Chios Resistance

MEMORY WALK

10 SEPTEMBER 2026

On 10 September, marking the anniversary of the Liberation of Chios, the Memory Walk follows ten landmarks connected with the German Occupation, the Resistance and the Liberation of the island. With the guidance of experts and historians, participants will have the opportunity to learn about events, people and stories associated with each stop, exploring the experience of Chios between 1941 and 1944 from different perspectives.

1. Port – Site of the Surrender of Chios

On 6 May 1941, Chios was occupied by German forces under the command of Major Winkler. The reinforced 440th Infantry Battalion arrived aboard the Norburg, accompanied by the Italian torpedo boats Libra and Lira. The military commander, Dimitrios Bakogiannis, had already declared that there would be no resistance. The occupation was followed by requisitions of homes and agricultural production, restrictions on movement, a ban on fishing, and the confiscation of weapons.

2. Monument to Those Executed During the Occupation – Kontari

From 1941 onwards, the German authorities imposed strict prohibitions, imprisonments and deportations. As the Resistance developed, repression intensified. From February 1942, members of the Resistance began to be executed following decisions by German military courts. The executions took place at Kontari, usually at dawn. The present-day monument bears the names of 16 Chians who were executed between 1942 and 1944.

3. Refugees in the Middle East & Eugenia Linaris’ Escape

Approximately 22,500 Chians left the island during the Occupation, fleeing to Cyprus, the Middle East and Africa. Among them was the poet Fotis Aggoules. In May 1944, the Germans arrested Eugenia Linaris, wife of Resistance member Sotiris Linaris. The National Liberation Front (EAM) organised her escape from the hospital, led by Iasonas Kalampokas with the assistance of head nurse Iro Vatakis. Linaris eventually escaped to Asia Minor.

4. Vounaki Schools – Site of the School Soup Kitchens

The interruption of food supplies, declining agricultural production and German requisitions caused severe famine in Chios, particularly during the winter of 1941–42. School soup kitchens were organised at the Vounaki Schools, providing food for hundreds of children. A leading role was played by Georgios Veniadis, headmaster of the 3rd Primary School, with the support of Metropolitan Ioakeim Stroumbis, private donations and, later, humanitarian aid from the Red Cross.

5. Air-Raid Shelter – The Bombings

On 16 January 1944, four British aircraft bombed Chios. Although the port is considered to have been the intended target, houses and the courtyard of the 1st Primary School were also hit. Many residents left the town, while schools and businesses were forced to close. The air raids continued. On 26 January, two young men were killed near the Municipal Garden, where one of the few underground air-raid shelters in the town was located.

6. Attic of the Former Agricultural Bank – Founding of EAM Chios

The first Resistance organisations appeared in Chios as early as 1941, including the Anti-Fascist Organisation of Chios, the Friendly Society and, later, EDES. In August 1943, following the arrival of Dimitris Glinos’ pamphlet What is EAM and What Does It Want?, representatives of these organisations secretly met in the attic of the Agricultural Bank, made available by its director, Ioannis Kouvelas. There, they founded EAM Chios.

7. Wiril Monument – Chios Port

On 7 February 1944, six British aircraft attacked the Swedish ship Wiril, which had been chartered by the International Red Cross and was carrying food supplies for Chios. Despite clearly displaying Red Cross markings, the ship was repeatedly bombed and strafed. Eighteen people were killed, including Swedish doctor Dr Nils Erik Nilsson, and approximately 50 were injured. Most of the valuable cargo was destroyed.

8. The “Triangle”

During the final months of the Occupation, German forces concentrated in the fortified area known as the “Triangle” in the town, equipped with machine-gun posts, barbed wire, mines and guarded entrances. It housed the headquarters of the German administration, the Gestapo and the German prison, located at what is today the Vocational High School (EPAL). The German occupation commanders in Chios were Winkler, Brist, Ulich, Walter, Mayer, Schneider, Wienhold and Günther. For the people of Chios, being taken to the “Triangle” meant imprisonment and torture.

9. The Murder of Iasonas Kalampokas

Iasonas Kalampokas secretly arrived in Chios on 24 January 1944 together with radio operator Panagiotis Karasoulis, as part of the Allied operation Collate. They worked with the Chian Resistance and transmitted intelligence to the Middle East Command. On 7 September 1944, Kalampokas was murdered at Agios Symeon by the Germans Friedrich Altmann and Erich Wilzen while on his way to a clandestine meeting. He was 26 years old.

10. The Liberation

In the early hours of 10 September 1944, the last German forces withdrew from Chios. Armed groups of ELAS entered the town and headed towards the Town Hall, where Mayor Apostolos Amygdalos and Metropolitan Ioakeim Stroumbis were present. Andreas Loizos, secretary of EAM and prefect of Chios, informed Cairo of the Liberation by telegram. That afternoon, a large gathering took place in Vounaki Square. The Occupation had lasted three years and four months.