Greek Atrocities in Macedonia by Risto Stefov

"Ethnic cleansing" may be a modern term but its meaning is well understood by the Macedonian people living in northern Greece. Ever since Greece occupied part of Macedonia, in the early 20th century, Macedonian people have experienced ethnic cleansing first hand.

This series of articles will present evidence of atrocities perpetrated by the Greek State against the innocent Macedonian civilian populations prior to, during and after the Balkan wars. Most of the information contained in the articles is obtained from the 1913 Carnegie Inquiry and from Greek sources.

NOTE: I must emphasize again that there were no Greek, Bulgarian or Serbian villages in Macedonia in 1913 as referenced to by the authors of the Carnegie report. The majority of the indigenous people living in Macedonia prior to the Greek, Serbian and Bulgarian occupation were Macedonians. Among the Macedonians also lived Turkish, Albanian and Vlach minorities.

The only Greeks living in Greek occupied Macedonia were the colonists settled there by the Greek State after the 1913 occupation and partition.

BURNED VILLAGES

The list of burned villages which follows will be found to be accurate, in the sense that it includes no villages which have not been burned. But it is far from complete, save as regards the Kukush and Strumnitsa regions.

Many other villages were burned, particularly in the Serres and Drama districts. In many cases we have not been able to discover the exact number of houses in a village. It will be noted that the list includes a few Turkish villages in Bulgarian [occupied] territory burned by the Greeks, and a few villages burned by the Servians [Serbians]. The immense majority of the villages are, however, Bulgarian [Macedonian] villages burned by the Greek army in its northward march.

The number of burned villages included in this list is 161, and the number of houses burned is approximately 14,480.

We estimate that the number of houses burned by the Greeks in the second [Balkan] war can not fall short of 16,000.
The figures which follow the names indicate the number of houses in each village.

District of Strumnitsa

Eleven Bulgarian [Macedonian] villages burned by the Greeks, with number of houses in each:

Dabilia (50),
Novo-selo (160),
Veliussa,
Monastira,
Svrabite,
Popchevo (43),
Kostourino (130),
Rabortsi (15),
Cham-Tchiflik (20),
Baldevtsi (2),
Zoubovo (30).

Nine Turkish villages burned by the Greeks:

Amzali (150),
Guetcherli (5),
Tchanakli (2),
Novo-Mahala (2),
Ednokoukovo (80),
Sekirnik (30),
Souchitsa (10),
Svidovitsa (10),
Borissovo (15).

Two Patriarchist villages

Mokreni (16),
Makrievo (10),
with three-fourths of the town of Strumnitsa, about 1,000 houses and shops.

In all over 1,620 houses.

District of Petrits

Fourteen villages burned by the Greeks:

Charbanovo,
Breznitsa,
Mouraski,
Mitinovo,
Ormanli,
Michnevo,
Starochevo,
Klutch,
Koniarene,
Kalarevo,
Mikrevo,
Gabrene,
Skrit
Smolare
(the two last partially)

District of Raslog

Dobrinishta (298).

District of Gorna

Djoumaia,
Simitli,
Dolno-Souchitsa,
Srbinovo (200)
(the last burned by the Greeks after the peace of Bucharest).

District of Melnik

Sixteen Bulgarian [Macedonian] villages burned by the Greeks:

Spatovo,
Makriko- stenovo,
Sklave (30),
Sveti-Vratch (200),
Livounovo (60),
Dolni-Orman (90),
Tchiflitsite,
Prepetcheno (20),
Kapotovo,
Kromidovo,
Harsovo (100),
Dolna-Oumitsa,
Hotovo,
Spatovo (16),
Spanchevo (30),
Otovo (60).

District of Nevrokop

Seven Bulgarian [Macedonian] villages burned by the Greeks:

Dolna-Brodi (300),
Libiachovo (400),
Kara-Keui (40),
Godlevo,
Tarlis (10),
Obidin,
Tcham-Tchiflik,
(and ten houses in the town of Nevrokop)
(also the Turkish village of Koprivnik (100).

District of Salonica.

Bulgarian [Macedonian] villages burned by the Greeks:

Negovan,
Ravna,
Bogorod.

District of Ziliahovo

Bulgarian [Macedonian] villages burned by the Greeks:

Skrijevo,
Libechovo.
Kalapot (partially),
Alistratik (partially),
Guredjik.

District of Kukush.

Forty Bulgarian [Macedonian] villages burned by the Greeks:

Kukush town 1,846 houses, 612 shops, 5 mills.
Idjilar (70),
Aliodjalar (50),
Goliabache (40).
Salamanli (15),
Ambar-Keul (35),
Karaja-Kadar (25),
Alchaklish (13),
Seslovo (30),
Stresovo (20),
Chikirlia (15),
Irikli (20),
Gramadna (100),
Alexovo (100),
Morartsi (350),
Roschlevo (40),
Motolevo (250),
Planitsa in part (180),
Nimantsi (40),
Postolar (38),
Yensko (45),
Koujoumarli (30),
Bigliria (18),
Kazanovo (20),
Dramomirtsi (115) in part,
Gavalantsi (45),
Kretsovo (45),
Michailovo (15),
Kalinovo (35),
Tsigountsi (35),
Harsovo (50),
Novoseleni in part (20),
Malovtsi (20),
Vrighitourtsi (15),
Garbachel (30),
Haidarli (10),
Daoutli (18),
Tchtemnitsa (40),
Rayahovo (150) in part,
Gola (15).

In all 4,725 buildings.

District of Doiran.

Eleven Bulgarian [Macedonian] villages burned by the Greeks:

Akanjeli (150),
Dourbali,
Nicolits,
Pataros,
Sourlevo,
Popovo,
Hassanli,
Brest,
Vladaia,
Dimontsi,
Ratartsi.

District of Demir-Hissar

Five Bulgarian [Macedonian] villages burned by the Greeks:

Kruchevo (800),
Kirchevo (180),
Tchervishta (170),
German (80),
Djouta-Mahala.

District of Serres

Six Bulgarian [Macedonian] villages burned by the Greeks:

Doutli (100),
Orehovatz (130),
Drenovo,
Moklen,
Frouchtani,
Banitsa (120).

District of Gevgheli

Fifteen Bulgarian [Macedonian] and three Vlach villages burned, mainly by the Greeks, but in two cases by the Servians [Serbians]:

Sehovo,
Schlopentsi,
Matchoukovo,
Smol, Baialtsi,
Marventsi,
Orehovitsa,
Smokvitsa,
Balentsi,
Braikovtsi,
Kostourino,
Mouine,
Stoyacovo,
Fourca,
Ohani,
Houma (Vlach),
Longountsa (vlach)

It is important to note at this point that the Macedonian people did not raise arms against the invading allied armies (Greek, Serbian and Bulgarian). Instead of opposing them, the Macedonians welcomed the allied armies and in fact helped them evict the Turkish forces from Macedonia.

The atrocities committed against the civilian population in Macedonia including the burning of villages was simply a cold act of genocide perpetrated to eradicate the Macedonian population in order to make room for Greek colonization.

This concludes the series.

References:

George F. Kennan. "The Other Balkan Wars" A 1913 Carnegie Endowment Inquiry in Retrospect with a New Introduction and Reflections on the Present Conflict. Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 1993. p.p. 314-315

For comments regarding this article contact the author at rstefov@hotmail.com