The Battle of Trahili ( el, Μάχη στο Τραχήλι) was fought on 15 August 1943 between
Cretan partisans and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
occupying forces during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. It took place near the village of
Vorizia in south-central
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, ...
, when German forces attempted to surround a small group of partisans led by the local chieftain
Petrakogiorgis. Most of the partisans managed to escape, despite being heavily outnumbered.
[Η μάχη στο Τραχήλι στις 15 Αυγούστου 1943, Πατρίς onLine, 24 Αυγούστου 2012](_blank)
archived[Beevor, Antony. ''Crete: The Battle and the Resistance'', John Murray Ltd, 2005, pp.145. ]
Background
In June 1941, soon after the
fall of Crete to the Axis,
Georgios Petrakis
Georgios Petrakis ( el, Γεώργιος Πετράκης; 1890 – 1972), better known as Petrakogiorgis (also transliterated as Petrakoyiorgis, Petrakoyeorgis, el, Πετρακογιώργης), was a Greek businessman, partisan, and politicia ...
(Petrakogiorgis) and five men from Vorizia established the first resistance group in the south slopes of
Mt. Ida. This group, named ''"Psiloritis"'' ( el, Ψηλορείτης), was active in the regions of Mt. Ida,
Messara plain
The Messara Plain or simply Messara ( el, Μεσσαρά) is an alluvial plain in southern Crete, stretching about 50 km west-to-east and 7 km north-to-south, making it the largest plain in Crete.
On a hill at its west end are the ruin ...
,
Mt. Kedros and
Amari valley The Amari Valley is a fertile valley on the foothills of Mount Ida and Mount Kedros in Crete. The valley was known as a center of resistance to the Germans during the Battle of Crete and the German occupation. After the abduction of General Heinri ...
throughout the occupation of Crete. The group engaged in close combat with the occupation forces on several occasions and had close ties with the British
SOE. As noted by Beevor, ''
he Germans hadharboured an especially personal enmity for Petrakogiorgis, more than for any other chieftain''.
On 14 August 1943, the eve of the
Dormition
The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of ...
, most of Petrakogiorgis men were away visiting their families. He and 21 more men were hiding north of the village of Vorizia. They had arranged to receive the
Holy Communion from a monk of the nearby
Vrontisi Monastery and were preparing to celebrate the Dormition. Unknowingly, however, their whereabouts were betrayed to the Germans.
The battle
On the early morning of 15 August 1943, partisan sentries spotted German forces approaching their hideout from three different directions with an estimated total strength of 3500 men. After a brief discussion, the partisans decided to head towards the nearby forest of Rouvas and avoid villages as this might invoke
German reprisals. On their way, at an altitude of approx. 1000 meters, they encountered a German force consisting of a few hundred men who were already in control of the pass of Trahili. The partisans sought cover in the rocks and started a fierce battle under the scorching sun which lasted until the early evening. The Germans heavily outnumbered Petrakogiorgis and his men, were much better armed and had artillery support from the town of
Tymbaki. Nevertheless, they did not succeed in neutralizing the partisans, who fought bravely and managed to escape after losing 7 of their comrades and having 4 more wounded. In his diary, Petrakogiorgis reports 33 German casualties whereas Beevor mentions 13.
Aftermath
A few days after the battle of Trahili and in
reprisal
A reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of international law to punish another sovereign state that has already broken them. Since the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (AP 1), reprisals in the laws of war are extreme ...
for the assistance of locals to the partisans, the village of Vorizia was
destroyed by aerial bombardment.
A marble
plaque
Plaque may refer to:
Commemorations or awards
* Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc.
* Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I
* Pl ...
at Trahili commemorates the battle and the fallen partisans.
See also
*
Razing of Vorizia
References
External links
Ημέρα Εθνικής Αντίστασης εφημερίδα Μεσόγειος, 24 Νοεμβρίου 1998
Η μάχη στο Τραχήλι του Ψηλορείτη εφημερίδα Ρεθεμνιώτικα Νέα; archive
hereΗ Αιματηρή Μάχη στο Τραχήλι
Βασ. Σπαχής, Η Φωνή των Ανωγείων, τευχ. 279, σελ. 6, Μάρτιος - Μάιος 2009
15 Αυγούστου 1943: Η Μάχη στο Τραχήλι και ο Γεώργιος Καργάκης-Ψαρογιώργης
εφημερίδα Πατρίς; archive
here
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trahili, Battle of
Conflicts in 1943
Trahili
Trahili
1943 in Greece
August 1943 events
Crete in World War II