Forgotten Resistance: The Armenians Who Fought Nazi Occupation in WWII Greece
Author: Vahé Tachjian, 27/01/2023 (Last modified: 27/01/2023) - Translator: Hrant Gadarigian. This page was prepared collaboratively with the “Armenika” periodical of Athens.
Many of them were refugees who had fled the Ottoman Empire and had found shelter in Greece. They hailed from places called Sis, Hadjin, Ovadjik, Silivri, Marash, Adana, Armash, Sivas/Sepasdia, andKayseri/Caesarea.
Others were younger, born in exile in Greek cities such as Athens, Kokkinia, Thessaloniki.
Most of them were ordinary craftsmen, barbers, shoemakers, carpenters, most of whom lived in refugee camps located in Greece, such as Dourghouti (Athens), Kokkinia, Kalamata.
Many of their family members were killed during the Genocide. Those we focus on here were the survivors, who often witnessed all the atrocities of the Armenian extermination program and experienced its horror.
Later, they were forcibly displaced again. Some reached the region of Smyrna from Cilicia. Even here, life didn’t last long. The Greek troops had retreated. The Turkish army had invaded, and the Greek and Armenian population had migrated to Greece in a state of panic.
After a nightmarish life, was there to finally be a new and more hopeful beginning in Greece? It was thought so, although the new conditions of life were extremely difficult. Most of them were poor, many lived in refugee camp huts. It was an unpredictable life. As a humanitarian act, Greece had accepted them within its borders but refused to grant Greek citizenship to the Armenian refugees.
Political life in Greece was extremely active during these inter-war years. Left-wing and right-wing Greek parties fought fiercely against each other. The political life of the Armenian emigrants was also heated. The main dividing line was one’s political position towards Soviet Armenia. The Dashnaks (ARF) sought the overthrow of the Soviet regime and the creation of an independent state, while other parties, such as the Ramgavars and Hunchakians, were blind to the shortcomings of the ruling regime and were ready to cooperate with it, for the sake of strengthening the homeland. This struggle, which characterized the Armenian political arena, often resulted in brawls that injured and killed.
Armenian communists were also very active in Greece. They were supporters of the Soviet regime and had close ties with the Greek Communist Party, which was a highly influential presence in Greek labor circles. In 1936, when Ioannis Metaxas established a dictatorial government in the country (1936-1941), he banned the activities of the Greek Communist Party and imprisoned many party members, including many Armenian communists.
World War II breaks out and Greece is occupied by Nazi German armies (1941-1944).
The war and the resulting stoppage of shipping and imports had already dealt a catastrophic blow to the Greek economy. Moreover, the German authorities began to confiscate factories, mines, as well as agricultural products (olive oil, flour), many of which were directly shipped to Germany.
A widespread famine struck Greece in 1941.
Armenian and Greek orphans in the port of Samson aboard a ship bound for Greece in November 1922.Photographer Tsolag K. Dildilian (Source: The Dildilian Family Photography Archive. Armen T. Marsoobian).
The consequences of the famine were most evident among the refugee population from Turkey, many of whom lived in refugee camps and were factory workers. During the occupation, because of the lack of raw materials, as well as fuel, many of the factories closed their doors and thousands of refugees lost their jobs overnight. That is why hunger was so deadly in the refugee camps. We can also see why these same refugees would quickly support the anti-Nazi resistance movement, with many joining clandestine armed groups.
The main force behind the resistance was the Communist Party of Greece, which initiated the National Liberation Front (EAM) and shortly after, its military wing, the Greek National Liberation Army (ELAS). Many non-communists also joined the anti-Nazi struggle of EAM and ELAS. A guerilla (partisan) war against the seemingly indestructible Nazi occupation army commences. We will not describe that struggle here. The main purpose of this article is to recall and emphasize that the refugee Armenians also played an important role in this fateful struggle for Greece.
