Eighty years ago – on 16 April – Agios Dimitrios and its valley to the west of Katerini were visited by fire and fury as its Allied defenders faced the German invasion of Greece. Thessaloniki and the defences of northern Greece had already fallen. Now the Germans were trying to force their way through the mountains passes and valleys that led to Greece’s central plane and on to the south. This advance would see major battles take place at Vevi and Servia to the west and Platamonas and the Tempe Valley to the east. These battles were fought in early April, with Anzac and British troops joining with Greek Army forces outnumbered by superior German forces. Though they all succeeded in holding up the German advance for crucial days, enabling the withdrawal of Allied forces, this was at a terrible cost in terms of lives and equipment lost.
The defence of Agios Dimitrios was in the hands of three New Zealand Battalions – the 28th Maori, 22nd and 23rd Battalions, supported by mortars and artillery. They faced the German 5th Mountain Division. The brave New Zealanders, positioned across the mountain pass, inflicted significant losses on the advancing German force. But evening the defenders was forced to withdraw across Mount Olympus, in driving run through muddy tracks in the dark.
As occurred across the length of Greece, the villagers of the region would go on to resist the occupation. Thirty-eight local villagers, including the Mayor of Agios Dimitrios, were executed at Katerini by German troops on 23 February, 1942, in retaliation for the killing of two German guards of a local iron works producing goods for the German war effort. Later in the war the Germans would return to Agios Dimitrios and kill more civilians. The names of all these martyrs to Greece’s freedom are listed on the village war memorial.
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I have been fortunate to have been able to visit this beautifully village in the mountains as a guest and been able to conduct some historical research in the field on its WW2 story. I subsequently wrote about the battle and its aftermath in a previous edition of Neos Kosmos(May 11, 2018).
Now Melbourne’s Agios Dimitrios Olympou Philanthropic and Cultural League is working to honour the New Zealand soldiers who defended their village and region on 16 April. League Executive Member Roulla Saisanas said it was a privilege for the League to be able to honour these brave men who came to the region from so far away.
“Agios Dimitrios is very proud of its role in fighting for Greece’s freedom in the Second World War. Our local community is keen to help to commemorate these Allied soldiers who fought there in April 1941,” she said.
Ms Saisanas said that the League was proud of its Hellenic heritage and its connection to the Anzac story.
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“This is the 80th anniversary of the Greek campaign and we should not forget those who fought for our freedom in 1941 and throughout the war. Most of the veterans who fought there have now left us but we can keep their memory alive with this new memorial plaque,” she added.
The new memorial plaque will honour the New Zealand soldiers who fought at Agios Dimitrios in April 1941 and the local villagers who supported them. The historical content of plaque wording will be researched by myself. The plaque will be similar in size and design to other Anzac Heritage Trail plaques already erected – on Lemnos, at Pylos and Methone – and others planned to be installed across Greece in coming months – on Lemnos, at Corinth, Kalamata, Tolo and the Mani. This is being organized by a group of Greek community organizations and veteran’s families, assisted by myself as historian.
“Our League is proud to be able to join with other Greek community organizations in building the Anzac Heritage Trail across Greece. It will ensure that Agios Dimitrios will take its proper place on the Trail and assist commemorative visitors to come to the village and learn of its part in the Greek campaign,” Ms Saisanas added.
Ms Saisanas said that the League would soon begin discussions with local authorities for the creation and installation of the new memorial plaque in the village.
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Jim Claven is a trained historian, freelance writer and author of Lemnos & Galllipoli Revealed. He is currently completing his new book on the Hellenic connection to Anzac – Grecian Adventure – Stories from Greece’s WW2 Anzac Trail – to be released as part of this year’s 80th anniversary of the Greek campaign. The publication is supported by the Victorian Government, the Pammessinian Brotherhood Papaflessas and Neos Kosmos. For more information on this please contact Jim via email – jimclaven@yahoo.com.au
