Muchov Stojan (Dimitrov)

Stojan Muchov was born in the village of Buf, Lerin region, in 1920. His father, Ilija Muchov, because of the consequences of the Second World War and the Asia Minor conflict, died very young and so Stojan was without a father.

In July 1943 the German occupiers mobilized some villagers along with some of the livestock to transport some of their weapons and food for their units, which were heading to Gramos and the Albanian mountains for clean up operations against the ELAS units and the Albanian partisans. Among them was Stojan. When the column reached the village Zhelevo he escaped and joined the ranks of ELAS in Vich under the pseudonym Dimitrov. He took part in many battles in Western Macedonia and developed a significant battle record. The most courageous action in which Dimitrov took part was the battle against the Italian occupiers in Rupisha on 18 July 1943. In that battle the partisans forced an entire company to turn itself in to ELAS. During the battle Dimitrov was wounded.

In 1944 after the liberation of some territory in Prespa, Dimitrov was nominated as assistant chief of the People's Police in Prespa at the rank of sub lieutenant.

In this post he served as a real defender of people's rights and became a beloved policeman for the Prespa villagers.

After the Varkiza agreement the forces tried to get him to withdraw from the people's struggle. They suggested he resign from the CPG but he refused all of their proposals categorically.

In June 1946 three gendarmes secretly surrounded his house so that they could arrest him but they did not manage to do so.

Dimitrov was not captured by them but was forced to leave his village and take the road again to the partisans. There, in the ranks of DAG he met old comrades from the time of ELAS. He took part in many battles as a company commissar in Western Macedonia, Epir, and became popular with his own company. At the start of 1947 he fought for two days straight against an enemy column on the road to Samarina-Donciko.

In November 1947, during a bloody battle near Geroplatanos near Kalpaki (in Epir), he was hit by an enemy grenade. So died a brave and courageous fighter, faithful to the last moment of his own short life to the party and the people.

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

© 2009

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