War Memorial of PEAN

What I can see

We see a monumental set of the Panhellenic Union of Fighting Youth (PEAN), which was founded by the air force officer Kostas Perrikos. This is where the offices of the Nazi organization ESPO were bombed during the German occupation. In the attack, 28 members of the ESPO and its leader were killed and 6 German officers were wounded. The bust of Kostas Perrikos is on a marble column with a brass inscription of his name, military status and the way of his execution. Another marble column bears brass relief portraits of PEAN fighters on each side. Another brass relief in the form of an open book is located on a building’s wall, at the corner of Gladstonos and Patision Streets. On the left side, names of resistance fighters executed by the Nazis are written, and on the right that the Nazi ESPO organization was located here, which was blown up by PEAN on September 20, 1942.

What I can't see

It was the first bombimg of such intensity to Nazi Germany in all of Europe. Because of this, Greece was the only German-occupied country that did not send troops to the eastern front. The Nazis blamed communists and Jews for the attack. The organization fell victim to betrayal by Polykarpos Ntalianis, who was sentenced to death by the resistance organization “Omiros” and was executed with hammer blows to his head. Perrikos was executed by the Germans. After the liberation and during the Greek civil war, the new leadership of PEAN joined forces with the government of Georgios Papandreou and the British against the left. Half of the members of the organization were killed.

Info

• Address: Gladstonos & 28is Oktovriou/ Patision St.

Bibliography