Dimos Aigialeia

On December 13, 1943, the town of Kalavryta experienced a horrific war crime committed by the 117th Jäger Division of the German Wehrmacht¹.

The massacre was a retaliation for the execution of 78 German soldiers who had been taken prisoner by Greek Resistance fighters in October of that year. In response, the German division's commander ordered the execution of the male population of Kalavryta¹.

On that fateful day, German troops separated the men and boys aged 13 and older from the women and children, leading them to a hill outside the town. Meanwhile, the women, elderly, and small children were locked inside a schoolhouse, which was then set on fire. The men on the hill were executed by machine gun fire, and only a few survived by hiding under the bodies of the dead. The women and children managed to escape the burning schoolhouse, and the next day, the German troops burned down the Agia Lavra monastery, a symbol of the Greek War of Independence¹.

This event is commemorated at the Kalavryta Sacrifice Memorial, which stands as a solemn reminder of the lives lost and the atrocities committed during the war². It's a poignant part of Kalavryta's history that is remembered with great respect and sorrow.

Source: Conversation with Copilot, 5/30/2024
(1) Kalavryta massacre - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalavryta_massacre.
(2) Kalavryta Sacrifice Memorial – Kalavryta, Greece - Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kalavryta-s….
(3) Kalavryta massacre - Wikipedia. https://bing.com/search?q=Kalavrita execution.
(4) Massacre Kalavryta, 13th of December 1943 - Back to Normandy. https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history/time….
(5) en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalavryta_massacre. Czytaj więcej