The more than sixty individuals listed here died while fighting the Nazi occupiers. Their names and the brief biography of each were taken from a special July 28, 1946 edition of the Nor Gyank (New Life) daily published in Athens. This newspaper, the unofficial journal of the Armenian communists, continued to be published until 1947. The resistance fighters listed here were mostly Armenian communists or party supporters who mainly waged their struggle via the EAM and ELAS. Many were killed during battles. Others were arrested and shot. Some were deported to Germany where they were imprisoned or killed in concentration camps. While information published in this newspaper comprises the main source of the biographies presented here, we should add that several other sources - including the Arolsen Archives – made it possible to make additions or slight corrections. These additions mostly refer to those persons, about whom Nor Gyank simply notes "deported to Germany and disappeared".
In addition to those noted here who died during the anti-Nazi resistance, Nor Gyank also lists other Armenians who were killed after the final retreat of the German armies from Greece. Although the newspaper is very careful about the circumstances of their deaths, probably to avoid state censorship, it is clear these people died during the Greek civil war (Emfýlios) between the left and right-wing forces after the departure of the Nazis. Since this matter is not related to our general topic, we haven’t listed their names here.
Nor Gyank (New Life) daily, Athens, July 28, 1946 special edition. (Source: Minas Mardigian collection, Yerevan).
Places with large numbers of Armenian immigrants, such as Kokkinia, the Dourghouti/Fix district of Athens, or Kalamata, were important centers of resistance. The Nazi armies had resorted to punitive actions against these three locations. The German army, and the Greek armed forces collaborating with it, would besiege an entire district, a village, or a small town. Soldiers would then go house to house, arresting all the men and sometimes women. Those arrested would either be shot or imprisoned. The latter were tortured, and some were sent to Germany to concentration camps or to into forced labor. These punitive actions are known in Greek as blocco. Nazi soldiers and their conspirators would then set fire not only to the houses of resistance suspects, but sometimes entire villages or towns. This was the pinnacle of Nazi collective punishment.
Such punishment befell Kokkinia twice and Dourghouti and Kalamata once. Many Armenian houses were also set alight, and the seaside refugee camp called Parapighmata (Greek for wooden or tin hut), inhabited entirely by Armenians in Kalamata, was burnt to the ground. Some three thousand people were arrested in the Dourghouti district of Athens. Many of them were Armenians, given that most of the district’s population (9,000-12,000) was Armenian.
We should also mention those Armenians living in Greece during WWII who were sent to Germany for political reasons or simply as forced labor. The Arolsen Archives website, with its millions of documents about the victims of the Nazi regime, is an important source of information on the issue. Some of those forcibly sent to Germany died during the war. Many of the survivors tried to return to Greece. Most succeeded, but some faced insurmountable obstacles.
During this period, most Greek-Armenians lacked Greek citizenship and wouldn’t be granted it until the late 1960s. Their Ottoman documents were out of date and not recognized. Under these conditions, many thousands of Greek-Armenians were simply called "Stateless" (Staatenlos/Apatride) and carried the official Nansen Pass document given to several émigré nationalities, such as Armenians and Russians (who escaped from the Bolshevik revolution). These Greek-Armenians who were deported to Germany and wanted to return, were able to freely reach Greece immediately after the war. But others, for various reasons, could not return right away and were forced to postpone their journey for one or two years. The Greek state refused to admit them.
Here too, the Arolsen Archives provide detailed case information.
There’s documentation about Yervant Apostolian (born in 1910) and his wife, Shnorhig (born Azadian, in 1920). Both lived in the Dourghouti district of Athens. They married in 1941, in Athens. Yervant was born in Bursa, while Shnorhig was born in Izmit/Nicomedia. Both settled in Greece with their families in 1922. Shnorhig left Greece for Marseille with her family for several years, but later returned to Greece. In August 1942, Yervant and Shnorhig were in Austria. The official papers state the two left Greece on an “official business trip organized by the Germans”, a euphemism for forced labor. Yervant worked as a barber and photographer in Greece and started working in Austria as an arc welder at the Viktorin-Werk factory located in Mödling. Shnorhig worked in the same factory. Both worked there from 1942 to 1945, until the end of the war. They then moved to Vienna, where their two daughters were born (1945 and 1948).
