DEVELOPMENT OF POLITICAL PROCESSES AND EVENTS AFTER WW II - (THE VARKIZA PERIO

DEVELOPMENT OF POLITICAL PROCESSES AND EVENTS AFTER WW II - (THE VARKIZA PERIOD - 1945) 20

Some historians say that the Greek Civil War began in 1945 sighting events that have contributed to it. But the Civil War actually began on March 31, 1946, when the village Lithohori was attacked on the night of March 30, 1946, by armed CPG sympathizers and members of ELAS, who were against the signing of the Varkiza Agreement.

But serious historiographers, especially the leadership and participants of DAG (not the Macedonians because we had already entered into an armed resistance with the formation of NOF on April 23, 1945, one year before the Greek Civil War started), asked themselves the following question:

Why did the CPG call for an armed resistance in March 1946, almost exactly one year after the Varkiza Agreement was signed on February 12, 1945?

Greek historiographers have described the Greek Civil War as a big historical mistake because it took place after WW II ended and after the Great Powers in Yalta had divided the world into spheres of influence. As a result borders in the Balkans were to remain “Status quo”. But rarely have these historiographers gone beyond calling the war a mistake by considering that it may have been purposely perpetrated to “rid of the Macedonians” from Greece.

20 On February 12, 1945, an Agreement was signed in Varkiza, a resort near Athens, between the CPG and EAM leaders on one side and Plastiras’s Greek government and British General Scobie, on the other. In July 16, 1943, with this Agreement, EAM and ELAS (numbering about 70,000 soldiers) signed an Agreement with Colonel Eddie Myers, head of the British military mission, by which ELAS subordinated its command to the British in the Middle East, thus practically handing over power to the political right. That was the end of ELAS. A government was already established in Greece and the iron curtain was drawn over the northern border. The state borders separating Greece from Yugoslavia were “STATUS QUO”

After the Second World War ended, many things began to take place in Greece, especially after the Varkiza Agreement was signed and political power was seized by the right. According to Greek historiographers, persecution of the left forces (CPG, ELAS, EAM and others) began in the 1945 winter and spring months and was primarily organized and coordinated by the British 21 through the newly formed Greek government.

Organized terror

The following table describes the acts and the number of victims involved in the “organized terror” perpetrated by the right forces against the left in Greece, in the period from February 12 to March 31, 1946. The document was prepared by the EAM central committee and delivered by Mihalis Kirkos to the UN Commission of Special Observers during one of their sessions:

Shot 1, 284 Wounded 6, 681 Interned 31, 632 Arrested 34, 931 Disappeared 151 Raped 165

And about 500 other, on various grounds.

Why was this violence and terror unleashed on the people? Was it to instigate a new war?

For the record, let it also be known that the EAM report was written in 1945 in French by Octave Merlier, director of the French Institute in Athens. (See: Thassos Vournas, 1981/32, Athens).

21 The British government had engaged numerous forces in Solun: a concentration of about 80,000 men and a large number of motor vehicles, tanks and cannons. Stationed at the Serres airport (12 km from Solun) were also about 200 British fighter planes and 60 bombers. Government military force up to 1946

This was the status of the government military forces up to the beginning of July 1946, organized and composed in four hill divisions:

- 8th Division in Ioannina; - 15th Division in Kozheni; - 10th Division in Solun; and - 7th Division in Kavala.

The total government military strength up until July 1946 was 104,000 soldiers, of which 45,000 were infantry. They were organized into 80 infantry battalions.

America’s influence in the development of the Greek government military forces

Many important things happened during the period from 1946 to 1947, especially under Western power influence, but the most important thing that was achieved was Greece falling under American and English influence as was agreed at the Tehran Conference.

1. In February 1947, Great Britain informed the United States Government that, for economic reasons it would stop helping Greece as of March 31, 1947. The US government had estimated that if it did not inherit Great Britain’s role, Greece will inevitably fall under USSR influence.

2. An aid agreement was signed in Athens between the US government and the Greek Government, with which the American dominance in Greece began, pushing out Great Britain.

3. On March 1, 1947, US President Harry Truman announced a resolution proclaiming the “Truman Doctrine” for US involvement in Greece. Greece was granted a loan and modern military equipment to equip its government army. At the same time American General Van FLEET, a specialist in guerrilla warfare, was made available to the Greek government. General Van FLEET, commander of the American-Military-Advisory and Program Group, arrived in Greece at the beginning of 1947.

With the strategy and tactics applied during the Greek Civil War period, especially during the last battles on the Vicho and Gramos fronts in August 28 - 30, 1949, DAG was defeated and thrown out of Greece’s borders into Albania.

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But if we look at this whole war situation from a global or a Greek government perspective, there are things missing. For example, missing from it are the Macedonians. The Macedonian participation is not even mentioned in Greek government, and especially in Western publications, which deal with the Greek Civil War. As a nation the Macedonian people did not only contribute more than 50% of the military resources for DAG, but also supported them economically and in other respects. 22 But there is nothing mentioned about them, not even their failures. Hence, it is time for us to not only point out these omissions and inconsistencies but to also correct them and show the world that mistakes had indeed been made. We need to show that Macedonians did participate in the Greek Civil War in a big way. We also need to show that were betrayed by the foreigners who led us and point out the mistakes we made as a result of that. We also need to find the answer to the question: “Is it possible that we willingly gave up our children because we believed their propaganda?”

1. The problem facing analysts and historiographers about DAG’s history is their inability to conclusively decide when the Greek Civil War was started. Was it on February 12, 1946, when the CPG

22 On March 20, 1949, in a speech delivered to the DAG Political Commissars, Vasilis Bardzhotas, DAG General Staff Political Commissar, regarding the Macedonian fighter contribution in DAG’s ranks, among other things, said: “...The Slavo-Macedonian fighters and officers are considered the best that DAG has to offer. They fought and still fight bravely. These heroic people give their best. They sacrificed their children, their property, their houses... Every house has a wounded or dead person. The DAG Vicho Mountain unit fighters are 20 to 50% Slavo-Macedonians...”

Central Committee (during its Second Plenum) decided when the armed uprising was going to begin or was it on March 31, 1946, when the village Lithohori was attacked?

At this point we also need to ask “Were we Macedonians a factor in these various Agreements that the CPG and EAM had signed?” The answer, of course is NO, we Macedonians were not a factor!

And why not?! Because, until then, we were not a political entity nor did we fight to become one in Greece.

Let us now have a look at some historical events that took place:

In the second decade of October 1944, the Lerin-Kostur battalion separated from ELAS and moved to Vardar Macedonia (SFRJ), where it was organized into a brigade in the composition of the NOV and PO Macedonian-Yugoslav National Army (JNA).