Mangov Vangel

Vangel Mangov was born in the village Zhupanishta - Kostursko in 1912. In 1926 he completed his primary school education and later continued his high school studies at the Kostur high school and then later at the one at Cotil. As a high school student he was under the influence of the communist youth organization and because of his revolutionary ideas, he was expelled from the high school.

He actively participated in the pre-election campaign for the parliamentary elections in 1933 and 1936. He passionately disseminated CPG's policies. Because of this activity he was arrested and sentenced to four months imprisonment.

In 1939 at the time of the Metaxas dictatorship Vangel was again arrested, brutally tortured and sentenced to nine months imprisonment.

After his release from jail, he joined the battle against the Italian fascists and when the front disbanded he threw himself wholeheartedly into preparations for the national liberation struggle. He worked actively in collecting weapons and organizing the population into EAM and the national struggle. In 1942 he is arrested by the occupying forces and sentenced to 11 months jail. His female comrade was also thrown into jail along with her little baby, who died as a result of the hardship it endured.

After his release from jail Vangel worked tirelessly in various parts of the revolutionary movement - as a leader of political organizations, as a commissar in the ELAS unit. He was a passionate propagandist and educated the Macedonian population about the danger of the Bulgarian fascist propaganda that sought to pit the Macedonians against the Greeks in a war of brother against brother. Spreading the CPG propaganda for unity between the Macedonian and Greek people he exposed the motivation of the occupying forces to divide the people. The Macedonian people massively joined the battle under the flag of EAM-ELAS for the liberation of both the Greek and Macedonian people. The results of a united battle could be seen in the heat of battle. In many Macedonian villages, the first Macedonian schools were opened, Macedonian theatre groups were formed and the people felt liberated. After liberation, they put in place measures to form the first Macedonian language teacher course in Kostur and elsewhere. But the liberation did not last long. New occupiers arrived - the English and then after them, the American imperialists. Vangel was followed and persecuted. In 1946 the fascist forces offered a monetary reward of 25 million drachmas for him to be killed. But again, he was among the first to join for battle.

In 1946, he was commissar of the partisan unit and later worked in the political organizations in Kostur. In the army and in the political organizations, he developed an impressive record of activity. To complete his missions, he moved around readily, even behind enemy lines. One day, 26 March 1947, he was heading to the Sliveni monastery where the enemy army was. After being betrayed he was arrested by the army. But without losing any time he threw himself from a cliff into the river Bistrica and tried to swim away to save himself. But one bullet hit him and he died shortly after. The next day, the Sliveni villagers found his body at the edge of the river. Policemen took him by truck to the police cells at Chetirok and there they cut off his head. They put it in a box and gave it to a small boy to carry - Paskal from Chetirok - to Kostur.

Vangel Mangov dedicated all of his efforts and his life to the liberation of the people and died a hero of the people.

From: For Sacred National Freedom: Portraits Of Fallen Freedom Fighters

© 2009

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