After the war, they continually tried to return to Greece, but the Greek consulate in Vienna prevented them. A letter written by the consulate dated August 5, 1948 reads: "(...) although they are Armenians by origin, this does not mean that they have Greek citizenship. For this reason, they could not be repatriated to Greece" [1].
We don’t know how the Apostolian family saga ended. But it is clear from the documents that their efforts, up until 1950, to return to Greece were in vain. Instead, they started planning to emigrate to the United States, Latin America or Australia.
This brief article is an attempt to remind us about those Armenians who joined the anti-Nazi struggle. The subject hasn’t been seriously researched. Such in-depth study is needed to reveal the number of those Greek-Armenians who participated, their roles and ranks in the resistance movement, and their motivation for doing so. Other revelations are also likely.
What is clear is that this subject was neglected for many years. Some interest has been shown of later, but it’s still insufficient. One of the main reasons for the neglect is probably the fact that most of the Armenian involved immigrated to Soviet Armenia in 1946-1947. Many of them fell victim to Stalin's violence and were exiled to Siberia or Central Asia. In short, there wasn’t a conducive environment for writing down and especially publishing their memoirs. Greek historiography, as well as studies of the resistance against Nazi violence don’t highlight the participation of Armenians in this struggle.
With this page, Houshamadyan wishes to honor all those known and unknown individuals who had the courage, sometimes at the cost of their lives, to resist the totalitarian aspirations of the Nazi regime. They did so for the sake of their families, communities, adopted homeland, and freedom for all humanity. Others, although not directly involved in this life-and-death struggle, still fell victim to Nazi brutality. They were tortured, killed, or pressed into forced labor. In the ensuing decades, the legacy of these individuals was not properly honored. Various circumstances conspired to exclude them from collective memory. For far too long, they have remained forgotten and voiceless.
Now is the time to properly commemorate their lives and legacy.
[1] A letter written by A.C. Argyropoulo, Secretary of the Greek Royal Embassy (consular office) in Vienna. (October 5, 1948).
Vahram Sakayan
Born in Ovadjik (present-day Yuvacık, Izmit region) in 1892. He was a member of the Greek Communist party. Arrested on August 9, 1944, when German forces and Greek collaborators surrounded the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) and launched a punitive operation (blocco). He was imprisoned and tortured to death.
Mgrdich Seferian
Born in Nazilli (near Aydın) in 1920. A member of the Greek Communist Party, he was arrested and jailed under the Metaxas regime (1936-1941). He remained in prison when Greece was occupied by Nazi Germany. On May 1, 1944, alongside 200 other Greek communists, he was executed by the Nazi authorities in the Kaisariani suburb of Athens.
Antranig Ghougasian
Born in Kars-Bazar (present-day Kadirli, Adana region) in 1919. He was a member of the Greek Communist Party and a leader of the resistance movement in the Fix/Dourghouti neighborhood (Athens). He was killed in an engagement with Nazi forces on August 6, 1944.
Yervant Ghougasian
Born in 1925 in Athens. Arrested during the blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) on August 9, 1944. He was executed in the neighboring district of Pharos.
Kevork Parechanian
Born in Marash in 1909. A member of the Greek Communist Party, he was arrested and jailed under the Metaxas regime (1936-1941). He remained in prison when Greece was occupied by Nazi Germany. On May 1, 1944, alongside 200 other Greek communists, he was executed by the Nazi authorities in the Kaisariani suburb of Athens.
Sarkis Chilingirian
Born in Silivri in 1912. He worked for Armenian newspapers in Thessaloniki and Athens. A member of the Greek Communist Party, he was arrested in Thessaloniki by the Nazi authorities on August 1, 1944, and executed shortly thereafter.
Sarkis Karayan
Born in Thessaloniki in 1925. He was a member of the resistance. He was arrested on July 24, 1944, and executed a few days later.
Sdepan Garabedian
Born in Thessaloniki in 1927. He was a member of the National Liberation Front (EAM). He was arrested in 1944 and executed.
