A. .... On the 13th of December , at 6:30 in the morning, German soldiers told the population, accompanied by Greeks who knew the German language, that they go altogether in front cf the cathedral. Then.....
MR. FENSTERMACHER: If Your Honors please, I wonder if we could perhaps sit later today in order that the witness' story might not be interrupted should he not finish by 12:15?
THE PRESIDENT: Could you complete it by 12:30?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: I believe he will, Your Honor.
THE PRESIDENT: Is there any reason why it couldn't be completed after the lunch period?
MR. FENSTERMACHER: Well, we're coming now to a particular incident, and it would hurt the continuity if it were interrupted.
THE PRESIDENT: One of the members of the Tribunal has an appointment at 12:15 which would be difficult to change. And in view of the circumstances, we will adjourn at 12:15. You may proceed.
WITNESS SPILIOPOULOS: ---we were told to bring with us enough food for two days and blankets for two days. But they did not bring us in front of the cathedral, but to the public school building. There they separated us -- I mean the men from the women. The men had to stay in the courtyard, which was surrounded by a high wall, and the women and the small children up to ten years of age were locked in the school building. When all the population had gathered there they took the first section of men and brought it to the place of execution -- about 600 men. After half an hour arrived the second section, consisting of about the same number as the first section or more. After we had stayed there for about a quarter of an hour a German officer asked, " Who has knowledge of the English language?" One of the professors of the college answered, "I can speak English." And he told this professor, "Tell the population that we have got orders from our Supreme Commander to burn the town, but all of you will be allowed to go away."
When we stayed there until a quarter to 12:00, suddenly we could perceive a rocket of blue color coming down in front of the townhall. And at the same time, machine guns and the heavy machine guns -- about ten -- started shooting from in front and from both sides. This shooting was going on for about 10 to 12 minutes. Then, it was interrupted for about 5 minutes. Then two German soldiers walked around and gave the people the finishing stroke with automatic weapons. I was one of the first who was wounded. I was first wounded on my leg and then on my head. Then the shooting went on and two soldiers were walking around and finishing the men. This went on until 4 o'clock. I want to go back to a certain point and to tell as soon as the machine guns and heavy machine guns had started some groups of the Greeks jumped toward the machine guns in order to stop them, but on their way they were executed, and so they did not succeed. They jumped there screaming, "You're murderers --and our allies forever." Then, while the soldiers were walking around finishing the massacred persons with coup de grace, they cut off their fingers and looted them, taking away their watches and everything precious they had with them. They turned them around, looting the massacred, and this they did under terrible laughters. After they thought everybody was dead the place was silent. Then they left and after a quarter of an hour the first persons from the town came in. One of the old men who had been hiding among the women, two women and my sister. They took me because I was wounded and they wanted to take me back, but I just fainted because of the loss of blood. After all the women arrived at that place -- I cannot tell you what happened because my tongue is too poor, and it's beyond my capacity of describing. This scene could only be described by one of the great tragedians. Then the night came, and it was very cold. It was freezing. They took me into a house. The German troops who had left were going to the Monastery of Aghia Lavra. They took me into one house that was not entirely burned down.
The population was obliged to stay outside, and they were warming up between the ruins that were still smoking. They had burned down the whole of Kalavrita, the cathedral and another church. The two churches that they had burned were big churches with great treasures inside, and the small churches ware not burned. Presumably they had burned the 2 bigger churches to finish the looting which they hadn't done before. Then, the women and I , with some of the old men, began to bury the corpses, but it was very difficult because we didn't have any instruments. Everything had been burned down, and it was very difficult to make the evacuations for burying the people. So this burying went on for seven days.
THE PRESIDENT: The Tribunal will be in recess until 1:30 this afternoon.
(The Tribunal adjourned at 12:15.)
AFTERNOON SESSION
THE MARSHAL Military Tribunal No. 5 is again in session.
THE PRESIDENT: You may proceed.
