On 7 November 1943, German troops entered Karpenisi, the mountain capital of Evrytania, and reduced much of it to ash. F...

On 7 November 1943, German troops entered Karpenisi, the mountain capital of Evrytania, and reduced much of it to ash. Five residents were killed, including an 11-year-old girl. More than 130 houses were burned, most of them looted first. The town had served as a beating heart of the Greek Resistance during the occupation, and the Germans knew it. Columns of troops had pushed in from Lamia and Agrinio in early November, fighting through ELAS ambushes and sabotage along the mountain roads. When they finally entered Karpenisi, most residents had already fled to the forests and surrounding villages on the warning of resistance organisations. What the troops found, they destroyed. Three hotels were burned. The stone-built high school, where resistance meetings had taken place, was blown up. Homes, shops, and Red Cross food supplies were looted. The courthouse, telegraph office, forestry office and other public buildings were set on fire before the occupiers withdrew on 15 November. The November raid was only the beginning. German forces returned in August 1944 and spent several days, from 9 to 13 August, destroying what remained of the town and the surrounding Velouchi villages, burning homes, schools and churches almost to nothing. Survivors rebuilt through a hungry winter. Today Karpenisi carries both dates as part of its identity as the "capital of the Resistance." #Greece #WWII #NeverForget