Hagop Shalvardjian
Born in 1926. Arrested during the blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) on August 9, 1944. He was then executed in the neighboring district of Pharos.
Gabriel Davouldjian
Born in a village in the Yozgat region in 1914. He was a member of the Greek Communist Party. He was imprisoned under the Metaxas regime and remained in prison when Greece was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. He was executed in prison.
Aram Geokdjian
Born in Sis (present-day Kozan, Adana region) in 1902. He was a member of the Social-Democrat Hunchakian Party in Kokkinia. He edited numerous Armenian newspapers in Athens in inter-war years. Geokdjian was arrested and imprisoned several times for poilitical reasons. He was one of the editos of the Veradznount (Revival) newspaper (1937-1941). He was arrested by the Nazi German forces and executed on April 14, 1944.
Garabed Kouyoumdjian
Born in Adana in 1909. He was a member of the National Liberation Front (EAM). He was arrested on March 7, 1944, when German forces and Greek collaborators surrounded Kokkinia (Nikaia) and launched a punitive operation (blocco). He was executed two days later, in the prison of Haidari.
Sarkis Beian
Born in Athens in 1926. He was arrested during the blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) on August 9, 1944. He was summarily executed.
Vahe Mavian
Born in Armash in 1901. He was arrested during the blocco operations of Kalamata on February 8, 1944, and summarily executed.
Khachig Arslanian
Born in Ferizli (Izmit region) in 1918. He was arrested during the blocco operation of Kalamata on February 8, 1944, and summarily executed.
Boghos Fichidjian
Born in Ovadjik (present-day Yuvacık, Izmit region) in 1919. He was a member of the youth wing of the National Liberation Front (EAM) in the region of Kavala and participated in armed resistance operations. He was arrested and tortured to death.
Hagop Nishanian
Born in Djerrah/Cerrah (Bursa region) in 1919. He participated in resistance operations in the city of Kalamata. He was arrested by the German army and summarily executed.
Smpad Ghazarian
Born in Armash in 1909. Arrested during the blocco operation of Kalamata on February 8, 1944. He was deported to the Dachau concentration camp (Germany), where he was killed.
Dikran Topalian
Born in Athens. He was active in the resistance movement against the Nazi German occupation forces. He was killed on October 12, 1944, a few hours before the final withdrawal of German troops from Athens. He was 17 years old.
Hairabed Setian
Born in Zara (Sivas region) in 1907. An active member of the resistance, he was arrested on August 9, 1944, during the blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens). He was sent to the prison of Haidari, where he was executed.
Yeghia Papelian
He was a member of the guerilla squads fighting the Nazi German occupying forces. He was killed on March 16, 1944, near the town of Nigrita.
Hagop Krshkian
Born in Sis (present-day Kozan, Adana region) in 1914. During the occupation of Greece, he was a member of the Greek National Liberation Army (ELAS) and active near the town of Nea Makri. He was arrested in June 1944, then tortured and killed.
Silvestro Ghaleas
Born in Diyarbakir in 1907. He was a member of the Greek Communist Party and very active in the resistance movement. He was arrested during the blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) on August 9, 1944. He was jailed in the prison of Goudi, tortured, and executed on August 15 of the same year.
Simon Kayan
Born in Hadjin (present-day Saimbeyli, Adana region). A member of the resistance, he was arrested and jailed in the prison of Goudi, where he was tortured and executed in January 1944.
Sarkis Kayan
Born in 1927. A member of the resistance, he was arrested and jailed in the prison of Goudi, where he was tortured and executed on January 7, 1944.
Sarkis Benlian
Born in Sivas in 1919. During the occupation of Greece, he was a member of the Greek National Liberation Army (ELAS). He was killed in an engagement with Nazi forces at the end of July 1944.
Aram Baghdjian
Born in Adana in 1920. Arrested during the first blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) on April 23, 1944. He was summarily executed.
Sarkis Yemenedjian
Born in Medz Nor Kyugh (present-day Yeniköy, Bursa region) in 1924. Arrested during the blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) on August 9, 1944. He was executed in the neighboring district of Pharos.
