Battle of Trahili
The Battle of Trahili (
Background
In June 1941, soon after the fall of Crete to the Axis, Georgios Petrakis (Petrakogiorgis) and five men from Vorizia established the first resistance group in the south slopes of Mt. Ida. This group, named "Psiloritis" (Greek: Ψηλορείτης), was active in the regions of Mt. Ida, Messara plain, Mt. Kedros and Amari valley throughout the occupation of Crete. The group engaged in close combat with the occupation forces on several occasions and had close ties with the British SOE. As noted by Beevor, [the Germans had] harboured an especially personal enmity for Petrakogiorgis, more than for any other chieftain.[2]
On 14 August 1943, the eve of the Dormition, most of Petrakogiorgis men were away visiting their families. He and 21 more men were hiding north of the village of Vorizia. They had arranged to receive the Holy Communion from a monk of the nearby Vrontisi Monastery and were preparing to celebrate the Dormition. Unknowingly, however, their whereabouts were betrayed to the Germans.
The battle
On the early morning of 15 August 1943, partisan sentries spotted German forces approaching their hideout from three different directions with an estimated total strength of 3500 men. After a brief discussion, the partisans decided to head towards the nearby forest of Rouvas and avoid villages as this might invoke
Aftermath
A few days after the battle of Trahili and in reprisal for the assistance of locals to the partisans, the village of Vorizia was destroyed by aerial bombardment.[2]
A marble plaque at Trahili commemorates the battle and the fallen partisans.
See also
References
External links
- Ημέρα Εθνικής Αντίστασης, εφημερίδα Μεσόγειος, 24 Νοεμβρίου 1998
- Η μάχη στο Τραχήλι του Ψηλορείτη, εφημερίδα Ρεθεμνιώτικα Νέα; archived here
- Η Αιματηρή Μάχη στο Τραχήλι, Βασ. Σπαχής, Η Φωνή των Ανωγείων, τευχ. 279, σελ. 6, Μάρτιος - Μάιος 2009
- 15 Αυγούστου 1943: Η Μάχη στο Τραχήλι και ο Γεώργιος Καργάκης-Ψαρογιώργης, εφημερίδα Πατρίς; archived here