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Supreme Committee Of Cretan Struggle
The Supreme Committee of Cretan Struggle ( el, Ανωτάτη Επιτροπή Αγώνος Κρήτης, A.E.A.K.) was a resistance organization founded in Crete in June 1941. It was the first armed resistance organization founded in Greece after its occupation by the Axis powers and was a precursor to the National Organization of Crete (EOK). Establishment AEAK was founded in Chania on June 15, 1941, just two weeks after the end of the Battle of Crete and the occupation of the island by the Germans. Its founding members were Ioannis Paizis, M.D. from Chania prefecture, Col. Andreas Papadakis (a veteran of the Asia Minor campaign) from the prefecture of Rethymno, lawyers Titos Georgiadis and Ioannis Ioannidis from the prefectures of Heraklion and Lassithi prefecture, and Andreas Polentas as secretary general. The Chairman of the Court of Appeals of Crete, Aristomenis Karakoulakis, joined the steering committee of the organization. AEAK was Venizelist in ideology. Some of its f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete rests about south of the Greek mainland, and about southwest of Anatolia. Crete has an area of and a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi). It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea, with the Sea of Crete (or North Cretan Sea) to the north and the Libyan Sea (or South Cretan Sea) to the south. Crete and a number of islands and islets that surround it constitute the Region of Crete ( el, Περιφέρεια Κρήτης, links=no), which is the southernmost of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece, and the fifth most populous of Greece's regions. Its capital and largest city is Heraklion, on the north shore of the island. , the region had a population of 636,504. The Dodecanese are located ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andreas Polentas
Andreas Polentas (1908 – 23 December 1942) was a Greek partisan executed by the Germans during the Axis occupation of Greece in World War II. Fielding, Xan. ''Hide and Seek: The Story of a War-Time Agent'', Paul Dry Books, 2013, Early Years Andreas Polentas was born in 1908 in Sfakia, Crete to parents Pavlos Polentas and Anna Mpolioti. His father was a merchant and around 1915 he moved with his family to Vryses. Polentas graduated with honors from Vamos High School and then enrolled in the Law School of Athens.M. Xanthoudakis, Speech about Andreas Polentas, Vryses 23-11-1996 (in Greek). Although an admirer of |
Military History Of Greece During World War II
The military history of Greece during World War II began on 28 October 1940, when the Italian Army invaded Greece from Albania, beginning the Greco-Italian War. The Greek Army temporarily halted the invasion and pushed the Italians back into Albania. The Greek successes forced Nazi Germany to intervene. The Germans invaded Greece and Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941, and overran both countries within a month, despite British aid to Greece in the form of an expeditionary corps. The conquest of Greece was completed in May with the capture of Crete from the air, although the ''Fallschirmjäger'' (German paratroopers) suffered such extensive casualties in this operation that the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (German High Command) abandoned large-scale airborne operations for the remainder of the war. The German diversion of resources in the Balkans is also considered by some historians to have delayed the launch of the invasion of the Soviet Union by a critical month, which proved disastrous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crete In World War II
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete rests about south of the Greek mainland, and about southwest of Anatolia. Crete has an area of and a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi). It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea, with the Sea of Crete (or North Cretan Sea) to the north and the Libyan Sea (or South Cretan Sea) to the south. Crete and a number of islands and islets that surround it constitute the Region of Crete ( el, Περιφέρεια Κρήτης, links=no), which is the southernmost of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece, and the fifth most populous of Greece's regions. Its capital and largest city is Heraklion, on the north shore of the island. , the region had a population of 636,504. The Dodecanese are located to the no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its purpose was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe (and later, also in occupied Southeast Asia) against the Axis powers, and to aid local resistance movements. Few people were aware of SOE's existence. Those who were part of it or liaised with it were sometimes referred to as the " Baker Street Irregulars", after the location of its London headquarters. It was also known as "Churchill's Secret Army" or the "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare". Its various branches, and sometimes the organisation as a whole, were concealed for security purposes behind names such as the "Joint Technical Board" or the "Inter-Service Research Bureau", or fictitious branches of the Air Ministry, Admiralty or War Office. SOE operat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allies Of World War II
