Razing of Anogeia
The Razing of Anogeia (
Background
Geography
The village of Anogeia (alternate spellings Anogia and Anoyia) sits at an altitude of 750 metres (2,460 feet) on the north slopes of
During the German occupation
Before the Battle of Crete, residents of Anogeia laid boulders on Nida Plateau in order to prevent German aircraft and paratroopers from landing. Armed irregular groups of Anogeians participated in the battle, fighting in Heraklion and Rethymno.[1] After the capture of Crete, Anogeia emerged as a stronghold of the local resistance.[citation needed]
Anogeians sheltered British, New Zealander and Australian soldiers and assisted them to escape to
In early May 1944, the
On 7 August 1944, a German detachment went up to Anogeia in search of forced labour workers. Several dozen locals were taken hostage and forced to march towards Rethymno. At a location near Damasta, Anogeian guerrillas attacked and eliminated the German detachment, freeing all hostages. On the following day, in an attempt to save Anogeia from German reprisals, a group of Anogeians under the commands of Cpt Bill Moss carried out the Damasta sabotage, killing around 30 German soldiers and destroying an armoured car.[1]
The proclamation of the destruction
Soon after the news of the Damasta attack reached Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller, the commander of Crete who one year earlier had orchestrated the Viannos massacres, he issued the following order:[7][1]
Since the town of Anogeia is the centre of English espionage on Crete, since the people of Anogeia committed the murder of the Sergeant Commander of the Yeni-Gave, as well as of the garrison under his command, since the people of Anogeia carried out the sabotage of Damasta, since in Anogeia the guerrillas of the various resistance bands take refuge and find protection and since the abductors of General Kreipe passed through Anogeia using it as a transit camp, we order its complete destruction and the execution of every male who is found in the village and around it within a distance of one kilometre.
CHANEA 13TH AUGUST 1944
THE GENERAL COMMANDER OF THE GARRISON OF CRETE
The razing
In the early morning of 13 August 1944,
According to a report compiled on behalf of the Greek state in the summer of 1945, out of the 940 houses of Anogeia, none stood intact. The newly built school was also destroyed and the three churches had been turned into stables.[9] Shepherd huts around the village were demolished and all livestock (mostly sheep and goats) were seized.[11]
Aftermath
The pillage of Anogeia lasted from 13 August to 5 September 1944.[9] Around 2500 women and children were displaced from the village.[8] Having lost all their belongings, they were forced to live in absolute poverty and managed to survive only thanks to the solidarity of the residents of nearby villages, who in many occasions housed them for years.[4]
In 1945, Müller was captured by the
Anogeia has been declared a martyred village with the Presidential Decree 399 (ΦΕΚ 277/16.12.1998). Today, an engraved commemorative plaque with Müller's order stands in the central square.[citation needed]
See also
- Kidnap of Heinrich Kreipe
- Damasta sabotage
- Viannos massacres
- Razing of Kandanos
- Razing of Vorizia
References
- ^ ISBN 0-14-016787-0
- ISBN 1476667845
- ISBN 978-960-85329-0-8
- ^ a b "Τα τρία ολοκαυτώματα". Δήμος Ανωγείων. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ISBN 1444796585
- ISBN 0307742229
- ISBN 978-1780228808.
- ^ a b c d Ανώγεια – 13 Αυγούστου 1944, Πατρίς onLine, 13 Αυγούστου 2004; archived here: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4
- ^ a b c Καζαντζάκης, Ν., Καλιτσουνάκης, Ι. και Κακριδής, Ι.Θ. Έκθεσις της Κεντρικής Επιτροπής Διαπιστώσεως Ωμοτήτων εν Κρήτη. Σύνταξις 29/6 – 6/8/1945. Έκδοση Δήμου Ηρακλείου, 1983; excerpt Archived 28 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 9608657032
- ^ Ο αρχηγός της Α.Ο.Α. Χριστομιχάλης Ξυλούρης και το ολοκαύτωμα των Ανωγείων, Πατρίς onLine, 27 Αυγούστου 2008; archived here
- ^ "History of the United Nations War Crimes Commission and the Development of the Laws of War. United Nations War Crimes Commission. London: HMSO, 1948". Archived from the original on 29 October 2001.
External links
- "Διατάσσομεν την ΙΣΟΠΕΔΩΣΙΝ…", Anogi 08/08/2014. Archived copy
- Το χρονικό του Ολοκαυτώματος των Aνωγείων τον Aύγουστο του 1944, greekholocausts.gr. Archived copy
- German occupation of Crete: Anogia (in German -- translate)