"It is so important to remember all this and to be told what happened. So that in the end we can say: Nobody has forgotten us, because we exist." (Christos Foukas, resident of Lingiades)

A motorbike trip through the northern Greek mountains led to a documentary film about four mountain villages that were brutally raided by German Wehrmacht troops in search of partisans during the Second World War. This region was hit particularly hard by the Wehrmacht's arbitrary purges. A dark chapter in German-Greek history that is still virtually unknown even today.

This film project was made possible by chance. On location, the passionate motorbike rider and travel filmmaker Alex Milz met a German diplomat with his BMW GS, who was responsible for cultural exchange in the so-called martyr villages, among other things. This meeting resulted in an invitation to a commemorative event in one of the villages that had been attacked.

The result was a film about this trip, which was financially supported by the German-Greek Future Fund of the Federal Foreign Office. Against the backdrop of the majestic mountains of Epirus with their friendly inhabitants, the film tells the story of the four villages during these dark hours. Contemporary witnesses have their say, as do their children and grandchildren.


End Credits:

Today, more than ever, it is our duty to put the decisions of the past at the service of our future and especially the future of our children. (Moises Elisaf, Mayor of Ioannina, 1954 - 2023)

It is now well researched that the so-called "atonement measures" were clear war crimes committed by Wehrmacht units.

In 2014, former Federal President Joachim Gauck was the first German representative to ask for forgiveness for the crimes committed by the Germans.

The discussion about the demand for compensation continues. The Federal Republic of Germany is currently refusing to enter into any negotiations.

Despite this, there are many martyr villages that maintain close partnerships and intensive youth exchanges with Germany.

Historical photographs
Courtesy of the Federal Archives of the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Historical photos
DPA Picture Allianz GmbH

Photos State Visit
Bundesbildstelle - Press and Information Office of the Federal Government

This film was financed by the German/Greek Future Fund of the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany and supported by the German Consulate General in Thessaloniki.

HOMEPAGES ON THE TOPIC
Homepage of the non-profit organisation Aktion Friedensdienste Sühnezeichen. An organisation for remembrance, understanding and human rights.
www.asf-ev.de

Online archive with 93 interviews with Greek contemporary witnesses of the German occupation and an educational platform based on them.
https://www.occupation-memories.org/de

The project "Places of Remembrance Europe" by the Studienkreis Deutscher Widerstand 1933-1945 e.V. aims to inform travellers which countries were particularly affected by the Nazi terror and what exactly happened there. A site for all those who are interested in the recent history of the countries in addition to everything else.
https://gedenkorte-europa.eu

Homepage of the German Resistance Study Group 1933-1945 e.V.
https://widerstand-1933-1945.de

BOOK TIPS:
Hermann Frank Meyer | Blutiges Edelweiß | Die 1. Gebirgs-Division im Zweiten Weltkrieg | Hardback 1st edition 2008 Ch. Links Verlag ISBN 978-3-86153-447-1

Christoph Schminck-Gustavus | Fire Smoke: The Destruction of the Greek Village of Lyngiádes on 3 October 1943 Dietz Verlag ISBN 978-3-8012-0444-0

Mark Mazower | Greece under Hitler: Life during the German Occupation 1941-1944 | Fischer Taschenbuch | ISBN 978-3596370849

Chryssoula Kambas, Marilisa Mitsou | The Occupation of Greece in the Second World War | Böhlau Verlag 2015 ISBN 978-3-412-22467-7