seres, on August 2, 1931, twelve Macedonian workers were tried and convicted to a total of 80 years in prison. Prosecutions and trials were also taking place in Kukush and Enidzhe-Vardar Regions. The chauvinist Solun newspaper “Makedonika nea” made open recommendations calling for a crusade against the “nationalists” and against “communist propaganda”.

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”. “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. 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.

1932 – June. Under the directive of the CPG Central Committee a Conference was held in Solun. The Conference was held under the name “Conference of Minorities” and was attended by 4 delegates from Lerin, 2 from Kostur, 1 from Solun, 1 from Lagadina, 1 from Negush, 1 from Drama Region and 1 from Voden Region, all Macedonians. Other minorities that attended included 1 Muslim from Western Thrace, 2 Jews from Solun and 1 Vlach from Ber.

1934 – April. An IMRO (United) official was invited to go to Athens, at the initiative of the CPG Central Committee, where he was put to work exclusively on collecting Macedonian folk songs and stories. He prepared a two volume book for publication. This gave the impression that the CPG, through folklore, was truly seeking to develop the Macedonian national culture and Macedonian national consciousness among young Macedonians on whom the official Greek regime was performing systematic denationalization. All these activities carried out in Greek occupied Macedonia by the Communist Party of Greece and by IMRO (United) were recognized by the Comintern during a decision made in April 1934, by which the uniqueness of the Macedonian nation and its right to self-determination were recognized. At that time IMRO (United) called for the Macedonian language to be freely spoken, to open

Macedonian schools and for the Macedonian people to be granted cultural autonomy and other rights. The Organization in Lerin, for example, managed to somehow make itself half-legal during the election campaign in 1935 and to publicly protest against the terror perpetrated by the Greek government against the Macedonian population.

1935 - The Macedonian student’s association “Vardar” was founded in Zagreb, but soon the authorities banished their monthly journal “Naš vesnik” (“Our Journal”).

1936 – April 25. The following comments were made by S. Sklavenas, head of the CPG parliamentary group in the Greek parliament, as a national equality requirement of the Macedonian people in Greek occupied Macedonia, on behalf of the Macedonian people: “One more question which the Greek government ignores with its declarations is the question of granting full equality to the local population and to the national minorities living in Greece. That mainly refers to the Macedonian nation. Anyone passing through Macedonia has felt the pressure perpetrated against the Macedonians. The right to have schools, to use the Macedonian language and to practice Macedonian customs is strictly forbidden. This kind of situation compels the Macedonian population to organize and fight for its rights which we are compelled to support. The winners of the Great War and the League of Nations have proclaimed that oppressed nations have the right to self-determination. This right we fully recognize for the Macedonian nation...”

1936 – August 4. Metaxas dictatorship seized power in Greece and halted all developments in Greek occupied Macedonia including those of the CPG and IMRO (United). The CPG was made illegal and the communist cadres were arrested and jailed. Arrested with them were also many IMRO (United) members including Hristo Galabov Andrea Chipov, Lazo Trpovski, Mihail Klianev, Trifun Hadzhianov, Tashko Traianov, Foti Ouroumov, Georgi Turundzhiev, Nedelko Popnedelkov, Andon Liomov, Kosta Dumov and Mihail Trpkov. To maintain control of his kingdom, King George II of Greece made his state a dictatorship. In 1936 after the Greek premier's death, General Metaxas, minister of war, was

appointed to take charge of Greek affairs. While there were some prospects for basic human rights for the Macedonian people in the Greek State in the early 1920's, those prospects died as Greece tightened her grip on Macedonia by implementing more racist assimilation policies.

1936 - 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.

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

1936 – December 18. Metaxas’ dictatorial Greek government issued a legal act concerning, "Activities against State Security". By this act thousands of Macedonians were arrested, imprisoned and expelled from their homeland.

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 to Bulgaria where, after declaring himself a Bulgarian was awarded with the most prestigious honours by the Bulgarian state.

1938 – September 7. Legal Act No. 2366 was issued 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 were fined, beaten or jailed for speaking Macedonian. Adults and school children were 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” (“Beli Mugri”) is published. This book is a collection of Macedonian poems from the first modern Macedonian poet Kocho Ratsin.

1939 – March 23. Italian troops landed in Albania and occupied its territory

1939 - WW II begins, Germany invades Yugoslavia.

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

1940 - 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”.