BY MR. FENSTERMACHER: (DIRECT EXAMINATION CONTINUED)
Q. Witness, will you please continue with the narration of your testimony?
A. Yes. On the 17th of December 1943, after the massacre of Kalavrita a Major of the British Command, by the name of Anthony came in and brought us undershirts and money.
INTERPRETER ANAGNOSTOPOULOS: The witness wants to show you the undershirts that they got. (Witness opens his dress shirt and shows the undershirt.)
A. (Continued) On the 18th of December the President of the International Red Cross came from Athens and brought us medicine and flour. And on the 22nd of December we received about 2,000 blankets from Greek industrialists from Athens, who were from Kalavrita. But the German Commander did not allow us to get the flour which was stationed at Diakophto, about 22 kilometers from Kalavrita. And so we had to walk there in order to get some flour; this was difficult because many of us hadn't any shoes. On the 28th of December three American planes came down in the vicinity of Aghia Lavra. They had come from Pyraeus. I had been told to meet them at the spot where the planes had come down, and I went there and brought them medicines and food. Two had survived; the others had died. Then, I informed the British Commanders, and they came after we had given the first-aid assistance to the two wounded, and they came and picked them up. And the others that were killed were buried in Aghia Lavra. Two months later German troops came again. But nobody remained in the town. All of us were afraid and we left in a great hurry, going to the snowy mountains of Chelmos, about 2.500 meters of altitude. A German Colonel, who was the Commander of the detachment, informed me that I had to come down immediately. But the Creek population didn't want me to go down, and so I left secretly by left the mountains secretly.
Then, the German Commander asked me, "Why did you leave the town, you as a mayor, and take with you the population into the mountains?" I answered him that, "You have committed such a terrible massacre that everybody is afraid, and not even the savages of the jungle would have done that. If you wanted to exterminate the friends of the Allies, as I was and a few others of the town, you should have spared all the innocents who did not demonstrate their friendly feelings for the Allies. He got mad with my answer, but then he told me that he wasn't responsible, but only the command of Aegion was to be hold responsible for these deeds. But they took away all the blankets that we had got from Athens and all the foodstuffs that the Red Cross had sent us, consisting of flour and peas. I objected to this, but in spite of my objections they didn't leave anything behind them. Then they left for Patras, and another detachment came again in June, 1944, and this was the last one.
INTERPRETER ANAGNOSTOPOULOS: Now, the witness asks the Court if the Court wants him to testify about another village that he saw burning after the massacre of Kalavrita occurred--that he saw himself burning?
THE PRESIDENT: That will be a matter for the Prosecution to decide. If you will direct your inquiry to the Prosecution....
MR. FENSTERMACHER: Now, witness, I would like to ask you a few additional Questions. You said earlier that on the 8th or 9th of December German troops camps and stayed for four days in the village of Kalavrita. Is that correct?
A. There is a small difference. The first detachment came in on the 8th and left on the morning of the 9th, and the other detachment that came in on the 9th stayed for four days. The detachment having come from Tripolis left again on the next morning. And the other detachment, having come from Aegion, stayed for four days.
Q Did the detachment which stayed in Kalavrita for four days harm you or any of the other inhabitants of Kalavrita?
A No, they didn't do any harm to mo, neither to me nor the other inhabitants. The only thing, they looted all the stores and shops, emptied them completely and took away about 30,000 different pieces of cattle, oxen, goats and sheep etc.
Q Did you and the other members of the Kalavrita population food these troops, and did you give them clothing during that four days' stay?
A Yes, we gave them food and clothing and many of them who were sick, had their frozen limbs, we took care of them in a special way.
Q Why did you do that for them? Weren't those men your enemies?
A The history of Greece, all our traditions and the policy of the Greek army where I was a master sergeant, has taught us to treat anybody with hospitality and even the enemy as they came in and were not fighting- we had to treat them according to our traditions in a very friendly way.
