#gorgopotamos

[elladastinkardiamou]

Gorgopotamos: The Greatest Moment of Greek Resistance to the Nazis

The blowing up of the Gorgopotamos railway bridge on November 25, 1942 still stands as the greatest and most courageous moment of resistance to the German occupation of Greece during World War II.

On September 29, 1942, a group of twelve British commandos headed by Colonel Eddie Myers parachuted into the Giona mountains of central Greece.

Among them was Themistocles Marinos, a Greek, and an unknown Cypriot who went by the code name of “Giannis.”

Their task was to get in touch with members of the Greek resistance, and implement with them a daring scheme dubbed “Operation Harling,” a plan conceived at Allied Headquarters in Cairo.

[elladastinkardiamou]

Gorgopotamos: The Greatest Moment of Greek Resistance to the Nazis

The blowing up of the Gorgopotamos railway bridge on November 25, 1942 still stands as the greatest and most courageous moment of Greek resistance to the German occupation forces of WWII.

On September 29, 1942, a group of twelve British commandos headed by Colonel Eddie Myers, parachuted into the Giona mountains of central Greece. Among them was Themistocles Marinos, a Greek, and an unknown Cypriot who went by the code name “Giannis”. Their task was to get in touch with members of the Greek resistance, and implement with them a daring scheme dubbed “Operation Harling”, a plan conceived at Allied Headquarters in Cairo.

The project called for the blowing of one of the three bridges over the Papadia, Asopos and Gorgopotamos rivers. They were all major bridges in the region. But one of them, The Gorgopotamos Bridge, carried the crucially-important railway line between Thessaloniki and Athens. In the next few days, Myers and his men surveyed all three possible sabotage areas and found that luckily enough the Gorgopotamos bridge was also the easiest target.

It was the only reliable route to the ports of southern Greece, and its destruction was intended to cause the interruption of supplies to the German forces under General Erwin Rommel in North Africa.

[elladastinkardiamou]

Gorgopotamos Remains the Greatest Moment of Greece's Resistance to Nazi Occupation

The explosion of the Gorgopotamos railway bridge on November 25, 1942, still stands as the greatest and bravest moment of the Greek resistance to the German occupation forces.

On September 29, 1942, a group of twelve British commandos headed by Colonel Eddie Myers, fell with parachutes in the Giona mountain region, in central Greece. Among them was the Greek, Themistocles Marinos, and a Cypriot with the code name “Giannis”. Their purpose was to get in touch with Greek resistance guerrillas, and implement the “Operation Harling” that the Allied Headquarters had planned in Cairo.

The project consisted in the blasting of one of the three bridges of Papadia, Asopos and Gorgopotamos (all three of which are located in the mountainous area of ​​Brallos), over which the railway line Thessaloniki – Athens passes. It was the only reliable route to the ports of Southern Greece, and its destruction would cause the interruption of the supply to the General Erwin Rommel German forces in North Africa. It was right before the Battle of El Alamein that would determine the course of the war in that area.

[elladastinkardiamou]

The day of National Celebration of the Greek Resistance was established by the government in 1982 and observed on 25 November, to commemorate the most important joint operation of Greece’s major resistance groups formed in World War II.

The demolition of the Gorgopotamos Bridge was carried out on 25 November 1942, by the combined forces of the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS), the National Republican Greek League (EDES) and British commandos of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). It is regarded as a major act of resistance during the Second World War, and was a significant instance of successful cooperation between Greece’s resistance movements.

The Greek resistance

Following the German invasion of 1941, which resulted in the Triple Occupation of Greece by Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria until 1944, a number of resistance organisations began emerging in Greece, most of them aligned with the various political and ideological factions of the time.

The largest organisation, with a membership estimated between half and two million, was the National Liberation Front (EAM), which was founded on 27 September 1941 by representatives of four left-wing parties: the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the Socialist Party of Greece (SKE), the Union of People's Democracy (ELD) and the Agricultural Party of Greece (ΑΚΕ). It was led by Georgios Siantos, acting leader of KKE. Its military wing, the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS), under Chief Captain Aris Velouchiotis, quickly grew into the largest armed guerrilla force in the country, and the only one with nation-wide presence.

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