At 2:30 on the crisp afternoon, the snow is clear in the hills that surround the town. The German soldiers point their machine guns at the five hundred male residents and start shouting. Two hours later the execution has ended. There are 12 survivors.

All the males gathered for the slaughter that day were age 12 and above. History had just witnessed the Massacre of Kalavryta. It was December 13, 1943.

The face of the town would never be the same. The psychological impact of the event would weigh on the survivors for the rest of their lives.

“Our lives were ruined,” said Giannis Kaldis, 11 years on that cold day. “Every woman had lost either her husband or sons.”… Continue reading →