Q Did you know to what unit these man belonged, the men that stayed in your village for four days?
A I don't know exactly; it may be that they belonged to the SS but I don't know it. The only thing I know-- that they wore members of the German army.
Q How did you know that? What color uniform did they wear?
A I know of this because I have been for five years a soldier, so I know about the uniforms and besides that they were the single soldiers being left in Greece because the Italians had left already.
Q What color were their uniforms?
A Green, some were green and with the usual German cap.
Q Witness, did you yourself entertain German members of this detachment in your own house during that four-day period in which they remained in Kalavrita?
A Two officers I kept in my house.
Q Did you feed them?
A I fed them in the best way I could, as I would have fed every stranger. They were very much satisfied and when they left I gave them fruits, apples, and a bottle of old wine, which was famous, the old famous wine of Kalavrita. They thanked me for this very great hospitality and told me that they would leave in the next morning.
Q On the next morning, witness, what time was it when you and the rest of the population of Kalavrita were gathered together?
A They started to gather us about 6:30 and this action was completed about 8:30. Everybody then had gathered - about four thousand people.
Q Did you live with anyone else in Kalavrita at this time?
A I was living with my mother and my sister together in the same house.
Q Did both your mother and sister join you in marching away with the rest of the people of Kalavrita?
A My sister followed me but my mother, as she was sick, suffering of rheumatism, could not leave her bod so she remained in the house in her bed.
Q How many people were gathered together in the group that marched away to the school building?
AAll the inhabitants, approximately 4,000 people,
Q How many man were there in the gathering?
AApproximately 1,500.
Q Were all of the men taken away from the school building to a place where the shooting occurred?
AAll men wore taken away with the exception of a few very old men who succeeded to hide among the women and joined them in the rooms of the school building.
Q What did you and the others do at the place where the shooting occurred before the shooting began?
A We were just sitting there and standing and could not escape because this point had been chosen very carefully. It was a very steep mountain going down abruptly to a precipice and about three days before the German soldiers had walked around in order to find out this very strategic point.
Q Could you see the town of Kalavrita from the place where the shooting occurred?
A Very well. I could see the town very well.
Q Did you at any time see the town in flames?
A We just saw the town like an amphitheater and we saw the flames arising from all points.
Q Were you able to see your mother from the place where you were standing?
A Yes, I could see my mother very well. One of the neighbor women had taken ear out with the bod and she was in the garden, and so I could see her very well.
Q How far away was this? How far away were you from the town?
A From the last house of the town we were about 7 to 8 minutes away.
Q How many guns did you see at the place where the shooting occurred?
AAt the beginning I could see only one machine gun that was directed with its mouth towards us but then they turned it away as if no parole would be for us but at the time the shooting began it must have been about eight or ten machine guns.
The witness wants to point out an event that took place there when they were standing and waiting. I was sitting together with tho manager of the National Bank of the Bank of Athens and the manager of the Public Treasury and at one time the Germans came and took them, all throe of them to the town of Kalavrita. After half an hour they brought them back and then I asked the director of tho National Bank for what purpose they had taken them to tho town. He answered me that they had to open the banks and the treasurers and deliver all money and besides that plenty of quinine that tho Red Cross had sent to the inhabitants of the whole district of Kalavrita and that they had been keeping in a safe.
Q. How many German soldiers did you see at the place where the shooting occurred?
A. About 1,500.
Q. You stated that you saw a rocket explode over the town of Kalavrita. Do you remember what color that rocket was?
A. It was light blue.
Q. That did you do when you saw the rocket explode-the first thing that you did?
A. The first thing I did was to fling myself on the ground because I was afraid that something terrible would happen and I covered myself immediately with my coat.
Q. Did the shooting begin then?
A. Yes, the shooting began Immediately from the front and from the sides.
Q. Did you remain lying down until the shooting stopped?
A. Yes, I was lying down constantly until four O'clock without moving but I kept my senses aware and more aware than I can say I am now.