Melidos Gaganian
Born in Armash. He was deported to Germany, then lost without a trace.
Yesayi Minasian
Born in Pireas in 1922. A member of the National Liberation Front (EAM), he was arrested in 1944 and executed.
Armenag Viranian
Born in Balikesir/Balıkesir in 1906. Arrested during the blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) on August 9, 1944. He was deported to Germany, where he died.
Bedros Kalaidjian
Born in Djerrah/Cerrah (Bursa region) in 1907. He participated in armed resistance operations and was killed in an engagement with German forces in the Tithorea area.
Yeprem Derderian
Born in Hadjin in 1900. He participated in armed resistance operations and was killed in an engagement with German forces in the Pharos neighborhood of Athens.
Gyulbenk Momdjian
Born in 1912. Arrested and executed during the blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) on August 9, 1944.
Sirarpi Rzian
Born in Hadjin in 1922. She was killed on January 4, 1945.
Haroutiun Kalousdian
Arrested by German forces in 1944. He was deported to Germany and was lost without a trace.
Hampartsoum Berberian
Born in Athens in 1925. He participated in armed resistance operations and was arrested in August 1944. He was executed in the Pharos neighborhood of Athens.
Khachig Gyulian
Born in 1912 in a village in the Shabin-Karahisar area. Arrested and executed during the blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) on August 9, 1944.
Hrant Seropian
Born in Kayseri/Caesarea in 1915. He was a member of the resistance. He was arrested and tortured to death on June 27, 1944.
Garbis Garabedian
Born in 1923. He was a member of the resistance. He was arrested and executed on February 24, 1944.
German documents listing Vahram Gaganian (Source: Arolsen Archives). He was deported to Germany and died in the Dachau concentration camp, on February 21, 1945.
Vahram Gaganian
Born in Kavala in 1921. A carpenter. Father’s name: Siragan. An active member of the resistance. He was arrested in 1944. In December of the same year, he was deported to the Dachau concentration camp in Germany, where he died on February 21, 1945.
Vartan Kyupelian
Born in Sis (present-day Kozan, Adana region) in 1913. He was a member of the National Liberation Front (EAM) in Kokkinia, as well as a member of the guerilla squads fighting the German occupation forces. He took part in attacks against maritime targets, and he was nicknamed Lýkos tis Thalássis (Λύκος της θαλάσσης, “Sea Wolf”). He was killed during a resistance operation in 1944.
Hagop Hagopian
Born in Adana in 1913. He was a member of the resistance. He was arrested in the Peloponnese region and imprisoned in Corinth, where he was tortured and then executed on July 22, 1944.
Nishan Chiftdjian
Born in Kalamata in 1923. Arrested during the blocco operation of Kalamata on February 8, 1944. He was deported to the Dachau concentration camp in Germany, where he was killed.
Diran Chitdjian
Born in Ordu in 1908. He was a member of the Greek Communist Party and the main courier of National Liberation Front (EAM) cells in Kavala, Xanthi, Drama, and Serres. He also took part in armed resistance operations. He was killed on January 1, 1944.
Yeghia Hadjikeoseyan
Born in Crete. Arrested during the first blocco operation of Kokkinia on March 8, 1944. He was executed on the following day.
Misak Bligian
Born in Sis (present-day Kozan, Adana region) in 1909. He was a member of the Social-Democrat Hunchakian Party in Kokkinia and took part in the activities of the National Liberation Front (EAM). He was arrested and executed on May 17, 1944.
Yervant Penigian
Born in Hadjin (present-day Saimbeyli, Adana region) in 1907. He was arrested and executed during the second blocco operation of Kokkinia on August 17, 1944.
Krikor Kalenderian
Born in Adana in 1915. A member of the National Liberation Front (EAM), he was arrested during the first blocco operation of Kokkinia on March 7, 1944. He was executed two days later in the prison of Haidari.
Levon Melkonian
Born in Smyrna in 1904. Father’s name: Arakel. He was arrested during the first blocco operation of Kokkinia on March 8, 1944. Deported to Germany, he was interned in the Neuengamme (in Hamburg) concentration camp, where he died on November 20, 1944.
