Distomo Case

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Oleg Grigoryev
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Distomo Case

#1

Post by Oleg Grigoryev » 20 Apr 2004, 10:08

I remeber that last year there was "dog-fight" of a sort between Greece and German courts in regards to compensation for Distomo masacare. Since then it seems that the story went away. Does anyone aware about the present satate of the case?

http://home.t-online.de/home/Dieter.Beg ... stoeng.htm

David Thompson
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#2

Post by David Thompson » 20 Apr 2004, 20:54

Oleg -- According to this recent announcement for a program held 2 days ago, the Distomo disagreement continues:

http://www.hellenicmuseum.org/programs/distomo.html


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Oleg Grigoryev
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#3

Post by Oleg Grigoryev » 21 Apr 2004, 21:13

Thank you David.

Rob - wssob2
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#4

Post by Rob - wssob2 » 23 Apr 2004, 00:39

FYI - background information on the topic for folks who may not be familiar with the case:

June 1944: June 10: Units from SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 7 on an antipartisan sweep, massacre circa 218-300+ Greek civilians in the village of Distomo. George Koch, a member of the Wehrmacht GFP (Geheime Feldpolizei), accompanied the SS troops during the sweep and submits report on the incident. Koch's report states that: the Polizei troops walked through the village without incident, but were later ambused by Greek guerrillas outside of it. The guerrillas escaped, and that the SS troops actually doubled back into the village and began a viscious "atonement action" which included rape and looting as well as shooting civilians. Koch's report directly contradicts the report SS-Hauptstrumführer Fritz Lautenbach, submitted to his battalion CO (SS-Standartenführer Schührers).
June 20: A Red Cross delegation visits Distomo to investigate the incident and find corpses swinging from the trees along the route. News of the massacre travels to the collaborationist Greek govenrment.
Concerned over the impact of the massacre on both the military and political situation in occupied Greece, the Wehrmacht opens up an investigation headed by Special Envoy Neubacher & charges SS-Hauptstrumführer Lautenbach with falsifying a military report. (of course the investigation team neither includes nor interviews Greek civilians) SS-Standartenführer Schührers responds to the charges that although his company is technically guilty of falsifying a report, his unit acted correctly under the circumstances. The inquiry is dropped as the massacre is judged a "military necessity" due to the supposed collaboration between the guerrillas and the Distomo villagers.

see also: Inside Hitler's Greece: The Experience of Occupation 1941-44 - Mark Mazower - Yale University Press - 1993

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