1940 – October 28. Soon after consolidating control in Albania, Italy declared war on Greece. Metodia Shatorov - Sarlo becomes Political Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party in the Republic of Macedonia. This begins the realization of the Macedonian national platform: creating a Macedonian republic as part of Yugoslavia with rights to succession.

1941 - The “Macedono-Bulgarian Committee” organized and carried out the murder of the notorious Nikola Dailaki, known as Captain Laki.

1941 - A bid was made by the Bulgarian People’s Communist Party to take over the Macedonian party organization in the Republic of Macedonia. The same bid was also made in Greek occupied Macedonia in 1941 when Hristo Kalaidzhiev arrived in Lerin and made contact with Ilia Dimovski – Gotse. Aware of the latest Bulgarian communist tactics Ilia Dimovski – Gotse intervened and strongly objected to the takeover rendering Kalaidziev’s mission unsuccessful. Ilia Dimovski – Gotse had already made contact with

the Peoples’ Liberation Organization in the Republic side of Macedonia and was already working with them. Early in 1941 Ilia 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 – March 1. After war broke out in Europe, Bulgaria allied itself with the axis powers and joined the German led pact.

1941 – March 25. To avoid German wrath the Yugoslav Regent, Prince Paul, joined the German led pact. Bulgarian and Italian military forces occupied the Republic of Macedonia then under Yugoslav control.

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. From May to September 1941 the communists worked hard to renew their Party organizations, particularly the communist youth organizations in the cities and most villages, through the creation of the first anti-fascist militant groups before forming EAM, the Liberation Front in Greece, in September 1941.

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 1. The CPG Central Committee, at its 6th Plenum, decided to call on the Greek people and all its parties and organizations to join the national liberation front... “To organize a tireless struggle for the everyday needs of all the people and to start an armed resistance against the occupiers. The Party, i.e. each individual communist should, in time, be properly orientated and adapt to important events which change and will change every day

and fast, to organize the forces of the popular uprising for the national and social liberation of Greece...”

1941 - June 22. Hitler attacks the 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 Hadzhiianov in 1924, was reactivated in Voden on July 1, 1941.

1941 - June 28. Bulgarian propaganda reaches 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 wanting to surrender Macedonia to the Bulgarians.

1941 – August 14. 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. Germany’s attack against the Soviet Union and the Atlantic Charter of August 14, 1941, especially its provisions on liberation of all nations, which would take part in the anti-fascist fight, the recognition of their right to self-determination and creation

of independent countries, motivated Macedonian people in the three parts of Macedonia strongly to join the wide anti-fascist movement and the resistance of the Balkan nations. However, due to the extremely complicated situation, the uprising in Macedonia in this war is a unique phenomenon. Macedonian people all over the ethnic territory rose in revolt with a single desire to liberate and unite Macedonia. They were led by thee different centers, which were opposed and antagonistic to each other. The best conditions to create a single leadership and a single Macedonian front of the people’s liberation and to unite all forces of ethnic Macedonia were in the now Republic of Macedonia. However, all communist centers who delegated their representatives to the Republic of Macedonia, controlling the Macedonian leadership, very often faced discrepancies. These three centers, especially the representatives of the Bulgarian Labor Party (communists) and the Greek Communist Party severely opposed the idea of unification of Macedonia; at the same time, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia opposed the creation of an independent Macedonian state out of Yugoslavia.

1941 - August 29. Macedonians executed. Among the people executed on August 29, 1941 in Lerin Region were Kon. Liakov, Stavros Stangulis and Mih. Tesijanos for allegedly possessing and concealing arms. On September 24, 1941 Stefanos Hristoforidis and Kostas Klasidis were executed in Solun, no reason was given. On October 5, 1941 Jeremias Stefanidis, Kiriakos Chotilis and Kostas were killed in the village Gostoliubi, Meglen Region for allegedly moving arms. On October 30, 1941 Panaiotis Ialamas was executed in Enidzhe-Vardar for allegedly taking part in the resistance. On November 4, 1941 Mihail Voiadzhopulos was hung in Nigrita for allegedly taking part in the resistance. On November 13, 1941 Macedonian students Ilia Kapeshev and Sokrat Diariros in Solun were executed, no reason given. On December 27, 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, Kailiari Region.

1941 – September. After organizing and strengthening the collaborationist movements, the commander of Italian command in Kostur formed a special battalion to act against partisan actions, persecute and liquidate the communists and seek and dismantle the anti-fascist groups and organizations in the region. The new battalion was composed of 800 members; Italian officers, investigators, military and police operatives, a group of Macedonian collaborators; translators and informers (spies).