Q. How many wounds did you receive during the shootings?
A. Two wounds: one on my leg and one on my head.
Q. Were you bleeding from those wounds?
A. Yes, I was deeding very much indeed.
Q. Do you remember how long it was after the shooting stopped before the women came to you?
A. About ten minutes.
Q. Did you at any time walk around and look at the rest of the bodies lying around at the place where the shooting occurred?
A. Yes, I walked around and two women were holding me because I was too weak to walk be myself and then I saw the corpses and I saw four priests whose faces had been mutilated.
Nobody could recognize them and an axe was lying close by.
Q. Witness, how many male persons were killed that day in Kalavrita?
A. 1,300 men from Kalavrita and about 140 foreigners, Greeks, merchants that had come to Kalavrita for buying supplies.
Q. Are there any survivors besides yourself of the male population of kalavrita?
A. Another 15 survived but two of them died because of their wounds; some 13 are still living.
Q. What was the age of the oldest inhabitant of Kalavrita who was killed that day?
A. The oldest man who was killed was the owner of the dispensary by the name of Estavius Makrijannis who was about 95 years old.
Q. How old was the youngest person who was killed that day?
A. Between 11 and 12 years of age.
Q. Did any family lose more than one person?
A. Many of them lost many. For Instance, a woman by the name of Athinae Nikolai lost seven of her children ranging from 16 to 40 years of age, and besides that her husband; and another woman by the name of Vassiliki Ferliki lost eight children ranging from the age of Id to 45, and her husband 90 years of age.
Q. How many of your relatives were killed, witness?
A. About 40, among them uncles and first cousins.
Q. And all the persons who were killed that day in Kalavrita were buried in the same place in Kalavrita?
A. No, not all of them could be buried in the cemetery because it didn't take them all, so we buried the greatest part of them at the cemetery and about 300 were buried at the place of the execution.
Q. How long did it take you to bury all the persons who were killed?
A. It took us seven days and even longer because we had to dig the graves with our fingers. We didn't have any instruments and then we had to watch the dogs who came and who dug out again the corpses and we had to bury them again so it took us oven longer than seven days to bury again those who had been dug out by the dogs.
Q. How are the widows of these men who were killed dressed today?
A. They are dressed in black and they will always be dressed in black and many of them, the oldest, are spending all their days at the cemetery at the graves.
Q. Witness, you stated that a monastery near Kalavrita was also burned?
A. Yes, there were even two monasteries that were burned. Aghia Lavra and there five monks were killed; and Megeaspilion where eighteen monks were pushed down from a high rock into a deep precipice.
Q Did you see either of these monasteries while they were burning?
A. Yes, I did. The monastery of Aghia Lavra-- I saw it burning myself because it is on a top that we can see like an amphitheater from Kalavrita and Legeaspilion I didn't see while it was burning but I could see the flames and after a few days I went there and saw that it was burned completely.
Q. Do you know what happened to the school house where the women and children were held after they had been separated from the men?
A. While the women were locked there in the school buil ding, the German soldiers put gasoline at the corners and began to light the gasoline. Then when the flames began to rise, the women, some of them, jumped out of the windows and throw their babies down and other succeeded to force the doors, so they came out with burning wounds and they chased the few guards that had remained there away. Those guards escaped because there were very few.
Q. Were there any German soldiers around after the shooting stopped and after the women had come to you?
A. No, there were no Go man soldiers left, The last one had just gone.
Q. On the same day when the shooting occurred, did you spend that night in the town of Kalavrita?
A. I remained in a house that was not entirely burned down, as I was wounded. They had brought mo there, the women and the other population stayed outside between the ruins and it began to snow; it was very cold; so they wore freezing outside and stayed there among the smoking ruins.
Q. How many days after the shooting occurred was it before help was brought to you?
A. Four days. First of all came a Major from the British Commandos then a representative of the Red Cross.
Q. Did any German investigators or Germans asking questions over come to the village of Kalavrita and ask you what had happened?
