In May 1941, my gradndfather, Eftikis Koukoutsakis went to help repel the German invaders. However, on reaching Kandanos he realized that he had no weapon and so he took one of a policeman who said that he did not want to fight because Athens the capital of Greece had already fallen. So grandfather went off to fight with a Lee Enfield and ten rounds in the magazine. After the battle started, the bullets in his magazine finished very quickly and he was asking others to lend him some. But no one was giving him any and all he could do was stand around waiting for someone to get shot, so he can get he could get his gun. In the meantime the main machine gun broke down obliging the Greeks to withdraw into the mountains.
So he went also, feeling very useless and for him it was rather sad in the next days watching from above the village being burned, but also watching the looters who were stealing things from peoples' homes.
To be continued.
The top photo above is my grandfather Eftihis Koukoutsakis on the right and a fellow soldier by the name of Aristotelis on the left. The photo is taken in Komotini 1948.
The second photo is in the training center in Iraklion Crete in 1948.
The third one is also in Iraklion the same year.
The fourth is also in Iralklion and on this one you can see some of my grandfathers best friends, 22-09- 1948.
The fifth is at a hill of Florina Greece in 1948 my grandfather is the third from right.
Stay tuned for more.
