A "heroic" escape.

A quote from a narration of Eleftheria Pattakou on 23/5/2016.

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They came early morning to arrest those who had agricultural debts ...

They came home, they found him, and arrested him ...

He was handcuffed because he was wanted ...

Well,

even though my father was informed that they would arrest him because of his debts, he came home in the morning because he had to go to his flock ... and my mother got up to give him something to eat.

We are under the German Occupation.

The chief of the gendarmerie was a guy from Sfakia, from Kallikrates village.

They came and arrested him and took him to the house of the village chief.

But let's take things from the beginning:

I heard my mother screaming, and I feared that it was the Germans.

Well,

I will not forget that I was in the upper floor of the house, while my parents were in the kitchen at the ground floor.

And I put my coat on, and jumped out of the window, and I heard them going from Polizoea to the upper village, having my father arrested ...

Because my brother was also wanted by the Germans, and because I knew he was in a village house ... I ran and went to Stratoudaina’s house; she opened the door, she took me by the hand because it was still dark. I told her in a hurry: "I want to alert George because the Germans took my father."

Still holding me by the hand, she took me to the back of the house, to the house barn, and I knocked and woke him up.

I told him, "Our father is captured by the Germans, and be careful not to show up, because they may catch you too."

And I left and went straight to the village chief’s house, and only then I saw my father with those handcuffs.

I was a young girl that could not stand seeing my own beloved father with handcuffs.

Thoughtlessly I verbally attacked the gendarmes.

I told them, "You dishonest traitors, obeying the Germans you arrested my father and you will be punished."

There was a good looking man, Sfakianos, the chief of the team, who could not withstand my attack and becoming very upset he told me: "I will throw the bomb (the grenade) to you to turn you in pieces Women in Sfakia cannot compare with you. Such a big mouth they are not ... ".

I was saying, and saying, and saying ...

And there dawn came.

And someone said that George left for the mountains.

I went to the mountain towards Plates, where now is the water and cherry trees.

Well, there I see the guerrillas.

Not right-wing rebels ... Left ...

Seventeen rebels led by Thanasis from Spili, and they told me: "Lefteria what’s up with you? Why are you crying?"

I said: "My father is arrested".

They replied: "Do not worry. We will set him free."

Their leader told to them: "Dear fellows, because the gendarmes are Greeks we must not attack them ... We will just notify them... Who will go to notify them? Who knows someone of the gendarmes? "

And I knew a horrible person, I do not remember his name.

Well, we moved on and we came nearby the community chief’s house with only Thanasis.

And Thanasis asked me: "Who do you know?"

I said that "scam" I mentioned before.

So I went home and I told to the “scam” "Thanasis wants you".

And with just the word "Thanasis", he started trembling.

Then he told me: "You all knew that your father was wanted, why you weren’t careful?"

Thanasis came home.

These people were not afraid. Because, the left-wing (rebels) were brave those times...

So we got out of the house, and I called the other guy and he came out.

Thanasis told the cop: "We are fifty and any resistance is meaningless. Harokopos Efthimios is wanted by the Germans and you have to release him."

The “rule” was, a wanted person arrested by the gendarmes to be finally delivered to the Germans, because the Germans were the authority to check the situation.

Efthimios went to the gendarmes chief.

They took off the handcuffs.

They put him in uncle’s Lefteris’ house (***Lefteris is a brother of Efthimios).

He (Efthimios) sat in a chair like a relaxed gentleman.

(The gendarmes chief was a Sphacian, like Lefteris' wife).

And they said, "We will leave. We will take Harokopos (Efthimios) and we will go ".

However, Harokopos did not have his identity with him ...

And they said to me: "Lefteria go to bring his identity."

I went home, I found the papers, I took his identity, but (can you believe it?) I saw the officer looking at me with a glance like saying " try to help somehow this situation...", or something like this ...

And I said: "Father, come to take your identity"

He came from the inside of Lefteris’ house to take his identity, and I didn’t just handed him his identity, but I also gave him a strong push to leave, because I read in commander’s eyes something like: "tell him to leave…".

