ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΣ ΣΒΟΡΩΝΟΣ - Colonel Dimitrios Svoronos

The officer of the Greek army Dimitrios Svoronos was a heroic colonel who fought in the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. Born in Fiscardo, Kefalonia.

He participated in the liberation of Katerini and with his courage he sparked the big win. He died in a heroic manner over the battle.

In his honor the village of Pieria Kolokouri was renamed Svoronos.

He was one of the most educated officers of the series. Modest, magnanimous and brave according to the testimonies of his fellow soldiers.

Ο αξιωματικός του ελληνικού στρατού Δημήτριος Σβορώνος υπήρξε ηρωικός αντισυνταγματάρχης που πολέμησε στους Βαλκανικούς Πολέμους του 1912-1913. Γεννήθηκε στα Σβορωνάτα της Κεφαλονιάς.

Πήρε μέρος στην απελευθέρωση της Κατερίνης και με το θάρρος του έδωσε το έναυσμα για τη μεγάλη νίκη. Σκοτώθηκε, με ηρωικό τρόπο πάνω στη μάχη.

Προς τιμήν του, το χωριό Κολοκούρι της Πιερίας μετονομάστηκε σε Σβορώνο.

Ήταν ένας από τους πλέον μορφωμένους αξιωματικούς της σειράς του. Μετριόφρων, μεγαλόκαρδος και γενναίος κατά τις μαρτυρίες των συμπολεμιστών του.

Liberation of Katerini

On the morning of October 15th of 1912 the 7th Division of the greek army left for the liberation of Katerini. It proceeded normally and without problems on the part of the enemy. Around 2 pm, and while the 20th unit of the Constitution, was approaching to Kolokouris (Svoronos current), the Greek army took fire fiercely from the northwest of the village, completely unannounced. Turkish soldiers were hiding in the dense forest area and set against the Greek army, leading to panicked soldiers and even a company ing to decline. The situation was the commander of the 20th Constitution, Colonel Dimitrios Svoronos, who ran in front on horseback and encouraging his soldiers.
But the Turks saw the gallons and grades and turned their fire on him. The Brave Svoronos was seriously injured. He continued, however, on horseback attacking until contested ever, passed away. The event caused an indescribable excitement and ed the morale of the Greek soldiers (Corfu and Zakynthos mostly), who bravely shouting, attacked relentlessly the Turks.
The battle lasted 3.5 hours in total. The Turkish army during the 5.30 pm was forced to retreat across the river Pelekas of Katerini. At 3 in the morning of October 16 came the orders of General Headquarters to speed up access.
The 20th Constitution proceeded northeast of Katerini, while the 19th remained behind at the disposal of the Division. The artillery took proper position on the heights in Kolokouri to support the movements of the infantry. The 7th Division marched without incident, after the Turkish army and many of the Turks of Katerini had left the city at night.
The liberation was greeted with enthusiasm to Katerini. At half past seven a.m. on 16 October, Greek troops entered the city. The Turkish army retreated to the Kitros and persecutions continued by Greek forces. The administration of Katerini gave up by the army in George Lanaridi from the Livadi in Mt. Olympos. Immediately after the liberation of thanksgiving was celebrated by Bishop Parthenios, in the Church of Divine Ascension.

MAKEDONIA

For the friends who are out of Greece:
Makedonia is the biggest region of Greece and the 2nd populous in Greece.It is inhabited by 3,000,000 Makedonians.

The region got the name from Makedona son of Zeus and Theia.

Makedonas in greek means the tall man.
Philip in greek means the friend of the horses.
Alexander in greek means the one who is captain and proctector of the men.


The greatest geographist of all ages Strabo said that << ...and Makedonia is Greece>>


The tomb of king Philip father of Alexander the Great is located at Vergina which of course is in Greece in about 50km away from Thessaloniki(capital city of Makedonia).Also in the same place there is the tomb of Alexander the Great's son Alexander IV.