1941 – September. The Macedonians occupied about 60% of the positions in the CPG Party organizations, the OKNE communist youth organizations and in the anti-fascist groups in Rupishcha and surrounding areas. Special groups within the Party organizations were responsible for collecting arms, ammunition and other war material for the partisan movement. In Kostur Region these groups collected massive amounts of arms, left behind by the Greek soldiers withdrawing from the Albanian front. A large amount of arms, ammunition and other war material was also collected in the Rupishcha city streets, left there by the fleeing Greek soldiers and officers when the German forces entered Greece. These war materials belonged to a complete infantry division and to specialized military units. Included in the arms, ammunition and other military materials collected in Rupishcha were 830 maliheri type rifles, 24 automatic rifles, 6 machine guns, 400,000 bullets, 1,500 hand grenades and large amounts of sanitary and other medical material.

1941 - September 27. EAM is formed in Greece without any Macedonian markings. Its aims were to expel the German, Italian and Bulgarian occupiers, establish the integrity of Greece, establish the self-determination of Cyprus, the Dodecanese and Northern Epirus but nothing was said anywhere about the Macedonians. The EAM Party coalition 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 in the Republic of Macedonia 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 11 is the “Second Ilinden” for the Macedonian people. Since 1941 they have celebrated it as “Macedonian Revolution Day”.

1941 – October 16. The village Krmsko was invaded by the German army which, before entering the village, got into a fight with a group of fighters from the same village. After a brief skirmish the Germans returned to Kozhani. Several days later, in the morning of October 23, 1941, the residents of Kremsko suddenly found themselves surrounded on all sides by the German army. The entire male population ages 15 to 60, 146 people in total, were taken and shot in the village meadows.

1942 – January. Upon British initiative, a meeting was held in London among the Yugoslav King Petar Karađorđević, the Greek King, George II, and the British Foreign Minister, Eden. They agreed on establishing monarchist regimes in Yugoslavia and Greece after the war and retaining the borders. By sending military missions in these countries, Great Britain supported the anti-Fascist resistance, but always strongly supported the anti-communist politics and the principle of not changing the borders. In that way, they disregarded the Atlantic Treaty, and disabled the unification of Macedonia. Great Britain increased its influence in Greece especially after the Stalingrad Battle, and after it had prevented the creation of the Balkan Headquarters, the goal of which was coordination of the national liberation movements of the Balkan countries.

1942 – January. In its January 1942 CPG Central Committee 8th Plenum, the Party decided to treat the Macedonian people as a “Slavophone minority” so as not to let them fall under the influence of Bulgarian demagogy. The attitude the CPG Central Committee took was to develop all its activities to teach the national minorities, especially the “Slavophone” Macedonians to avoid being seduced by hatred because of national oppression, Greek capitalist demagogy and the current occupiers, particularly the Bulgarian imperialists who were satellites of Hitler and Mussolini.

1942 - February 15. A new Greek Army, appropriately named ELAS, was created 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 - After the organization MAO and its organ the “Red Star” were banned by the CPG in a rough manner, the Macedonian people were forced to join EAM and other Greek anti-fascist organizations. MAO was formed in response to persistent demands and pressure from the Macedonian communists in Voden who felt there was a need to neutralize the intensified Bulgarian propaganda. As a result, in the summer of 1942, the CPG formed MAO (Macedonian Liberation Organization) in Voden and placed it under the direct leadership of the CPG District Committee in Voden. The following were decided during the MAO founding meeting: 1) The MAO leadership will consist of five members. 2) The MAO organ will be called “Red Star” and will be published in the Macedonian language, as will be a newsletter in the newspaper. 3) MAO will act in the city and in its district; and 4) MAO will receive its guidance and directives from the CPG District Committee. Thanks to MAO, Bulgarian and German propaganda in Voden failed to achieve its objectives of winning over the Macedonian people or arming a single Macedonian before 1943 and during the first half of 1944. This, however, was not true with the Greek population. Many Greek villagers, especially those from the flatlands, began to massively arm themselves on the side of the Germans. Unfortunately MAO’s rapid growth and influence on the Macedonian people deterred the communist Greek leaders and in the summer of 1943 they dissolved MAO and abolished the “Red Star”. The CPG, it appears, was not completely satisfied with just dissolving MAO and abolishing the “Red Star”. It also went after Pando Dzhikata from the village Chegan, Voden Region. Pando was one of MAO’s leaders and during MAO’s existence, among other things, he had written an article published in the “Red Star” that had Macedonian national content about Ilinden and the road that the Macedonian people should follow. There was also another serious reason for his capture and that was because Pando maintained close ties and close contact with the Partisans from the Republic of Macedonia. And this had been going on for a long time. The CPG captured Pando in mid-October 1943, following an order from the CPG supreme leadership.

