The Rise and Fall of the 5/42 Regiment of Evzones: a Study on National Resistance and Civil War in Greece 1941-1944
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The Rise and Fall of the 5/42 Regiment of Evzones: A Study on National Resistance and Civil War in Greece 1941-1944 ARGYRIOS MAMARELIS Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy The European Institute London School of Economics and Political Science 2003 i UMI Number: U613346 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U613346 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 9995 / 0/ -hoZ2 d X Abstract This thesis addresses a neglected dimension of Greece under German and Italian occupation and on the eve of civil war. Its contribution to the historiography of the period stems from the fact that it constitutes the first academic study of the third largest resistance organisation in Greece, the 5/42 regiment of evzones. The study of this national resistance organisation can thus extend our knowledge of the Greek resistance effort, the political relations between the main resistance groups, the conditions that led to the civil war and the domestic relevance of British policies. The thesis seeks to establish the nature of the 5/42, the factors behind its rise and fall and its significance within the national resistance movement. The research for this thesis has been based on various sources. A large number of personal interviews (forty-seven) were conducted with veterans of the 5/42 and EAM- ELAS. This was placed alongside extensive archival research and documentary analysis. Both types of sources were supplemented by secondary sources on the history of the period. This thesis distinguishes the history of the 5/42 regiment across three levels of analysis: The micro-level analysis highlights the agents, the circumstances and the events that influenced the emergence of the 5/42 in the Fokida region. It looks at the group dynamics of the 5/42. It examines the social political and economic environment within which the 5/42 was formed, the group’s structure and internal politics, the strategies and objectives of the group’s leaders. The meso-level analysis looks at the 5/42 in the context of the civil war between different resistance groups and highlights the role that the regiment played in the political antagonisms. It discusses the domestic politics of the 5/42 and the strategies that the regiment’s leaders adopted against EAM-ELAS, it depicts the actual military and political causes behind the regiment’s disbandment and it assesses the impact of Colonel Psarros’ murder during the last months of the occupation. The macro-level looks at the place of the 5/42 in the context of the British policies in Greece during the occupation. It focuses on the political and military relationship between the British and die 5/42 and on the attitude that the British adopted against the regiment during the last 5/42-ELAS crisis that led to the final disbandment. 2 Acknowledgements My supervisors Professor Kevin Featherstone, Dr Dimitris Papadimitriou as well as my initial supervisor Dr Giorgos Kazamias have been a source of inspiration for me over the last four years. Their academic skill and excellence is admirable, but what was truly inspiring was an “extracurricular” lesson I have learned from them. They have taught me that education demands above all modesty, tolerance and the sharing of feelings. Their example proves that this truth can be applied even at the highest academic level where the limits between education and mere instruction become blurred. It was a privilege to have been under the supervision of such brilliant scientists and persons and it is an honor to claim that they are also my friends. During the four years of this research, I had the chance to interview a number of people who participated in the dramatic events described in this work. I am grateful to all of them for their assistance and co-operation and I feel very fortunate that all these courageous and magnificent people shared their experiences with me. One of these people was my uncle General Athanasios Mamarelis. I feel very thankful for his help and I also feel very fortunate because this thesis has been the reason for me to get to know him a little better. My gratitude goes also to Professor Kleomenis Koutsoukis, Director of the Hellenic Centre in the Panteion University of Athens, for his whole-hearted help and interest over this thesis. I would also like to thank Mr. Elias Protopapas, Mr. Georgios Koutsoklenis, Mr. Spyros Bekios, Mr. Stamatis Papathanasiou, Mr. Babis Gramenos as well as my fellow-students George Niarchos, George Zorbas and Dimitris Gounopoulos for their assistance over a number of issues concerning this study. My most special thanks however, are due to my family. My mother’s unconditional love along with the loving memory of my father have been essential for the accomplishment of this study and probably will be equally essential for the accomplishment of anything else in the future. 3 Table of Contents LIST OF MAPS..................................................................................................................... INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 1. PRE-WAR FOKIDA AND THE ROOTS OF THE 5/42: POVERTY AND CONSERVATISM......................................................30 1.1. Geography.................................................................................................................... 32 1.2. A Community sunk in Poverty: Social Stratification in pre-war Fokida....................33 1.3. Political Culture and Patterns of Political Behaviour................................................. 41 1.3.1. Electoral Behaviour in Fokida: The Politics of Conservatism.........................41 1.3.11. Fokida “The Acropolis of Conservatism”: An Ideological Outlook of the Greek Right ...................................................................................................49 1.3.111. The Unclear Rules of the Game: Antagonism, Patronage and Non-Institutional Politics.................................................................................. 53 Conclusion........................................................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER 2. TOWARDS THE FORMATION OF THE 5/42 .................................. 59 2.1. The Early Months of the Occupation in Fokida: Building the Pillars of National Resistance..................................................................................................................... 62 2.2. The Pioneers of the 5/42.............................................................................................. 68 2.2.1. The local Officers...............................................................................................68 2.2.11. Colonel Psarros...................................................................................................75 2.2.11.a. Low Self-esteem, High Expectations: Inside Psarros’ Head.................75 2.2.11.b. The Bitter Macedonian Experience ........................................................78 2.2.11.c. The founding of EKKA.......................................................................... 81 2.2.11.d. “The Hesitant Revolutionary”: The Reasons Behind Psarros’ Reversal...................................................................................................86 2.2.11.e. The Gorgopotamos Sabotage: Psarros Turns his Back on his Destiny .....................................................................................................95 2.3. The Formation of the 5/42..........................................................................................110 2.3.1. Membership in the 5/42: “All for One and One for Himself’ ....................... I ll 2.3.11. Ideology and Objectives ..................................................................................116 2.3.111. Beyond the Official Line: Ideological Taboos and Political Wishful Thinking Within the 5/42 .................................................................................120 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................124 4 CHAPTER 3. THE END OF DELUSIONS: THE 5/42 IN THE TURMOIL OF RESISTANCE POLITICS..................................................................... 127 3.1. ELAS Against the 5/42: A Series of Mistakes or Premeditated Crimes? .................129 3.1 .i. The First Disbandment of the 5/42 ................................................................. 129 3.1 .ii. The Reasoning.................................................................................................132 3.1.111. Orestis: Conspirator or Plain Deaf?................................................................134 3.1 .iv. Reformation and Second Disbandment: Another Devilish Coincidence?.. ..137 3.1 .v. Zoulas: Conspirator or Just a Frustrated Husband? ....................................... 143 3.2. Steps Towards