Pontokerasia is a small mountain village in the prefecture of Kilkis on the border with the prefecture of Serres. In 1946, the 4th Company of the 567th Infantry Battalion of the 37th Brigade of the X Infantry Division was stationed there. The company, under captain Michael Stefanou, had 120 men and was encamped on a hill outside the village.
The captain settled in a house on the outskirts of the village. Although four binoculars had been installed, no measures had been taken to cover the routes to the camp. Curiously, also the company's machine guns were stored in a house in the village.
Around 03:15 in the morning of July 5, 1946 groups of women and children from Pontokerasia and other villages suddenly appeared in front of the camp of the company shouting slogans in favor of "the people" and calling on the soldiers to "unite with the people".
The aims of the company, put into service that night by Communist Corporal Skandzelis, like-minded themselves y, they didn't react. Due to the commotion the officers of the company rushed to the gathered people calling them to disperse and return to their homes.
In response they received a shower of stones. Some officers suggested firing shots into the air for intimidation, while others advised patience. This is where the lack of leadership of the company became apparent, the leader of which should have made a decision but did not.
Thus the disturbance spread and together with those gathered they joined and kissed the rebel soldiers of the company . Suddenly the gathered moved away revealing behind them a force of about 100 rebels who had taken up fighting positions under their cover.
In no time the insurgents opened heavy fire against the company, with mortar, machine gun and submachine guns. At the same time, the communist soldiers of the company started shooting at their colleagues from behind.
As expected, panic ensued which captain Stefanou tried in vain to contain. Finally the captain fled with a few soldiers arriving about three hours later in the village of Parochthios.
Meanwhile the camp of the company was plundered, and all the arms, food, and ammunition fell into the hands of the rebels, together with one horse and 19 half-horses. Immediately after, the rebel section moved towards Beles entering "socialist", Yugoslav territory of "brother" Tito.
About 40 soldiers of the company under Skandzelis went with them. In the ambush the company had seven dead and 33 wounded.
This ambush is different from analogs for two reasons. The first has to do with the rebels using civilians as shields behind which the rebels deployed for battle and the second with the behaviour of the like-minded soldiers of the company who struck from behind the men with whom they had shared the same curamana and the same cigarette only moments before.
According to the official history of the DIS/GES, the rebels were pursued and suffered losses, abandoning some of the looted material. Also Skandzelis and 17 suicide bombers were arrested later.
In August 1946 by the military court of Kilkis Skandzelis, the village teacher, five soldiers and five villagers were sentenced to death and executed. 14 other villagers and two men from the company were sentenced to life imprisonment.