The village of Peta in Epirus is best known for the destruction of the Greek and Philhellenic forces in the battle of the same name during the Revolution of 1821. However, it was also a field of conflict during the triple Nazi-fascist occupation. On October 1, 1943, an EDES force under the hero of 1940, Ilarch Dimitrios Georgiadis, fought a battle in the village with a German force supported by artillery.
Here is the description of the battle by the protagonist himself Ilarchos Georgiadis, who in 1940 wrote history in Pindos as the head of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Reconnaissance Group . "At 12 o'clock on 1/10/1943, positive information was received that in the village of Peta four (4) cars full of German soldiers headed by Guardsman Artis, who was escorted by the Greek reservist officer Lanzidos, who is used by the Guardsman as an interpreter .
"The headquarters ordered me to go immediately from Platanoremos where the Military Directorate is to Pournari so that I can receive under my command the units located there, that is, the Tetrakomou battalion, Commander Petropoulakis and the 2nd Leipsos Company (Commander Saluros K.) I move quickly to Peta and expel the German power from there.
"On the 12th he was found in Pournari, moving on horseback from Platanoremos. Minister Petropoulakis found himself in the SW of the Headquarters on duty, at the time he received the order from the Headquarters, they received my order in Platanoremma to move from the Pournari-Hmioniki road to the E, on the outskirts of the village , with the task of encircling the village from the E. and S. and preventing the Germans from fleeing.
In Pournari they received the 2nd Company of Leipsos and set off along the semi-road that leads from Pournari to the center of the village.
"I also deployed a platoon further west, i.e. towards the heights of Theotikio-Ktima Papagiannakis with the mission of cutting off the retreat of the Germans via the Peta-Arta public road. I placed a platoon of the 2nd Company on a hill N.Pournari in order to support with fire the collapse of the passing divisions.
All the divisions moved quickly and coherently in such a way that at 13.15 they found themselves in the fortifications immediately N. of the village of Peta.
"After a quick reconnaissance of the village, we found out that it had been evacuated because of the Germans. The German immigrants shot three citizens of Peta, the only ones they found inside the village. The units entered the village at 13.45 and set up outposts to the W and S edge of the village.
The purpose of the Germans' ascension to Peta and before the first sabotage was carried out against the other units (interruption of telephone communication ) ordered that all the inhabitants of Peta should return to the village and indulge themselves in the work of those who do not perceive rebels near the village to notify him.
He had set as the last deadline for the execution of his order 1/10/1943. None of the residents returned to the village, except for the three mentioned above as having been shot. Having thus concluded the mission of the two divisions, since the Germans had already left, I ordered them to return to their original positions as the relevant order of the Headquarters. Before we left and at the time we were preparing for this, we received a stormy fire of artillery, that is, they placed (6) cannons at a rapid rate inside the village where we were.
"The position of the enemy's cannons was ascertained from the smoke, facing immediately W. of the tree line and Lefkon rather than the center of Krystali. Our units were collapsing towards the heights immediately N. of the village of Peta, when a force of German infantry arrived with (4) cars. The cars stopped in front of Papagiannakis center (before the intersection of the road to Peta) and the German pedestrians came moving towards the village. Our units, realizing the movement of the Germans in time, opened fire against them from automatic weapons. The Germans responded with corresponding weapons, but after a while the drillers broke up and fled and, returning to their cars, left behind a machine gun tape full of cartridges and various other items.
"The losses of the Germans are calculated at (25) outside the battle. By this time, one of the rebels was slightly wounded by a fireball. After the collapse of the Germans, the enemy Artillery, for three whole hours, fired all (6) guns against the village and the hills to the north of it. Our divisions, after the complete withdrawal of the Germans, retreated normally to their original positions.
"Deputy Petropoulakis, after (4) men of his battalion, followed the same route by which he entered the village, when an artillery shell fell close to this group, which managed to cover behind a wall, but the distance was so so small that Minister Petropoulakis died after receiving a large fragment in the head, while the other three were slightly injured.
"At 18:00 all the divisions came back and settled in the positions of predation in Pournari.
Behavior of officers and Rebels Minister Petropoulakis in all his activities was excellent both as a Commander and in individual bravery. He treated both the bullets and the artillery shells of the enemy with disdain, not counting this at all. Through the fire of his unit, he managed to disperse the infantry units of the enemy in an unexpected manner.
"In general, as always, he fought as a hero and should be ranked among the heroes. All the officers of the divisions showed bravery, excellent administrative ability and, above all, complete composure in the face of the stormy fire of the enemy artillery.- The insurgents showed a bravery and skill that we hardly met even in the regular army.
"First of all:I propose that all the participants be morally rewarded for their exceptional qualities and courage, which they demonstrated in this fierce conflict with the enemy and even under very disadvantageous conditions (lack of Artillery)".
PK