Paddy's
letter to the Cretans Quote from
(
quote from http://www.illmetbymoonlight.info/paddy-s-letter-to-the-cretans.html
)
Patrick Leigh Fermor ("Mixale")
Kardymili
Greece
To: all old friends and brothers in arms in
Crete,
1.This group of Cretan and British adventurers (Chris Paul,
Alun Davies, Mike Wright, John Ellis Roberts, Niko Troulakis, Tim Todd, Yannis
Samatas and others) have come to Crete with the express purpose of retracing
the path of the Anglo-Cretan team who captured General Kreipe in April 1944.
2.The team will arrive by boat and land near Tsoutsouros,
and will follow the same route as our small group all those years ago. On the
way they will try and locate those places that we stayed, and the families of
those who helped us.
3.Our original team consisted of Manoli Paterakis from
Koustoyerako, George Tyrakis from Phourphouro, William Stanley Moss, and
myself. We landed on the beach near Tsoutsouro. Here we were protected by
Vasili Konios, and in Skoinia (where we took shelter in Mihali’s house) by the
Bourdzalis family. In Kastamonitza, we were sheltered by Kimon Zographakis,
while in the mountains above the village we were grateful for the eyes and ears
of the shepherd Siphoyannis, and many other Cretan patriots.
4.In Heraklion, old and new friends joined the team. Antoni
Papaleonidas, originally from Asia Minor; and Grigori Chanarakis, from
Thrapsano. Also Micky Akoumianakis, who lived next door to the Villa Ariadne at
Knossos, and a young friend of his, Elias Athanassakis. Pavlo Zographistos gave
us the shelter of his house and land at Skalani, near the Archanes road where
we planned to ambush the General’s car. The andartes led by Athanasios Bourdzalis
were ready, in case we needed backup during the abduction. At the last minute
we also recruited Niko Komis from Thrapsano, Mitzo Tzatzas from Episkopi, and
Stratis Saviolakis, a policeman from Annapolis in Sphakia. When I heard that my
old friend Antoni Zoidakis from the Agios Ioannis in Amari was also in the
area, I asked him to join us too.
5.How we kidnapped General Kreipe and drove him through
Heraklion in his own car is a well-known story. But once the car was
abandonned, our mission became increasingly dangerous. The beaches round
Saktouria (from where we planned to meet the Royal Navy launch that would take
the General to Egypt) were heavily guarded by Germans. Problems of
communication multiplied, so messages to and from Cairo were out of date by the
time they arrived. And once the alarm was raised, German patrols were looking
for us everywhere. Now we needed the people of Crete more than ever, and not
once did they fail us.
6.At Anoyeia we knew the family of the brave Stephanoyanni
Dramountounis. I had baptised his daughter the year before, the same year he
was captured and shot by the Germans. My God brother’s family and friends, and
Father Chairetis gave us food all the help they could, and provided us with
swift runners. In the mountains, Kosta Kephaloyannis guided us to the cave of
Mihali Xylouris and his men, where I found my God brother George Dramountounis.
7.High on the shoulders of Mount Ida we had the protection
of Kapetan Petrakoyeorgis, who gave us guides. Once in the valley of the Amari,
we knew we were among staunch friends who provided us with food, escort, and
protection. In Pantanassa, we had help from the Hieronakis family, and in
Karines, from Stravro Zourbakis and his wife, Kyria Eleni. The goat fold of
Tzourbovasili at Yeni became our headquaters for three days, where we were
helped by Yanni Katsias: the Germans were everywhere, and the problem of
getting the General off the island was getting more difficult by the hour. We
were helped by the Koutellidakis family at Yerakari, where so often we relied
on the aid and counsel of Dr Alexander Kokonas; by Mihali Pattakos, and
the schoolmaster of Koxare; in Gourgouthi by the Generali and Katsendoni
families. At Patsos, we were looked after by Evthymios Kharakopos.
