Caserta Agreement

The Caserta Agreement was signed on 26 September 1944, between the Greek exiled government (under Georgios Papandreou), the British Command in the Middle East, EAM/ELAS and EDES in Caserta, Italy.^[1] The agreement provided that all the resistance forces that were operating until then in Greece would be under the leadership of the Greek government, which would then be under the control of General Scobie.

The Caserta Agreement was achieved despite intense concerns on the part of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and extreme right-wing circles. The concern in the ELAS classes during the Caserta Agreement was intense. As soon as Aris Velouchiotis, the head of ELAS, was informed of it, he convened a concentration of ELAS commanders in Lamia where he proposed the violent seizure of power. However, the majority of the rebels were reluctant to risk this, as they would find themselves against the Allies, and the attempt to create another unclear regime would be rather inappropriate.

What was exactly discussed in the Caserta Agreement is not known. However, the EAM leadership had decided to change policy and with Soviet pressure became more conciliatory. In total contradiction to the previous conditions which EAM had demanded under the control of the new Greek government, and participate in the government of National Unity abandoning its previous demands for specific ministries. The government was formed on 15 August 1944 with the participation of six members from EAM. In the following weeks, with the gradual withdrawal of the German occupying forces from Greece, there was a widespread alarm, both in the Papandreou government and on the British side, at the dominant role of ELAS in the liberated areas.^[2]

Despite the attempts to avoid civil war, the Battle of Athens broke out in December 1944, pitting ELAS against the troops of the government, the police, the former Security Battalions, and the ever-growing British military presence in the country.

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Greece during World War II

1940–1941 Balkans Campaign

Greco-Italian War (1940–1941) Battles Pindus Elaia–Kalamas Korytsa/Korcë Saranda Morava–Ivan Himara Klisura Pass Trebeshina Italian spring offensive Hill 731 Leaders Greece Ioannis Metaxas Alexandros Papagos Charalambos Katsimitros Konstantinos Davakis Markos Drakos and Ioannis Pitsikas Dimitrios Papadopoulos Georgios Kosmas Italy Benito Mussolini Galeazzo Ciano Sebastiano Visconti Prasca Ubaldo Soddu Ugo Cavallero Carlo Geloso Units Greece 8th Infantry Division Epirus Army Section Western Macedonia Army Section Italy 9th Army 11th Army German invasion (April–May 1941) Battles Operation Lustre Metaxas Line Vevi Kleisoura Pass Thermopylae Crete Leaders Greece King George II Alexandros Papagos Konstantinos Bakopoulos Georgios Tsolakoglou British Commonwealth Henry Maitland Wilson Thomas Blamey Bernard Freyberg Germany Wilhelm List Sepp Dietrich Kurt Student Units Greece Eastern Macedonia Army Section Central Macedonia Army Section Epirus Army Section British Commonwealth 1st Armoured Brigade 2nd New Zealand Division 6th Australian Division Germany XVIII Army Corps XXXX Panzer Corps Luftflotte 4 1st Parachute Division 5th Mountain Division

Occupation and collaboration

Occupying powers Leaders and commands Germany Günther Altenburg Hermann Neubacher Walter Schimana Alexander Löhr Army Group E Hellmuth Felmy LXVIII Army Corps Hubert Lanz XXII Mountain Corps Alexander Andrae, Bruno Bräuer and Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller Fortress Crete Max Merten Italy Angelico Carta Pellegrino Ghigi Piero Parini Carlo Geloso and Carlo Vecchiarelli 11th Army III Army Corps [it] VIII Army Corps XXVI Corps Bulgaria Ivan Markov [bg] Trifon Trifonov [bg] Asen Sirakov Atrocities Kondomari Kandanos Alikianos Doxato Kommeno Kalavryta Lingiades Distomo Domenikon Drakeia Cephalonia (Acqui Division) Mesovouno Pyrgoi Vorizia Viannos Kallikratis and Kali Sykia Anogeia Kedros Kleisoura Haidari concentration camp Larissa concentration camp 200 of Kaisariani Chortiatis Economic exploitation Greek economy, 1941–1944 Great Famine GWRA DEGRIGES Compulsory loan [de] Occupation Reichsmark [el] The Holocaust Bulgarian-occupied Greece Thessaloniki Zvi Koretz Jewish cemetery of Salonica Baron Hirsch ghetto Expropriation of property Rescue of the Jews of Zakynthos Collaborationist government People Georgios Tsolakoglou K. Logothetopoulos Ioannis Rallis Georgios Poulos Friedrich Schubert Nikolaos Bourantas George S. Mercouris Ioannis Plytzanopoulos Sotirios Gotzamanis Organizations Security Battalions Hellenic Socialist Patriotic Organisation (ESPO) National Union of Greece (EEE) Greek National Socialist Party Secessionists Roman Legion Alcibiades Diamandi Nicolaos Matussis Vassilis Rapotikas Ohrana Andon Kalchev Cham collaboration Këshilla Xhemil Dino Atrocities Paramythia Executions of Kokkinia