A. No German came. The only persons who came was the representative of the led Cross, the International Red Cross.
Q. Didn't some German soldiers come a few days after the shootings occurred? I believe you said a month or a month and a half after the shootings occurred?
A. Yes, that is correct.
Q. Did they ever inquire about the events that occurred on the 13th of December 1943?
A. No, they did not, because they would have examined me and asked questions of me, who was the mayor, and they aid not. They avoided very carefully to mention the whole matter.
Q. When were you elected mayor of Kalavrita?
A. Before the massacre I was the councilor of the community and after the massacre had occurred on the 19th of December I was elected Mayor, after an appointment of the ministry of Interior in Athens.
Q. Did you ever have occasion to make a tour of the area surrounding the town of Kalavrita after the events of the 13th of December?
A. After one month approximately, I visited the two most close villages, Kerreni and Rogoi, and I found that both these villages had been burned just the same and 115 persons had been slaughtered at Rogoi and 30 at Kerpeni.
Q. Did you over see any other villages burning besides the village of Kalavrita?
A. Yes, another 12 villages and two monasteries.
Q. How many villages did you yourself actually see while they were burning?
A. Personally I saw burning the two monasteries and the villages of Visoka, Kerpeni and Rogoi, and the two monasteries.
Q. Did you ever write out pensions for the widows for the men who wore killed in Kalavrita?
A. Yes, I did, and especially for Kalavrita I wrote out 545 pensions. For the village of Rogoi 115; and for Kerpeni 32.
A, Did you write out a pension for each person killed in Kalavrita or for each family killed in Kalavrita?
A. No, I only wrote out one pension, which means for the head of the family, and the other members get some more; the widow gets some more for every child that has been killed, a certain analogy.
Q. At the time when the shooting took place on the 13 December 1943 did you hear that this shooting or burning of Kalavrita was in retaliation for the death of German soldiers?
A. NO.
Q. Were any Greek partisans ever stationed in Kalavrita?
A. No, they were not stationed.
Q. Were German troops stationed in Kalavrita?
A. No, Italian troops were stationed; the German troops were just transient troops.
Q. Then did the Italian troops leave Kalavrita?
A. Just after the capitulation; I think about the middle of September. I just was there at the time of the Italian capitulation; they were supposed to join the British Commandos, but before they could give their agreement the German troops came in and disarmed them and took them away as prisoners of war.
Q. Did yon ever hear that Greek Partisan units were operating in the vicinity of Kalavrita prior to 13 December 1943?
A. There were some in that vicinity. I want to correct myself, no Guerillas, but members of the regular Greek Army serving under the British Commandos.
Q. About how far away from Kalavrita were those units operating?
A. About 30 or 28 Kilometers away.
Q. Did you ever hear about a battle fought between these Greek units under the British Commands and German troops?
A. Yes, I heard about such a battle.
Q. When did you hear that the battle took place?
A. In September: I don't remember the exact date.
Q. Did you hear that German prisoners were captured in that battle?
A. Yes, I even saw them. They passed through Kalavrita. There were 78. They stayed one night in Kalavrita. We fed them and took care of them.
Q. When was that?
A. Now, it was in September; I can't remember the exact date because after all there were many events and I can't remember the date exactly.
Q. Do you believe it was September when the German prisoners passed through Kalavrita?
A. Yes, I believe so.
Q. Could it have been later or earlier or aren't you sure?
A. It may be a little earlier or it may be a little later because I didn't keep exactly these dates.
Q. But you remember seeing the prisoners and feeding them?
A. Yes, that I remember very well. They stayed there one night.
Q. How do you know there were 78 of them?
A. Yes, I was told by the Greeks that they had captured 78 German soldiers.
Q. Who told you that?
A. Major Sfakianos, a major of the regular Greek Army.
Q. Do you remember when he told you that?
A. Just the same day when they were brought in after the battle into Kalavrita.
Q.- Did tho major tell you anything else beside the number of prisoners they had captured?
