| Raid on Santorini | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theBattle of the Mediterranean ofWorld War II | |||||||
 Location of Santorini in the Aegean | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom Greece |  Germany Italian Social Republic | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Anders Lassen Stefanos Kazoulis † | Lieutenant Hesse | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Special Boat Service 19 Commandos | Garrison company | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2 killed | 40 killed or wounded 19 captured | ||||||
| 5 civilians executed 13 civilians killed in Commando explosion | |||||||
 | |||||||
TheRaid on Santorini took place on 24 April 1944 as part of theMediterranean Campaign in World War II. It was conducted by the BritishSpecial Boat Service, against the mixed German and Italian garrison on the island ofSantorini (Thera) in theAegean Sea. The raid was made in tandem with similar operations at the islands ofIos,Mykonos andAmorgos that aimed to destroyAxis naval observation posts and radio stations on theCycladic islands.[1][2]
During the winter of 1943, theGermans had secured their control of the Aegean archipelago and in the spring 1944, they still maintained appreciable garrisons on them. The British wished to maintain a secondary front in the Aegean and after the fall ofKos andLeros, theMiddle East HQ issued orders to theSpecial Boat Service (SBS) to attack the garrisons of occupied Greek islands such as Santorini.[3]
On April 19, a group of 19 commandos under MajorAnders Lassen sailed from their hideout in Balisu bay,Turkey aboard twoschooners. After a three-day voyage that included intermediate stops inSyrna andAnydros, the group landed on an easterly beach near Cape Columbo on the night of 22/23 April. They marched towards the village ofVourvoulos and after contacting the locals, hid in a nearby cave. The two schooners sought shelter in the nearbyChristiana islands, south-west of Santorini.[4] One member of the group of commandos was the Greek Lieutenant Stefanos Kasoulis (Greek:Στέφανος Καζούλλης). On April 23, Kazoulis was guided by locals to the capitalFira to gather intelligence. Based on Kazoulis' information, Lassen decided to divide his forces into three detachments. The first would attack the barracks in Fira, the second would head to the residence of the German commanding officer (Lieutenant Hesse) in Fira and attempt to capture him while the third would target the radio station inImerovigli.[1] This radio had a long range and served as arelay supporting communications betweenAthens andCrete.
Zero hour for the attack was set to 00:45 of April 24 and the three detachments were led to their targets by local guides. The barracks were located in the centre of Fira, on the second floor of a building that housed a bank. The attackers came from two directions and in spite of barking dogs, they managed to surprise the 40-strong garrison and kill most of them. During the attack, Kasoulis received a shot in the chest and died immediately. Sergeant Frank Kingston was also shot in the abdomen and succumbed to his wounds a few hours later.[4] The attack against the German commanding officer failed and he and a few others managed to flee unscathed. The building housing the radio installation was blown up with time bombs. The commandos escaped using their two schooners, taking with them some of the locals who had helped them.[1]
On April 29, German reinforcements from the island ofMilos surrounded Vourvoulos. They arrested all local men aged 14 and older and threatened them with reprisals if they did not reveal those who helped the commandos. A few villagers admitted their involvement and were sent to the firing squad. Five men, among them the village mayor, were executed. It is unclear why the rest of the villagers and the village itself was spared. It has been claimed that this was the result of a letter written to Lt Hesse by Lassen, warning him that his name was known to theAllies who would hold him accountable for any reprisals he ordered.[2] A monument commemorating the victims has been erected in Vourvoulos.
Two commandos died in the operation and five civilians were shot in reprisal. Another 13 civilians from Imerovigli trying to loot German provisions in the radio building died when the demolition charges went off.[5] The number of German casualties was around 40 and 19 were taken prisoner. Due to its violence, the operation became known asLassen's Bloodbath.[2] This and similar operations forced GeneralUlrich Kleemann to instruct his troops that "[they were] living in an enemy country" and to reinforce the Aegean garrisons with 4,000 men.[2] These forces remained tied down in place for the rest of the war, depriving other fronts of their services.[3] In August 1944, Kasoulis was posthumously awarded the GreekCross of Valour.[6] Sergeant Frank Kingston is buried at thePhaleron War Cemetery nearAthens.[7]
