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| National and Social Liberation | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Georgios Kartalis Dimitrios Psarros |
| Dates of operation | 1942–1944 |
| Active regions | Epirus,Central Greece |
| Ideology | Republicanism Liberalism Venizelism Anti-communism Anti-fascism Anti-monarchism |
| Size | c. 1,500 |
| Allies | EDES PEAN SOE Greek government in exile |
| Opponents | Royal Italian Army German Army Collaborationist government (Security Battalions) EAM/ELAS (after 1943) |
National and Social Liberation (Greek:Εθνική και Κοινωνική Απελευθέρωσις, ΕΚΚΑ;Ethnikí kai Koinonikí Apelefthérosis,EKKA) was aGreek Resistance movement during theAxis occupation of Greece. It was founded in autumn 1942 by ColonelDimitrios Psarros and politicianGeorgios Kartalis.
Alongside Psarros and Kartalis, founding members included fellow officers Dimitrios Karachristos, Dimitrios Georgantas and others. The organization's aims were to fight the Germans as long as the occupation lasted and, after Liberation, work for a republican regime and social change.
EKKA's armed wing was the5/42 Evzone Regiment, founded in early 1943 and named after Psarros'old army unit. It numbered at its peak ca. 1,000 men, and was active mainly inCentral Greece, in the area ofPhocis. The organization however was from the outset confronted with the might of the communist-ledGreek People's Liberation Army (ELAS), which claimed the overall leadership of the Resistance movement and regarded EKKA as reactionary and ananglophile organization. ELAS forces attacked the 5/42 Evzones Regiment on 14 May and 23 June 1943 forcing its dissolution, but bowing to pressure from the British Military Mission, they agreed to allow it to reform within the unifying framework of the so-called "National Bands Agreement" of July 1943. On 29 February 1944, near thebridge of Plaka, theTreaty of Plaka [el] was signed among the EKKA,EAM andEDES.
Nevertheless, the rivalry between ELAS and the republicanEDES and EKKA groups continued, and on 14 April 1944, the EKKA forces were attacked by ELAS. The 5/42 Evzones Regiment held out for three days, but was then forced to retreat. A number of men managed to escape and cross theCorinthian Gulf to thePeloponnese. The majority however remained behind with Col. Psarros, were taken prisoner and later executed. It remains disputed if Psarros was killed during the battle or in captivity. The event caused a major shock in the Greek political scene since Psarros was a well-known republican, patriot and anti-royalist. The apparent determination of EAM-ELAS to monopolize the resistance movement caused concerns about its post-war intentions, leading to a more decisive opposition from the part of the other resistance groups and the pre-war political establishment. The event is considered a precursor of theGreek Civil War that broke out a year later (seeDekemvriana).
Following the disbandment of the 5/42 Evzones Regiment, EKKA ceased to exist as a military and political factor, although Kartalis himself still participated as its representative, alongside the leaders of the other major Resistance and political groups, in theLebanon Conference shortly after.
1943
1944