A.- Yes, he told me a few days later that he had received a letter from the German colonel of Capras, that he should return the prisoners, He answered, the German colonel of Capras, that they wore regular Greek Army under the command of General Milson, the Commander of the middle East, and ho answered, in addition to that he answered the German colonel that he would treat the prisoners according to the laws and rights of the prisoners of war.
Q.- Was the major of whom you spoke a resident of Kalavrita?
A.- No, he was from Crete. He was the permanent officer of the Greek Army.
Q.- Were you, witness, in December 1943 a member of any Greek partisan organization?
A.- I was a Liaison man between the Greeks and the British commander between all the Greek patriots and the British Commanders.
Q.- Did you have a gun?
A.- No, I did not.
Q.- Did you have ammunition in your house?
A.- No, I did not have ammunition.
Q.- Do you remember whether there were any explosions during the burning of Kalavrita?
A.- No, no explosions took place.
MR FENSTERMACHER: I have no further questions, your Honor.
CROSS-EXAMINATION BY DR. LATERNSER:Q.- Witness, you just said that this battle in September 1943 at Kalavrita, 78 prisoners were made?
A.- Yes.
Q.- How long have you been in Nurnberg now?
A.- 9 days.
Q.- Who did you talk to in Nurnberg about your statement of today?
A.- With the delegation with whom together I came, the Greek representatives and with the Prosecutors.
Q.- The Prosecution? Who to?
A.- With the Prosecutor who just now investigated me.
Q.- Did you also talk to him about the 78 prisoners that have been made in kalavrita?
A.- Yes.
Q.- And on this occasion did you hear for the first time that at Kalavrita 78 prisoners were made?
A.- I know that from personal knowledge before.
Q.- Who mentioned the figure 78 at this discussion, you or the Prosecutor. Just a moment, witness, before you answer. You must know that I can check up on your statement.
A.- That I do not remember exactly who first mentioned this number.
Q.- You cannot maintain that you mentioned the figure first?
A.- I know very well the prisoners because we were there when they came through kalavrita when they were fed and they were taken even care of by the doctors and of the people that gave them medicines.
Q.- Before you came to Nurnberg did you make any notes about your prospective statements?
A.- No, not at all. Just the same description gave four or fivo days after the massacre occurred to the American and English correspondents who came and asked me about it.
Q.- Did you tell them something about this 78 prisoners?
A.- most certainly, I did.
Q.- Has that been written down or noted?
A.- Yes.
Q.- How do you know? Did you read the records or did you sign it?
A.- I got the papers back from London and New York and I regret very much that I didn't bring them along.
Q.- Have you really no copies with you?
A.- I would like to tell the defense counsel that I have lived in this death moments for hours. I am a survivor from a terrible tragedy. I did not come hero to do any harm to anybody but only to tell the truth and let the truth shine brightly.
Q.- And in order to state that, to make it absolutely certain, I am asking you, witness for the truth. witness, I am asking you where can I find a copy of the records of the statements made by you sometime ago?
A.- The President of the Swedish Red Cross is in possession of a copy of my first statement by the name of Aleas Stretch.
Q.- When was this statement made by you?
A.- Five days after the massacre occurred, that is to say. on the 18th of December 1943.
Q.- Do you want to swear your mention of this statement is the figure 78?
A.- Yes.
Q.- Is there a copy of year statement at the time in the rooms of the Greek Delegation here?
A.- That I am not in a position to know.
Q.- Furthermore you stated, witness, that units who took part in this battle, the collaborators with the Germans, came under the commanding officer Middle East. How is it that you know this?
A.- I want to correct something. Not the battle of Kalavrita out the battle of kerpeni, in the woods of Kerpeni, not Kalavrita. It was not the battle of kalavrita.