And he escaped through the streets of the village....

And bam, bam, bam a few shots in the air by the gendarmes pretending, just for the eyes…

Like a game...

The gendarmes view: "The arrested person managed to escape although we did our best".

The rebels view: "We did what we had to, by forcing the gendarmes to do the right thing."

Let's say, it was: A "heroic" escape. . .

Well, my child, life is a game.

When my father was sending George to the flock, he did not go; instead he was sending Vangelis (our little brother). But Vangelis did not like that because he wanted to be educated. He could not stand the idea to be a shepherd.

George was good in public relations.

And he had good relations with the Gerakarians.

And Gerakari made George a hero, because Kokonas and Koutelidakis were the two officers in Gerakari who were taking all the decisions. And when it was said "they bring General Kreipe”, they had to decide what to do with him; and they decided to get rid of him (and of the danger) by "passing him to Harokopos."; this is what the Gerakarian leaders did . . .

And they told him, "George take the hell out of here the General, and if possible, take him to your place."

And they took the General from Gerakari, where he was delivered by the Anomerians, and he was taken by the night to Patsos, at Plates.

There was no war there, as they keep saying and saying ...

As for the dangerous “cargo”, it was passed to anyone who was available and willing…

END OF NARRATION

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In the above story that Eleftheria (daughter of Efthimios) is telling,

her father was saved with the help of her courage, of the rebels and of God ...

She did not give in.

Not even when it seemed that there was no hope.

The courage and the self-sacrifice-spirit she had at that time,

accompanied Eleftheria throughout her later life,

until her last breath on March 29, 2018.

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Only a few weeks after the death of his sister Eleftheria,

and being a hundred years of age,

George Efth. Harokopos wrote,

and sent to me (by e-mail) for publication,

the following lyrics

To the Cretan fighter who passed away

ELEFTHERIA Harokopou – Pattakou

(1922 - 2018)

You fought heroically during your whole life,

you were never afraid,

your deeds worth to be remembered for ever,

for standing fearless along the Occupation years,

for staying unbent and first even at the toughest times,

for resisting like a man against the danger despite

there were the hesitant ones, the traitors,

and many unconcerned, but there were also friends.

Captain Badouvas,

the German conquerors’ worst nightmare,

first praises you among the women in the resistance,

in his austere memoirs,

and these scripts are unquestionable.

Also Commander Billy Moss a leader of the team

that kidnapped the German General Kreipe,

together with the renown Lee Fermor,

they wrote so nicely about you, your father and your family,

an honour for your husband and your eight kids

having such a unique mother.

And I who didn’t stay, and left away,

knowing your courage, left you behind

being sure that ruthlessly better than me

you would continue fearless the struggle till the end;

and Tzifakis, the Chief, honoured you as a member

of the Cretan Resistance, and with other Englishmen

in Rethymnon they held a great celebration

at the end of the war, where you were together with our father

cause you both, together, accomplished all to a happy end!

You were a good Christian, pure with frankness,

and God enabled you to build a Church

in the memory of your unforgettable husband Kostas

in Patsos, in "Harakas", nearby the place

our foreigners were hiding,

and where you both will be remembered in the annual feast,

a reminder for Patsos and for Chromonastiri

where you both rest in peace in the same cemetery,

and from there up to Vrisinas mountain with pride,

and from there higher, up to the Heavens.

George Harokopos, your brother. (24/4/2018)

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This poem engraved on a marble slab is placed in Plates, nearby the existing inscription of what Stanley Moss wrote in his famous book “Ill Met by Moonlight” about the hospitality offered to them by Efthimios Harokopos’ family in the tough years of the German occupation.

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George Efth. Harokopos died on March 21, 2019, almost a year after his sister Eleftheria.

May they rest in Peace.

Manolis Pattakos

son of Kostas and Eleftheria

grandson of Efthimios Harokopos