Democratic Army of Greece: Difference between revisions

The Democratic Army of Greece, (DSE), was the largest of the armed units supporting the Greek Communist Party during the Greek Civil War, 1946 – 1949.

Contents: 1 History 2 The Oath of the DSE fighter 3 Notes 4 Bibliography 5 Sources

History

After the liberation of Greece from the Nazi occupation, and the Varkiza Agreement of January 1945, the British armed forces together with the National Army of the Greek government, had at their disposal 60,000 troops, 200 tanks, and 80 airplanes in order to fight the National Liberation Front, (EAM). In Greece there were already 166 different anti-communist groups, such as those of Sourla and Kalabaliki in Thessaly, and Papadopoulos in Macedonia, and others. Archives of D.S. National Solidarity? mention that up until 31 March 1946, nationwide, suspected communists had suffered 1,289 killings, 6,671 woundings, 31,632 tortures, 84,931 arrests, 165 rapes, and 18767 lootings. Imprisoned suspected communists numbered in excess of 30,000. Those responsible for the murders, according to the DSE, were anti-communist groups, national guards, rural police, and members of the British armed forces.

Under these circumstances, the persecuted communists started to form guerrilla groups named People’s Fighter’s Protection Groups, (OPLA). (In Greek, the acronym spells Arms or Weapons). By the summer of 1946 cells of OPLA had been established throughout Greece. The start of the armed struggle came with the attack on the rural police station at Litohori by 33 guerrillas on 31 March 1946, an election day.

The Communist Party of Greece led the armed struggle and created the DSE. The activities of the guerrilla groups were coordinated by the General Guerrilla Command, which was created on 28 October 1946, and headed by Marko Vafiathi. Order number 19 of the General Command, issued on 27 December 1946, renamed the guerrilla groups to be known as the Democratic Army of Greece, (DSE). The relevant order¹ included the following comment regarding the DSE: It is the national people’s revolutionary army of the new Democratic Greece and fights with gun in hand for our National independence and for People’s Democracy.’

The biggest battle of the three year Greek Civil War took place in the Grammos mountains. In this battle, government forces, with the codename Operation Koronis, deployed 100,000 troops. DSE had 12,000. The battle lasted from 16 June until 21 August 1948. On that day, DSE forces, after a hard fight, broke out of the encircling government troops and headed east towards Vitsi. The maneuvre from Grammos to Vitsi is considered one of the most important tactical actions of DSE during the war, from a military point of view. Towards the end of August 1949, the government army, strengthened now by American forces, altogether about 100,000 troops, defeated the DSE army on the Grammos-Vitsi front. After this defeat, the DSE guerrillas crossed the border into Albania.

The Oath of the DSE fighter The following text was the oath that DSE members were required to swear and to abide by. During enrolment, the member would swear:

I, a child of the Greek people and a DSE fighter, swear to battle with gun in hand, to shed my blood, and give even my life to banish from the soil of my motherland every last foreign occupier. To banish every trace of fascism. To secure and defend the national independence and territorial integrity of my motherland. To secure and defend democracy, and the honour, work, fortune, and progress of my people.

I swear to be a good, brave and disciplined soldier, to carry out all the orders of my superiors, to observe all regulations, and not betray any secrets of the DSE.

I swear to be a good example to the people, to encourage popular unity and reconciliation, and to avoid any action that reduces and dishonours me, as a person and as a fighter.

My ideal is a free and strong democratic Greece and the progress and prosperity of the people. And in the service of my ideal I offer my gun and my life.

If I ever prove to be a liar, and with bad intent violate my oath, let the vengeful hand of the nation, and the hate and scorn of the people, fall upon me implacably.

Notes

¹ Daily Orders General Command, DSE, 28th December 1946

Bibliography

•Nikos Kiritsis, "Democratic Army of Greece, basic steps of the struggle."

Sources