A small transcript of my grandfathers memoirs of the 1940-1941 Greek Italian war. As it was written by memory from my grandfather.( The page in the photo is in my own hand writing for a school project of my son).
” We reached the outpost, I was the first i got there. I laid on the left side of the outpost. I was getting shot from the flank as the Italians where shooting the outpost.. WATCH OUT!! they shouted at me from behind, So I didn’t get inside. There where two Sergeants and some soldiers , a sergeant wounded out there dug in. I could see at 200 meters the Italians running down the bushes. I called them to stop, 2-3 stayed and surrendered but the others slowly where trying to slide away. I raised my gun and took a shot, with the second one I got one of them. He fell down and shouted mostly not out of pain but because from the left the platoon of (the later on killed in action) Captain Schina ( He was afraid that they would finish him off). So I shouted out, (because he was yelling something sounding like asking for mercy), “STOP, He is wounded!!” They brought him over and I had shot him on the left side of the head over his eye. I put a bandage around his head and we encouraged him. I told him “For you the war is over“
War memoirs 1940-1941 Nikolaos Douralas
Footnote. The Survived Italian soldier came to Athens, Chaidari around 30 years after the war along with his family to thank my granddad. Unfortunately he didn’t find him because he had returned to Koroni and didn’t have the chance to thank him first hand.
Comment: I am proud for the ethics of the Greek soldier in the heat of the battle and more proud that a member of my family acted accordingly.
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