The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy. Its principal members by 1941 were the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, and China. Membership in the Allies varied during the course of the war. When the conflict broke out on 1 September 1939, the Allied coalition consisted of the United Kingdom, France, and Poland, as well as their respective dependencies, such as British India. They were soon joined by the independent dominions of the British Commonwealth: Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Consequently, the initial alliance resembled that of the First World War. As Axis forces began invading northern Europe and the Balkans, the Allies added the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Greece, and Yugoslavia. The Soviet Union, which initially ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kallikratis
Kallikratis ( el, Καλλικράτης) is a small village belonging to the municipality of Sfakia, in southwest Crete, Greece. According to tradition, it was named after the admiral ( droungarios) Manoussos Kallikratis, who in March 1453 led a campaign to reinforce the defense of Constantinople with 5 ships and 1500 Cretan volunteers. As reported by Sphrantzes in his ''Chronicle'', these volunteers manned three towers on the walls of Constantinople and continued to fight bravely even after the city had fallen. In recognition of their gallantry, sultan Mehmed allowed them to safely sail back to Crete, retaining their weapons. Geography Kallikratis is situated off the beaten tourist path and is made up of four widely separated neighborhoods that are scattered on a small plateau in Lefka Ori with an average altitude of 540m. It can be reached via Myriokefala, Asi Gonia or Asfendos, or via a recently paved road with more than 25 tight hair-pin turns, which starts in K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asi Gonia
Asi Gonia ( el, Ασή Γωνιά) is a mountainous village and a former community in the eastern part of the Chania regional unit in Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of . Asi Gonia is situated east of the Lefka Ori mountain range, 20 km southwest of Rethymno. The communal office is situated in the heart of the community. In the village square there are two statues dedicated to the two Greek prime ministers Eleftherios Venizelos and Sofoklis Venizelos. Historical population Famous natives *George Psychoundakis, resistance fighter and author of ''the Cretan Runner'' *Pavlos Gyparis, infantry Colonel of the Greek army *Andreas Papadakis Andreas Constantine Papadakis FLS (17 June 1938 – 10 June 2008) was a Cypriot-born British academic, entrepreneur and leading figure in the field of architectural publishing. He opened the Academy Bookshop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
4th Of August Regime
The 4th of August Regime ( el, Καθεστώς της 4ης Αυγούστου, Kathestós tis tetártis Avgoústou), commonly also known as the Metaxas regime (, ''Kathestós Metaxá''), was a totalitarian regime under the leadership of General Ioannis Metaxas that ruled the Kingdom of Greece from 1936 to 1941. On 4 August 1936, Metaxas, with the support of King George II, suspended the Greek parliament and went on to preside over a conservative, staunchly anti-communist government. The regime took inspiration in its symbolism and rhetoric from Fascist Italy, but retained close links to Britain and the French Third Republic, rather than the Axis powers. Lacking a popular base, after Metaxas' death in January 1941 the regime hinged entirely on the King. Although Greece was occupied following the German invasion of Greece in April 1941 and the Greek government was forced into exile in the British-controlled Kingdom of Egypt, several prominent figures of the regime, notably the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1938 Greek Coup D'état Attempt
The Coup d'état attempt of 1938 or coup d'état of Chania was a short-lived coup attempt in Chania, Greece, aimed at overthrowing the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas in 1938. Due to poor organization, the coup collapsed within a few hours and never seriously threatened the dictatorial regime. Events Many Cretans, especially politicians from the Venizelist camp, were involved in the 1938 coup d'état which aimed to overthrow the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas. The uprising of 1938 was the only armed insurrection against the dictatorship of Metaxas and broke out on 28 July 1938 in Chania. Aristomenis Mitsotakis was the leader of the coup. The uprising was hoped to trigger a broader revolt and revolution that would be organized in Athens. Among the people that helped to organize this plan were the governor of the Bank of Greece at the time, Emmanouil Tsouderos,Th. Detorakis �. Δετοράκης 1990, Ιστορία της Κρήτης, Ηράκλειο, p.468. Ioannis Mountakis, M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Venizelism
Venizelism ( el, Βενιζελισμός) was one of the major political movements in Greece from the 1900s until the mid-1970s. Main ideas Named after Eleftherios Venizelos, the key characteristics of Venizelism were: *Greek irredentism: The support of the Megali Idea. *Greek nationalism ( liberal nationalism) *Liberal democracy: Venizelists represented upcoming urban classes that were against the old conservative establishment, which also had close ties with the palace. *Pro-Western: Alliance with the Entente against the Central Powers during WWI, and with the Allies during WWII. Also pro-Western during the Cold War, but later diverged with direct confrontation between Greek nationalist forces in Cyprus against British colonial forces. *Republicanism: Despite Venizelos' moderation regarding the monarchy, most of his supporters were in favour of a Republic, on the French standards. * Mixed economic policies: from economic liberalism to social democracy policies. * Anti-Bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
