"The decisive contribution of the KKE in the formation of EAM-ELAS in the area of Voio and the victorious battle of Fardykampos"
Sunday 11 Of March 11:30am Trabantzio High School of Siatista
Speaker: Margaritis George Professor of Modern History at AUTh
75 years have passed since the day that the people of D. Of Macedonia united in the lines of EAM-ELAS, with the decisive guidance of the KKE he gave the victorious battle to Fardykampos, on March 6th 1943, against the Italian conquerors..
It was that day, that the conquerors wanted to suppress the uprising of the people and to avenge the people of Siatista for the humiliation and captivity suffered by their company at the battle of Vigla on 4 Of March 1943. Already in January 1943 ELAS forces invaded the Siatista Gendarmerie station, overthrowing the occupying power in the specific city. Several gendarmes then joined ELAS.
The Italian Division based in Larissa, when he learned of the destruction and captivity of the company, orders the battalion of Grevena to go to Siatista and occupy it, as well as the narrows in the trunk, to facilitate the passage of Italian troops to the rebel-held area of Grevena and Voio.
ELAS was expecting such a reaction and had already begun a major mobilization of forces. All its guerrilla units were mobilized in the surrounding areas, gathering 600 men in total. Several ELAS captains and commanders took part in the battle: Dimitrios Kyratzopoulos (Illuminated) Chief of Staff, Theocharopoulos Nikos (Σκοτίδας), Vassilis Ganatsios (Torrent), Thomas Venetsianopoulos, Commander of the Siatista Gendarmerie, Mitsos Zygouras ef. Anth / gos (Paleologos) Alexandros Rossios (Υψηλάντης), Stelios Katsogiannos (Yagovas), Dimitrios Harissiadis (Karaiskakis), Hotura Aristotle (Αρριανού) etc.
At 5 March when the Italian battalion arrived at the intersection of Grevena- Tsotiliou, his battalions are formed and in a battle order the heights of Siatista proceed and ascend. From the previous days, however, the ELAS divisions had occupied the hills and had taken up positions, to defend Siatista. The Italians carelessly advance and accept the drastic fire of the Elasites and scatter on the sides of the hills.
The Italians decide to attack again. The battle is fierce, the guerrillas try to block the Italian battalion. Elastic divisions cut off access to Kozani while EAM Siatista succeeds in popular uprising. Result on 6 March the surrender and capture of the entire Italian battalion with its armament. Dead 10 Italians, injured 55 prisoners 603.
The Battle of Fardykampos has been characterized as the biggest battle fought by the EAM-ELAS forces against the occupiers.
ELAS was a genuine child of the people, his People's Army, that his men fought and fought with one and only interest – freedom and justice. You do, never, did not manage, despite the mudslinging of the post-war bourgeois state, to uproot from’ the people the visions of EAM epic, nor ν’ tarnish the army of the people, ELAS.
The creation and development of ELAS proved, after all, peritrans that the people can have their own army. The battles he fought against the foreign conqueror and his local collaborators, his enduring successes, its excellent organization would be impossible to achieve, if he did not have the support of the vast majority of the Greek people.
In the process of completion 100 years of life and action the KKE honors the struggles, the sacrifices, the endurance of communists and EAM fighters- THE GREEK POLICE, against the conquerors and their collaborators, for the law and the liberation of the working class. We honor the helpless of that great struggle ,the helpless of the class struggle.
The KKE completes a century of struggles and sacrifices this year, remaining the only truly new party of Greek society, because it is the only one that fights for the abolition of human-to-human exploitation.
It fights for the abolition of all forms of exploitation and oppression, for a new organization of society, with social ownership in the means of production, on earth, with scientific central planning of the economy, the active participation of employees in the organization and management of social production.
He fights for socialism – communism, the only society that can provide jobs for everyone, according to their specialization, with really free time, enjoying high quality free social services Health and Education, Sports, cultural activity, popular roof, holidays and generally a high standard of living, responsible participation in the governing and control bodies throughout the working-class state.
Today we need a much stronger KKE, capable of fighting for the reconstruction of the labor movement, the consolidation of the anti-capitalist – antitrust social alliance, capable of leading the struggle against the imperialist war, for labor power, socialism – communism.
Kozani 1/3/2018