A special delegate was specifically dispatched to capture him on the spot and soon afterwards they had him executed.

1942 - December 3. ELAS conduct first campaign against the occupier in the Gumendzhe 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 3, 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 7 attacked the Mavrodendro mine near the village Fanos, and took large amounts of dynamite and other items.”

1942 – December 7. The first partisan detachment in Kostur Region was formed and consisted mostly of Macedonian men and women fighters, with a smaller number of Greeks. Of the total number of people in the detachment 70% were Macedonians.

1942 - December 12. As punishment for destroying a German train, bombing a bridge and attacking the watch tower, the Germans, killed 25 innocent people in Solun.

1942 – December 24. While clearing the terrain in the village Shak, Kostur Region, the first Kostur detachment captured seven Greek gendarmes. And because the gendarmes were cooperating with the occupier and for crimes committed against the population; terrorizing and pillaging, they were sentenced to death. They were tried in a partisan court chaired by Kosta Bezdeka from the village Loshnitsa.

1943 – January 10. By the great victory at Stalingrad from January 10 to February 2, 1943 the Red Army gained strategic advantage

and forced the German army to retreat toward the Dnieper River. In the same time joint British and American forces took over Sicily and were preparing to land troops in Normandy and Italy.

1943 – February 18. A meeting was held which was attended by the Bulgarian delegation and Commander Luigi and his staff officers Geovani Ravaneli, head of counter-intelligence services, Lieutenant Marietti and Dzhona, Chief of the Kabinieri in Kostur, on one side, and by the leading figures from the “Macedono-Bulgarian Committee” on the other, which included Risto Rukov, Pando Makriev, Vasil Manoilov, brothers Vasil and Paskal Ianakiev, Luka Damianov, Risto Naskovski, Iani Mino, Paskal Kalimanovski, Boris Shekrov, Apostol Gambrola, Kolio Shistevarov (Bai-Kolio), his brother Kuze Shistevarov and others. The decision reached during the meeting required the formation of armed counter-bands with instructions to fight against the people’s liberation movement.

1943 - February 24. A second Kostur detachment was formed from the existing partisan fighter groups in Kostur. More new partisan detachments were formed in Kostur Region in early 1943.

1943 - February 28. The first Lerin Region resistance detachment called “Vicho” is formed in the village Lagen. Among the first fighters to join this detachment were Ilia Dimovski – Gotse, Kocho Kalinov, Lambe Popovski, Miltiadi Popnikolov, Giorgi Kalinov, Giorgi Rusov, Jani Chochev, Hristo Sahidis-Pandelis Masiotis, Giogos Gavriilidis, Pashalis Papadopoulos – Spartakos, Atanas Furtunas and Stoian from Lerin. A few days later more men enlisted including Risto Kolentsev from Lerin bringing the number to 35.

1943 - Secret Greek terrorist gangs, created by PAO, appeared in Anaselichka Region in the spring. Armed gangs were formed in Kailiari Region by the Turkish Christian settlers and colonists who were deposited in Greek occupied Macedonia from Asia Minor during the 1920s. The German occupiers formed a Greek detachment of about 500 fighters in Enidzhe-Vardar Region, consisting mainly of criminals, thugs and assassins, and placed them under the command of the Greek and German collaborator Lieutenant Colonel Poulios. These terror gangs were granted freedom of action and to act together with the quisling Greek police

and gendarmerie. They were allowed to carry out blockades in the Macedonian villages and other populated areas to terrorize the people, especially those people who were associated with and supported the people’s liberation movement. The gangs were allowed to place curfews, especially in the places where they were stationed, strictly controlling the people’s movements. Movement in and out of the settlements was not possible without their special approval. Only those who worked outside the settlement or those who were very sick and needed to see a doctor were allowed to travel.

1943 – March. The armed counter-band unit from the village Starichani attacked the villages Zhuzheltsi, Ludovo, Gosnovo and Breshtani. It terrorized the local villagers and forced them to take weapons and fight against the partisans. Those who refused were severely beaten and many were beaten to death. The priest Risto, a priest serving in the village Gosnovo, was arrested, taken to Kostur and executed without a trial.

1943 – March 3. The first Kostur detachment, led by Iani Pachura, attacked and freed Nestram, a Macedonian village with about 2,800 residents, all Macedonians. After the village was freed 20 young men and 3 young women voluntarily joined the detachment.