Dion which is the place where Alexander the Great and the rest of the greeks(ecxept the Spartans) started the great campaign is of course in Greece and in the region of Makedonia.

Mt. Olympus the mythical mountain that was home of the gods is located in Greece and in the region of Makedonia.

University of Macedonia located at Thessaloniki in Greece and in the region of Makedonia . Of course there is no university in the name above in FYROM .

In Greece all of the above are known even by the stones.Of course, for the skopians all of the above mean nothing because they only want to crate a country with a history or else it will disappear quickly because there are people of many nationalities.

So it is without doubt that for us the Makedonians that we will never accept the Skopje (FYROM) to steal from us our national identity. We aren't making anything more than our ancestors would have done (and not the politics) concentrating peacefully to inform those who don't know the real history(but everything has it's borders, i don't know for how long we can accept the anti-propaganda and the challenges from a country which see only the good side of Greece).


Below there is a map with the regions of Greece
You can see clearly where Makedonia is located

EMMANOYIL PAPAS

EMMANOYIL PAPAS
(1773-1821)
LEADER AND PROTECTOR OF MAKEDONIAN




He was born in 1773 in the village Dovista near city of Serres.

Banker with great influence on the Greeks and Turks who financed with great amount of money, helping Greeks by building schools and churches in the Serres area.

He got married with his fellow villager Phaedra and made with her 11 children .

He was initated in Filiki eteria (which means society of friends ) in 1819 and gave to Konstantinos Papadato who was the leader of Filiki eteria in Constantinopole a lot of money for the preparation of the war against the Turks.

Two days before the start of the Greek revolution (23 March 1821) E. Papas bought at his own expense weapons,ammunition and supplies in Constantinople and departed for Mt Athos in Chalkidiki where he established his headquarters. Papas started the war operations against the Ottomans with his troops which were consisted of 3.000 Macedonians, (Greek inhabitants of Chalkidiki joined with other Greeks from Serres ) and some monks. His assistants were two other Macedonian chieftains,Kapetan Chapsas from Chalkidiki and Diamantis Nikolaou from Mt Olympus region.The insurgents won initially some victories over the Ottomans,mainly during May and June and achieved to reach the outskirts of the Macedonian capital Thessaloniki.But they started lacking ammunition and required supplies and when the adept Ottoman general Mehmed Emin (club-bearer) Pasha arrived leading a force of 14.000 men from Constantinople,the fate of the insurrection took a negative turn.The insurgents were limited in the peninsulas of Mt. Athos and Kassandra and totally defeated after the desicive battle at Vasilika where Kapetan Chapsas and his men fought to the death in order to save from the massacre women and children who were pursued by Ottoman troops.For retaliaton Turks jailed and killed many Makedonians.Papas retreated to the monastery of Esphigmenou accompanied by his son Ioannis and some of his faithful followers but he risked there to be captured by the Ottomans because some monks went with the Turks.So he fled to southern Greece, embarking on the same ship that brought him to Chalkidiki , but died en route of heart attack on December 5,1821.

After the repression of the Greek revolution in Macedonia, many Macedonian fighters and chieftains (like Karatasos , Kasomoulis and many others) fled to southern Greece where they continued to struggle alongside their brethren for the liberation of Greece. Of course the same did the 4 sons of Emmanouil Papa of whom only one survived : Anastasios,who survived of the siege of Mesolongi.The fate of the other 3 wasn't different of that of their father:Athanasios was captured and executed by the Ottomans near Chalkida in 1826,Ioannis was killed in 1825 fighting alongside chieftain Papaflesas in the battle of Maniaki and Nikolaos was one of chieftain's Karaiskakis men who fell in the battle of Faliro,in 1827.As for Papas' wife and the underage children,they were imprisoned for many years by the Ottomans,their house was burnt and the rest of their property was confiscated.They were released after many years,having lost all of their vast property,their father and three of their brothers for the freedom of Greece.

The remnants of Emmanouil Papa were transported in 1966 from Hydra where he was burried to Serres.