Garbis Hazarian
Born in Kayseri/Caesarea in 1914. He was arrested during the first blocco operation of Kokkinia on March 7, 1944. He was deported to Germany and lost without a trace.
Haroutiun Yorghandjian
Born in Kirkaghadj/Kırkağaç (Manisa region) in 1916. He participated in armed resistance operations against the Nazi occupying forces in Rethimno (Crete). He was arrested and executed.
Nazareth Papazian
Born in Akshehir in 1917. He was a member of the National Liberation Front (EAM) in Rethimno, Crete, and a courier for the party’s local cell. He was arrested and executed in 1943.
Zaven Krshkian
Born in Sis (present-day Kozan, Adana region). He was arrested during the blocco operation of the Dourghouti/Fix neighborhood (Athens) on August 9, 1944. He was jailed in the Haidari prison and lost without a trace.
Mamas Berberian
Born in Kayseri/Caesarea in 1916 (or 1913). He was arrested during the first blocco operation of Kokkinia on March 7, 1944. He was deported to Germany in July 1945, and interned in the Neuengamme (in Hamburg) concentration camp, where he died on March 10, 1945.
Onnig Koundakdjian
Born in Kayseri/Caesarea in 1914. He was arrested during the first blocco operation of Kokkinia on March 7, 1944. He was deported to Germany and lost without a trace.
Antranig Der Boghosian
Was born in Armash. He was arrested and deported to Germany. There is a brief note about a certain Antranig Der Boghosian in the Arolsen Archives. This person is said to have been imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp, contracting pneumonia. Most likely, he died in this camp as well.
Zaven Ovagian
Born in Armash (in Izmit/Nicomedia region) in 1896. He was a hairdresser, married to Ovsanna Papelian, and had three children. Zaven’s parents were Nazareth and Hripsime (nee Manougian). He was arrested in Kalamata, on October 22, 1943, deported and interned first in the Natzweiler concentration camp located in the Vosges Mountains (France). He was sent, on December 17, 1943, to the Dachau concentration camp (Germany), where he died on May 23, 1945. Zaven’s son, Antranig (born in 1927), was also arrested in Kalamata, deported, and interned in the Mauthausen concentration camp, located in Austria.
German documents listing Zaven Ovagian (Source: Arolsen Archives). He was deported to Germany and died in the Dachau concentration camp, May 23, 1945.
Sdepan Margosian
Born in Adapazar in 1921. He was a shoemaker. He was arrested in Kalamata in 1943, deported and interned in the Mauthausen concentration camp, where he probably died.
Minas Minasian
Born in Marmaradjik in 1926. He was a hairdresser. Arrested ain Kalamata in 1943, he was deported to Germany and interned in the Flossenburg concentration camp. Very likely he died during his incarceration.
Source
- "Armenian press in Greece", Armenika newspaper, Athens, 2009.
- Nor Gyank (newspaper), 18 Jul. 1946, year 2, number 402, Athens.
- Pantelis Arapinis, “List of Hostages” (in Greek), Armenika Periodical, n. 98, August-October 2018, Athens.
- Hagen Fleischer, Im Kreuzschatten der Mächte. Griechenland 1941-1944 (Okkupation - Resistance - Kollaboration), Lang, Frankfurt am Main, 1986.
- Mark Mazower, Inside Hitler’s Greece: The Experience of Occupation, 1941-1944, Yale University Press, New Haven/London, 1993.
- Dikran Bzdigian, Gyankis Housheru [Memories of My Life], Montreal, 2012.
- Mike Tsilingirian, The Armenian Community of Kalamata (1921-1947): Poverty, Resistance, Repatriation, 11/05/22, [https://www.houshamadyan.org/oda/europe/kalamata-refugee-camps-gr.html]
- https://collections.arolsen-archives.org/de/search/
- Iason Chandrinos , Volker Mall, Wir waren Menschen zweiter Klasse, KZ Gedenkstätte Hailfingen/Tailfingen e. V., 2022.