Resistance and Free Greece

National Liberation Front (EAM) People Aris Velouchiotis Stefanos Sarafis Andreas Tzimas Georgios Siantos Alexandros Svolos Ilias Tsirimokos Markos Vafeiadis Evripidis Bakirtzis Organizations Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Socialist Party of Greece (SKE) Union of People's Democracy (ELD) Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) Greek People's Liberation Navy (ELAN) Political Committee of National Liberation (PEEA) and National Council United Panhellenic Organization of Youth (EPON) National Solidarity (EA) Organization for the Protection of the People's Struggle (OPLA) Slavic-Macedonian National Liberation Front (SNOF) Anti-Fascist Committee for a Free Germany (AKFD) Operations Drama uprising Ryka Mikro Chorio Gorgopotamos Bridge Meritsa Fardykambos Porta Sarantaporos Kournovo Tunnel 1943 Athens protest Pinerolo disarmament Steiri Agorelitsa Killing of Franz Krech Atrocities Feneos executions 5/42 Regiment dissolution Meligalas Kilkis Red Terror (Greece) Non-EAM resistance People Napoleon Zervas Georgios Kartalis Dimitrios Psarros Komninos Pyromaglou Antonis Fosteridis Kostas Perrikos Ilias Degiannis Vasileios Sachinis Lela Karagianni Konstantinos Ventiris Manolis Paterakis Petrakogiorgis Kimonas Zografakis Organizations National Republican Greek League (EDES) National Bands of Greek Guerrillas (EOEA) National and Social Liberation (EKKA) 5/42 Regiment Defenders of Northern Greece (YVE)/Panhellenic Liberation Organization (PAO) Panhellenic Union of Fighting Youths (PEAN) Prometheus II Apollo National Organization of Crete (ΕΟΚ) Hellenic Army (ES) Northern Epirus Liberation Front (MAVI) others... Operations ESPO bombing Gorgopotamos Bridge (Operation "Harling") Agia Kyriaki Milia Skala Paramythias Execution of Josef Salminger Xirovouni Trahili Menina Dodona Atrocities Expulsion of Cham Albanians British Military Mission (SOE) People Eddie Myers Chris Woodhouse Patrick Leigh Fermor Bill Stanley Moss Themis Marinos George Psychoundakis Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz Operations Operation "Albumen" Gorgopotamos Bridge (Operation "Harling") Operation "Animals" Asopos Bridge (Operation "Washing") Kidnapping of Heinrich Kreipe Damasta sabotage

Greek government-in-exile

Greek government in exile Events/Battles Mareth Line El Alamein Wadi Akarit Dodecanese April 1944 mutiny Rimini Symi Santorini People King George II Emmanouil Tsouderos Sofoklis Venizelos Panagiotis Kanellopoulos Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos Christodoulos Tsigantes Pafsanias Katsotas Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East 3rd Mountain Brigade Sacred Band Vasilissa Olga Adrias Katsonis Papanikolis 13th Squadron 335th Squadron 336th Squadron

Liberation and road to the civil war
Prelude to Civil War Events National Bands Agreement Plaka agreement [el] Red Terror Lebanon Conference Caserta Agreement Operation "Manna" Percentages agreement Dekemvriana Treaty of Varkiza White Terror People Ronald Scobie Georgios Papandreou Archbishop Damaskinos Georgios Grivas Angelos Evert Nikos Zachariadis

Commemoration

Events Ohi Day Museums Athens War Museum Holocaust Museum of Greece Kalavryta Massacre Museum Kalpaki War Museum Museum of the Battle of Crete and the National Resistance Thessaloniki War Museum Popular culture Aera! Aera! Aera! Captain Corelli's Mandolin film Ill Met by Moonlight film Ipolochagos Natassa Mediterraneo The 11th Day: Crete 1941 The Guns of Navarone film What Did You Do in the War, Thanasis?