1943 – March 4. Partisan detachments were formed in Lerin Region. The first detachment was formed on March 4, 1943.

1943 - March 5. The “Macedonian Committee” for Kostur Region was formed. Macedonian patriotism was put into action 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. 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 – March 8. Two partisan detachments, supported by seven local partisan groups, freed the town Rupishcha with 5,000 inhabitants, of whom 55% were Macedonians. Included among the other identities living in Rupishcha were 20% Vlachs, 20% Christian Turkish colonists and settlers from Asia Minor and 5% Roma and Albanians. After Rupishcha was freed a National Liberation Committee was formed. Rupishcha was the first large town in Greek occupied Macedonia to be freed by the partisans. After the town was liberated the neighbouring villages Dupiak, Maniak, Zhelino, Zhupanishta and others were also freed. New fighters began to join the partisan movement including 72 from Rupishcha and 40 others from the neighbouring villages Dupiak, Pesiak, Vitan, Gosno and others, all with their own weapons. Twenty-two collaborators, who collaborated with the occupiers and with the Greek quislings against the partisans, were arrested in the liberated settlements. They were tried in a revolutionary court presided by Lazo Trpovski. Of the 22 arrested 10 were sentenced to death and liquidated, the others were released. Included among those convicted were Iani Dialaki, Tode Mitruli-Karakapnia, Zisi Karatasho, Bilios the mayor of the village Dupiak and Stavrakis Pandazis a former Greek policeman.

1943 – March 13. Two hundred members of the pro-Bulgarian movement were involved in the Italian offensive against re-occupying the town Rupishcha. The Italian force consisted of a battalion of 600 soldiers with 12 guns and air support. Over 70 houses and other buildings were destroyed and heavily damaged during the attack on Rupishcha from the bombing alone.

1943 - The Communist Party of Macedonia was founded in Tetovo, Republic of Macedonia. The process of creating government authorities – National Councils for Liberation – begins. The Main headquarters of NOV (People’s Liberation Army) issues a Manifesto expressing the aims of the liberation war.

1943 - The collaborationist armed movement was required to provide security support for the bases and movement of the

occupying forces as well as to inform the occupiers of imminent partisan attacks. The collaborationists were deployed on the entire road network from the Yugoslav-Greek to the Greek-Albanian border in order to protect the bridges, telephone and telegraph lines, and to participate in arrest operations in clearing the ground of Partisans. They were also required to join the occupying forces in combat operations against the partisan units in the liberated settlements.

1943 – March. The third Kostur partisan detachment was formed. Each detachment consisted of about 70 fighters of whom 70% were Macedonians. The rest were Greeks and Vlachs.

1943 – April 9. Armed members of PAO (Pan-Hellenic Liberation Organization), in an ambush near the village Imeri, Kozhani Region, captured the partisan leaders Lazo Trpovski and Kerasidis Simos and liquidated them in a cruel manner. The same day ELAS partisans broke up the PAO band in Zabardeni and captured the deserters Kirtsidakis, Mandaropoulos and Efremidis, then tried them in a partisan court and sentenced them to death by firing squad.

1943 – May 15. Under the pressure of the USA and Great Britain the Communist International (Comintern) is dissolved. As per Stalin’s initiative, a decision was made in Moscow to dissolve the Communist International (Comintern) and pass control over to parties and formally recognize the right of every Communist Party to resolve its own issues.

1943 - May 20. 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 many 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. The “Gotse Delchev” detachment in the village Prekopana, Lerin Region, was formed by combining fighters from the “Dame Gruev” detachment from the Republic of Macedonia and

from newly recruited fighters from Greek occupied Macedonia. 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 the Republic of Macedonia against the disarming of the counter-bands in Lerin and Kostur Regions.

1943 – May. Towards the end of May, by a decision made by the CPG District Committee for Lerin Region, a special detachment composed exclusively of Macedonian fighters was created and Paskal Mitrevski was appointed its commander. In addition to performing combat actions, this detachment was also responsible for spreading propaganda aimed against the “Macedonian Committee” in convincing the Macedonian counter-bandits not to support it. But despite this detachment’s successes, it was dismantled by the CPG leadership. The CPG leadership disbanded the all Macedonian detachment “for unknown reasons”.

