The Thirteen Executed from the Village German

On 17 April 1946 at 1 am, the gendarmerie excited the village German to rebellion. More than 50 police and soldiers raised their voices, swore and broke down doors and in a brutal manner stormed into the houses. On that dreadful night more than 40 souls, men and women, were arrested and imprisoned in the police lock up for three whole months, and were subjected to beastly torture. After that some were imprisoned in Lerin while others were sent to Solun prisons. Thirteen of them - Belev Vasil, Babinkostov German, Boglev German, Damovski Joshe, Ivanov Johdrich, Mladenov German, Mechkarov Fote, Nushev Vangel, Pandeov Stojan, Rusev Lazo, Torkov Metodija, Cetelev Vangel and Jankov Stojan in 1947 were imprisoned in the bloody camps of Ura.

For more than a year the thirteen patriots from the village of German, together with thousands of other fighters from villages in Greece, felt the horrors of Ura. Despite the beastly tortures they did not resile one bit from their position on the people's struggle and remained loyal to their beloved party - CPG - and the people.

That which was not achieved by the best of Ura the reactionary forces thought they would manage by the military court. In October 1948 the thirteen German villagers were taken to Lerin where they appeared before the military court and were sentenced to death. On 29 October they were all shot.

The history of the thirteen German villagers is the same as that of many villagers and their motherlands - Macedonia and Greece. They were all honourable patriots and brave fighters for freedom, members of EAM and CPG, who participated actively in the struggle against the Nazi and Italian occupation for the liberation of the motherland.

When the news of the death of the thirteen precious sons reached German, the local people's council in honour of the killed fighters arranged a people's festival, which the whole village joined. At the festival the presidents of the People's Government, DAG, and the Lerin Regional People's Council were present, as well as delegates from other Prespa villages and others.

The DAG philharmonic played mournful marches, while a guard formed of fighters showed respect to the lost fighters.

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

© 2009

Return to Index