Eine Gedenktafel an der Kirche Agios Antonios in Mirtos erinnert an die Menschen, die im September 1943 an dieser Stelle von deutschen Soldaten exekutiert wurden. Der griechische Text lautet: Hinrichtungsplatz, von den Deutschen getötet. Dann folgen die Namen. Titelbild oben: Die Gedenkstätte bei Ano Vianos.
There is a small church in Mirtos, a stone's throw from the beach. A pretty stone building, idyllically situated, dedicated to St. Antonios. Surrounded by a small square, framed by trees. It was here that 18 men from the village were shot by German soldiers on September 15, 1943. A memorial with their names commemorates this.
The memorial at the execution site in Mirtos is not the only one. There are also memorial plaques in the neighboring mountain villages of Gdochia and Mournies, where people were also murdered in those days and the villages devastated - because the Cretans resisted the Nazis who had occupied the island.
The drama began with the invasion of Crete by German paratroops on May 20, 1941 near Maleme in the northwest. The aim was to capture the military airfield there. Soldiers also parachuted near Rethymnon and Heraklion.
Crete defends itself
The Greek mainland was already occupied. British, Australian and New Zealand forces, as well as Greek units, were on Crete. The Germans had not reckoned with the fierce resistance of the troops and the Cretan people. It took ten days for Crete to be conquered. Several thousand people were killed. Among them were more than 3300 German paratroopers, mostly very young men. Today, they are buried in the German military cemetery in Maleme, where a total of almost 4,500 German soldiers lie. The military cemetery of the Allies, the Souda Bay War Cemetery, was established near Souda not far from Chania. More than 1500 fallen soldiers are buried there.
The survivors of the allied troops were evacuated from Hora Sfakion. The resistance of the Cretan population continued - and was met with cruel retaliatory measures. Numerous people were shot and villages destroyed. One of the worst massacres took place near Ano Vianos in September 1943. After German soldiers were attacked by rebels, more than 440 men were executed. Executions also took place in the surrounding area - as far as Mirtos.
Memorial Ano Vianos
Numerous memorials commemorate the crimes. A large memorial was built near Ano Vianos, on the edge of the village of Amiras, where the road to Arvi branches off. Eleven stone monuments with the names of the victims, a large stele with a sculpture of a slumped human being.
According to historical sources, the German troops executed a total of 3474 people on Crete during the war years and destroyed 40 villages. That´s something we should not forget.
Kontakt:
Michael Meinert
Tel. +49 175 515 53 59
michael.meinert@textbuero-meinert.de
Fotos: Falls nicht anders angegeben
Iris Heymann-Meinert
Michael Meinert