1943 – June 20. Representatives from the communist parties of Greece, Albania and Yugoslavia met several times and signed a number of agreements. The agreement signed on June 20, 1943, among other things, said: “The representatives from these counties have unanimously pointed out the fact that, given the significant rise in the national liberation struggle in the Balkans, today’s conditions require the immediate establishment of mutual co-operation between the national liberation forces in all the Balkan countries in a patriotic struggle for the liberation of the oppressed Balkan peoples. The representatives agreed in principle that it is necessary not only to establish mutual cooperation but to also, above all, establish unity of action involving all the national liberation forces in the Balkan countries by creating a single command under one chief general staff. All the representatives are aware of the historical significance of forming a General Balkan Headquarters, which would amplify the struggle of the Balkan peoples who are fighting for their liberation. Forming one General Staff would make it possible to stamp out chauvinistic tendencies and will contribute to strengthening the convergence and twinning of the Balkan peoples. It will provide new forces in the struggle for a final and universal victory of true democracy in the Balkan countries. It will also

eliminate all the difficulties and, after the fascist occupiers are expelled from the Balkans, will pave the way for the creation of a Balkan federation...”

1943 - During the second half of 1943, by CPG directive, ELAS brigade and division Headquarters was instructed to form EPON (All Greek National Youth Organization) youth detachments responsible for implementing cultural and artistic theater and choral programs and activities. Cultural events and staged dramas about the struggles of the Greek people, along with Greek revolutionary songs, Greek national poetry and Greek folk dances, were organized to appear in as many settlements in Greek occupied Macedonia as possible. Nothing Macedonian was ever mentioned.

1943 - July 1. The detachment “Dame Gruev” broke away from the detachments “Vicho” and “Gotse Delchev” and crossed over the border into Prespa, Republic of Macedonia. The “Vicho” and “Gotse Delchev” detachments, commanded by Ilia 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 2. The CPG Central Committee delivered the following proclamation after the dissolution of the Comintern: “While waiting for the ultimate goal - socialism, the party of the proletariat, the Communist Party of Greece - is today fighting for national liberation, and then, after the war is over, it will fight for a people’s democracy...”

1943 - July 5. British Military Mission signed a treaty with ELAS, which put it under the command of the Alliance Headquarters for Middle East. The forces of the National and Social Renaissance (EKKA) and the National Democratic Greek Alliance (EDES), that is, the former opponents found themselves under the same command. In order to unite all political forces of Greece and create a coalition government, the British Military Mission organized a meeting of representatives of the Greek Communist Party representing the National Front (EAM, EDES and EKKA) and the former government. It was held in Cairo on August 10, 1943. The

CPG requested a public statement from the King that he would not come back in the country before the plebiscite was finished. The government of Emanoil Tzuderos accepted it. However, King George asked help from Churchill and Roosevelt. The two presidents responded positively and expelled the CPG representatives from the meeting in Cairo. After the meeting, the Greek political forces split into a left wing and a right wing, and strained their relations.

1943 - July 16.ELAS and the English agree for ELAS to be placed 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. It was a huge army and, by rights, it should have had its own Macedonian military leadership and military General Headquarters. Unfortunately those in control of ELAS did not want Macedonians in leading positions! Based on this Agreement, the EDES quisling forces, led by Colonel Napoleon Zervas, and those of EKKA, led by Colonel Psaros, were to also be placed under English command. EDES and EKKA were organized by the bourgeoisie and the English to fight against EAM and ELAS. According to Sarafis: “On June 21, 1943, EDES units accompanied by English officers entered our territory around Gotista and Kalama-Filiates, and there, especially around Filiates, liquidated our organizations, arrested and abused EAM members and even committed murder... In my opinion, by doing this, Majors Chris and Miller, for political purposes, wanted to expand Zervas’s territory to include the whole of Epirus and, once reinforced, be used against ELAS. This English tendency and Zervas’s actions resulted in many ELAS - EDES clashes which ultimately led to their great collision in October 1943.” Again, according to Sarafis: “These covert forces, which even cooperated with the occupiers against EAM and ELAS, were recognized by the English as forces that fought against the occupiers. And there was more to it than that. A joint headquarters was set up for all of them…” According to Sarafis: “ELAS even demanded that Colonel Eddie Myers create the joint headquarters with Sarafis, Aris, Samariniotis, Zervas, and Psaros.

1943 - July 18. Around July 18 and 19, 1943, after a twenty day mission in the Lerin and Kostur Regions, the “Gotse Delchev” detachment crossed over into the Republic of Macedonia. The military and material aid provided by the Macedonian Partisans and the common military actions taken between the Macedonian detachments on both sides, 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…”