The Organization for the Protection of the People's Struggle (, abbreviated ΟΠΛΑ – OPLA, an acronym meaning "weapons" in Greek) was a special division of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) during the

Axis Occupation of Greece The occupation of Greece by the Axis Powers () began in April 1941 after Nazi Germany Battle of Greece, invaded the Kingdom of Greece in order to assist its ally, Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Italy, in their Greco-Italian War, ongoing war that w ...

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 ...

. Officially, it was semi-autonomous part of the broader National Liberation Front (EAM). In fact, it was not controlled by EAM, but directly by the Politburo of the KKE. It can be described as a

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

security force. It operated in the cities, and its purpose was the self-defense of the members of the National Liberation Front and its affiliated organizations from the German occupation authorities and the collaborationist government and its organs, the Police, the

Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

(especially its notorious branch named as Special Security, expertised at the anti-communistic struggle) and the Security Battalions. It proved to be very successful in assassinating commanders of the Security Battalions and other armed governmental forces. However, it also became involved in political assassinations of political opponents of the KKE on both ends of the political spectrum, such as Trotskyites and Archeio-Marxists. As a result, the activities of the OPLA are a subject of heated debate even today. In April 1944 it was renamed as National Civil Guard, though members of OPLA continued operations. The organization was also active during the December 1944 events in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. Hundreds of executions of anti-communists or collaborators took place in the vicinity of the ULEN refineries. Among its victims was also the well-known actress Eleni Papadaki. During the subsequent

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...

, it was renamed as People's Civil Guard. It acted especially in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

and Northern Greece in 1946–1947 (in these regions the name of the organization was Close Self-Defense, Στενή Αυτοάμυνα in Greek). One of its more notable later actions was the assassination of Justice Minister Christos Ladas (who had signed the execution of hundreds of communists) in Athens on 1 May 1948, by OPLA and KKE member Efstratios (Stratos) Moutsogiannis. In Macedonia and Epirus during the Civil War, the OPLA assassinated many high-ranking officers of the Greek Gendarmerie. During the

, OPLA turned the monastery of St. George in Feneos into a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

and killing ground for those they deemed "reactionaries". The concentration camp was well-organized for mass killings, with 6-7 resident killers that worked round the clock in busy times. It is believed that hundreds were killed.

References

External links

*
Urban guerrilla in Thessaloniki
Defunct communist militant groups Greece in World War II Greek Civil War National Liberation Front (Greece) 1940s in Greek politics 1943 establishments in Greece Defunct communist parties in Greece Military wings of communist parties Communist repression Crime in Greece Political repression in Greece Secret police Urban warfare in World War II Left-wing militant groups in Greece {{Greece-hist-stub