Levtheri Papayanakis from Akhtounda, and Yanni Katsias from Yeni helped us with
the task of finding a beach. At Patsos we were sheltered by the Haracopos
family; at Photineou, we were welcomed by Stavro Peros and his children,
and several members of the Tzangarakis and Alevizakis clans. At Alones we were
blessed with the friendship of Father John and his family; and at Vilandredo we
were grateful to my God-brother Stathi Loukakis, and his brother Stavro. In Asi
Gonia, the home of my friend and tireless messenger George Psychoundakis -
who’s book The Cretan Runner describes those days so vividly - we hid in the
cave of Kapetan Papadopetrakis. For the last stretch of the journey, we were
escorted by the bands of Kapitan Manoli Yanna, Kapetan Andrea Kotiphis, and
Kapetan Khombitis.
8. I am sure there are many other names I should mention.
Manoli Paterakis calculated that in the course of our nineteen days on the run
with the General, we must have met or come across about 400 people. Many more,
he thought, knew where we were at any time. Yet no one gave the enemy any hint
of our position, and General Kreipe was safely evacuated to Egypt on the
night of 14 May 1944.
9.Yet I cannot forget that the General’s abduction was just
one operation, during five long years of occupation and resistance. There are
so many Cretans who put their lives at risk to help us. Among the many who
sheltered and guided Allied servicemen to safety were Abbot Agathengelos of the
Holy Monastery of St John of Preveli; Stamati Stavroulakis at Kali-Sykia; George
Robolas of Prine; Col. Andrea Papadakis, of Vourvoure; and the heroic families
of Nico and Antoni Vandoulakis, of Vaphe. My wireless operator Apostolos
Evangelou, and Andrea Polentas of Vrysses, were among the many patriots who
were captured, tortured and shot in Ayia jail, without giving anything away.
* * * * *
10. In retracing our steps, the team you will meet hope to
visit Mihali's house and the Boudzalis clan in in Skoinia, the family of Kimon
Zographakis in Kastamonitza, Siphoyannis' cave above Kastamonitza, the lofts of
houses in Kharasso and Pavlo Zographistos' cottage and cave outside Skalani.
They will then drive from the abduction point near to Archanes, through
Heraklion and the Canea Gate and onto the old Retimo road. They will try to
trace our route across the mountains of Crete - the stronghold of Anogia,
Mihali Xylouris's cave on the foothills of Mount Ida, over Mount Ida itself and
down to Aya Paraskevi, the sheepfold high above Yerakari, the stone hut
outside Patsos, the trees outside the hamlet of Karines where we drank raki
with Stavros Zourbakis and his wife Kiria Eleni, the grove of Scholari outside
Fotinou, the cave outside Villandredo where Stathi Loukakis and his brother
Stavro hid us, and ending with the long walk over the Kryoneritis mountains to
the beach at Rhodakino where we were finally picked up.
11.As I had the great honour, and fortune, to command the
Kreipe Operation in April 1944, those who wish to follow our footsteps wrote to
ask my advice. I have told them to do as we did, so long ago: put your trust
in the inhabitants of Crete. They will show you the way and advise and help
you, as their grandparents helped us.
12. I wish I were coming too, for I am the last member of
that small party still alive. Elias Athanassakis died two years ago. I turned
93 in February of this year. But I am sure that these adventurers will find the
descendents of our parea, and the inhabitants of the villages and the
sheepfolds just as welcoming and helpful and full of spirit as their
predecessors sixty years ago! I know that they are in touch with you all, and I
am very envious of the marvellous journey that lies ahead of them.
Patrick Leigh Fermor
Several treks to Crete, in the In the Footsteps of
Heroes series, were supported by Paddy himself. Part of his support was in
the form of a Letter of Introduction, in Greek, for us to show the local people
who may have wondered what on earth this collection of individuals were up to.
It was, as you might imagine, like producing a magic wand and fortunately
we had enough copies to leave one or two with those who helped us along the
way.
Below are transcriptions of the letter in both Greek and
English, which we were vgiven, along with his own maps and his manuscript
'Abducting a General' in 2005. We were fortunate, honoured and unique in having
such support. This material support was backed up, on a number of occasions, by
telephone calls to Paddy to check on various matters.
Patrick
Leigh Fermor ("Mixale")
Kardymili
Greece