The Alikianos executions () was the mass

execution by firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French , rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are usually rea ...

of mostly male civilians from Alikianos and nearby villages in

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

by German paratroopers on 24 May, 2 June, and 1 August 1941 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Γέφυρα Κερίτη: Δύο φορές στο εκτελεστικό απόσπασμα
Πατρίς onLine, 12 Μαρτίου 2019; archive
here
/ref> The executions were ordered by

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German '' Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank w ...

Kurt Student, commander of the XI Air Corps, in reprisal for the active participation of Cretan civilians in the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...

Background

The village of Alikianos () is located on a fertile plain near the north coast of Crete, approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) southwest of the city of

Chania Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno ...

. During the Battle of Crete, Richard Heidrich's 3rd Fallschirmjäger Regiment (''FJR 3'') was ordered to land on the plain and advance northwest towards the Maleme airstrip, one of the island's most strategic targets. Covering the rear of the 3rd Regiment was the 7th Engineer Battalion, dropped in the vicinity of Alikianos between the road to

and the bed of Keritis (, ancient Ιάρδανος, '' Iardanus'') river and charged with the mission to conduct reconnaissance. The Engineer Battalion were confronted by the ill-armed and poorly trained 8th Greek Regiment, who were assisted by local irregulars. Despite being armed with primitive weapons, the locals attacked the Parachute Engineer Battalion, inflicting significant losses.Antill, P. ''Crete 1941: Germany's lightning airborne assault''. Campaign series. Oxford; New York: Osprey Publishing. 2005, . The area in and around Alikianos was the site of a fierce battle that started on 21 May, and lasted for seven days. The battle zone became known as ''Prison Valley'' owing to the presence of a prison farm that was its prominent building. The gallant defence of the 8th Greek Regiment and the local population is today credited with protecting the Allied line of retreat, making possible their safe withdrawal and subsequent evacuation from

Sfakia Sfakiá () is a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the island of Crete, in the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It is considered to be one of the few places in Greece that have never been fully occupied by foreign powers. ...

.Stewart, I. McD. G. ''The Struggle for Crete, 20 May – 1 June 1941: A Story of Lost Opportunity'', Oxford University Press, 1991. .Beevor, Antony. ''Crete: The Battle and the Resistance'', John Murray Ltd, 1991. Penguin Books, 1992.

The executions

Infuriated by the involvement of the local population in resisting the invasion by German paratroopers and the heavy losses inflicted on them, Göring ordered General Student to launch

collective punishment Collective punishment is a punishment or sanction imposed on a group or whole community for acts allegedly perpetrated by a member or some members of that group or area, which could be an ethnic or political group, or just the family, friends a ...

operations against the locals soon after the end of the Battle. Among other punitive measures, these operations prescribed summary executions.Stroud, R. ''Kidnap in Crete: The True Story of the Abduction of a Nazi General'', Bloomsbury US, 2015, p. 48,

24 May 1941

On 24 May 1941, while the Battle of Crete was still being fought, a German patrol arrested 6 male civilians in Alikianos. Upon discovering the dead body of a paratrooper officer, the Germans killed the hostages by firing squad. One of the hostages, Vassilis Drakakis (Βασίλης Δρακακάκης), survived the execution and the following

coup de grâce A coup de grâce (; ) is an act of mercy killing in which a person or animal is struck with a melee weapon or shot with a projectile to end their suffering from mortal wounds with or without their consent. Its meaning has extended to refer to ...

but was later arrested again and shot in the third execution on 1 August 1941.

2 June 1941

On 2 June 1941, Alikianos was surrounded by German forces. 42 male civilians were marched to the churchyard and shot in groups of ten in front of their relatives.Κανελλοπούλου, Ευγενία. ''Ελληνικά ολοκαυτώματα 1940–1945'', εκδ. Λιβάνη, 2010, . On the same day and during similar operations, 12 and 25 civilians were respectively executed in the nearby villages of Agia () and Kyrtomado (Κυρτομάδω).

1 August 1941

General Alexander Andrae, who succeeded Student as the Commander-in-Chief of Fortress Crete, continued Student's campaign of retaliations. Two months after the first execution, the Germans gathered 118 civilians at a bridge over the Keritis river near Alikianos and shot them after forcing them to dig their own graves. Twelve of those killed were from Alikianos whereas the rest came from the nearby villages Fournes (), Skines (Σκηνές), Vatolakos (Βατόλακκος), Koufo (Κουφό), Prases (Πρασές), Karanou (Καράνου), Lakkoi (Λάκκοι), Orthouni (Ορθούνι), Nea Roumata (Νέα Ρούματα) and Hosti (Χωστή).Kiriakopoulos, G.C. ''The Nazi Occupation of Crete: 1941–1945'', Praeger Publishers, 1995, .

Aftermath

After the surrender of Germany, Student was captured by the British. In May 1947, he came before a military tribunal to answer charges of mistreatment and murder of prisoners of war by his forces in Crete. Greece's demand to have Student extradited was declined. Student was found guilty of three out of eight charges and sentenced to five years in prison. However, he was given a medical discharge and was released in 1948. Student was never tried for crimes against civilians. Andrae was captured by the British and then extradited to Greece to be tried for war crimes he was responsible for during his time in Crete. In 1947, he was condemned to four life sentences, but after spending four years in prison, he was released in January 1952.

Memorials

A monument commemorating the victims of the first execution has been erected by the church of Alikianos. A second one stands near the Keritis bridge.

References

External links

The invasion of Crete: The Reputation of the Wehrmacht is at Stake
Richard Hargreaves, 2011
German occupation of Crete: Alikianos
(in German �
translate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alikianos Executions Conflicts in 1941 Mass murder in 1941 Nazi war crimes in Greece 1941 in Greece Massacres in Greece during World War II Battle of Crete Crete in World War II War crimes of the Wehrmacht Violence against men in Greece May 1941 in Europe June 1941 in Europe August 1941 in Europe Reprisals