The Executions of Kokkinia
[Also translated as "Raid of Kokkinia" or "Roundup of Kokkinia"] ( el, Μπλόκο της Κοκκινιάς) took place on the August 17, 1944, and was the largest
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
roundup
A roundup is a systematic gathering together of people or things.
Roundup, Round Up or Round-up may also refer to:
Agriculture
* A muster (livestock) (AU/NZ) or a roundup (US/CA) is the process of gathering livestock.
* Roundup (herbicide), a M ...
and one of the largest-scale
war crimes perpetrated during the
German occupation of Greece. The operation was carried out by members of the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
and
collaborationist
Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime, and in the words of historian Gerhard Hirschfeld, "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory".
The term ''collaborator'' dates to t ...
Security Battalions
The Security Battalions ( el, Τάγματα Ασφαλείας, Tagmata Asfaleias, derisively known as ''Germanotsoliades'' (Γερμανοτσολιάδες) or ''Tagmatasfalites'' (Ταγματασφαλίτες)) were Greek Collaboration with ...
, and involved the execution of hundreds of civilians (mostly
partisans), thousands of hostages being sent to
concentration camps
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
, and the burning down of entire house blocks, as well as significant atrocities.
The massacre was partly in retaliation for the Germans' defeat in
Battle of Kokkinia
The Battle of Kokkinia was a battle given by Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) assisted by the people of Kokkinia against the Nazi occupation forces and the collaborationist Security Battalions. The battle resulted in the Nazi forces withd ...
five months before, on 4-8 March 1944.
The leaders and members of the Security Battalions involved in the killings were never convicted by the Greek state.
See also
*
List of massacres in Greece
Ancient Greece
Roman Empire / Byzantine Empire
Ottoman Greece
Greek War of Independence (1821–1832)
First Balkan War
Second Balkan War
World War II
References
{{Europe topic , List of massacres in
Lists of massacres by ...
Books
*
External links
*
References
{{Greece during World War II, state=collapsed
Nazi war crimes in Greece
Mass murder in 1944
1944 in Greece
August 1944 events
Massacres in 1944
Massacres in Greece during World War II
Athens in World War II