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The Greek Civil War: A Tragic Story of How a Nation Tore Itself Apart in Photos

When World War II ended, most of Europe celebrated. But in the mountains and cities of Greece, the fighting was just getting started. A brutal civil war was about to erupt, tearing the nation apart and turning it into the first hot battlefield of the new Cold War. This wasn’t a simple conflict; it was a storm that had been brewing for years, born in the chaos of Nazi occupation.

The Seeds of Hate: Resistance and Rivalry

During World War II, Greece was crushed under the boot of German and Italian occupation. The Greek king and his government fled into exile, leaving a massive power vacuum. Into this void stepped the Greek people, who formed powerful resistance groups to fight the invaders. But these groups were not united. They had vastly different ideas about what a free Greece should look like, and they hated each other almost as much as they hated the occupiers.

The largest and most effective resistance force was EAM-ELAS. EAM was the political front, and its military wing, ELAS, was dominated by the Greek Communist Party (KKE). They were organized, ruthless, and incredibly popular with many Greeks who felt abandoned by the old government. Their vision was a socialist republic, free from the monarchy and foreign influence.

Their main rival was EDES, a smaller, right-leaning nationalist group. They wanted to restore the pre-war republic and vehemently opposed the communists. As early as 1943, with the Germans still occupying the country, these two Greek resistance armies began fighting each other. They were engaged in a pre-civil war, a bloody struggle for who would control Greece the moment the Nazis left.

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The First Shots: The Battle for Athens

In October 1944, the German army retreated from Greece. British troops landed, not just as liberators, but to ensure the returning Greek king and his government-in-exile would regain control. A shaky “Government of National Unity” was formed, including representatives from all sides, but it was a house of cards. The breaking point came when the new government, backed by the British, demanded that all resistance forces disarm.

ELAS, which controlled most of the country, saw this for what it was: a political move to strip them of their power. They refused. On December 3, 1944, a massive, pro-EAM demonstration filled the streets of Athens. The protest was peaceful until government police opened fire on the unarmed crowd, killing dozens.

Athens exploded. The event, known as the Dekemvriana (December Events), triggered a 37-day street battle for the capital. It was a brutal, close-quarters fight between the communist-led ELAS and the combined forces of the British Army and Greek government troops. British tanks and soldiers fought Greek guerrillas house by house. In the end, the British military superiority was too much. ELAS was defeated in Athens and, in February 1945, was forced to sign the Varkiza Agreement, promising to lay down its arms.

The White Terror

The Varkiza Agreement was supposed to bring peace. It brought the opposite. The deal was completely one-sided. While the communists disarmed, the right-wing militias and security forces did not. What followed was a period known as the White Terror. For over a year, right-wing gangs, often with a nod from the police, hunted down anyone suspected of being a leftist.

Former ELAS members, their families, and anyone associated with the communist cause were targeted. They were arrested, thrown into island prisons, tortured, and murdered. This campaign of terror made it impossible for the KKE to participate in politics safely. When a general election was held in 1946, the communists boycotted it, knowing the vote would be rigged and their supporters would be too afraid to go to the polls. The right-wing, royalist parties won a massive victory.

Faced with political extinction and physical annihilation, the Greek communists saw only one option left. They decided to fight back. They retreated to the mountains of northern Greece and took up arms once again, officially beginning the Greek Civil War in March 1946.

A Global Battlefield

The conflict pitted two new armies against each other. On one side was the Greek National Army (GNA), the official military of the royalist government in Athens. On the other was the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE), the rebuilt guerrilla force of the Communist Party, led by the brilliant commander Markos Vafiadis.

The DSE used the rugged mountains as their sanctuary, launching classic guerrilla raids against government forces. Their fight was fueled by outside help. The new communist states of Yugoslavia, Albania, and Bulgaria, located just across the northern border, provided the DSE with weapons, supplies, and a safe place to retreat and regroup.

The GNA was initially backed by Great Britain. But by 1947, Britain was economically shattered by WWII and could no longer afford the mission. They informed the United States they were pulling out. This was a critical moment for the West. On March 12, 1947, U.S. President Harry S. Truman went before Congress and announced what would become the Truman Doctrine. He declared that the United States would provide support to “free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation.” Greece was the first test case.

America’s entry changed everything. A flood of U.S. military aid—planes, artillery, and even the chemical weapon napalm—poured into the hands of the Greek National Army. American military advisors arrived to train and direct the GNA’s campaigns. The small, internal Greek conflict was now a full-blown proxy war between the United States and the Soviet sphere of influence.

The Final Act

The massive influx of American aid began to tip the scales. The GNA swelled in size and strength. At the same time, the communists made a critical mistake. They switched from flexible guerrilla tactics to conventional warfare, trying to seize and hold territory like a regular army. This made them a much easier target for the GNA’s superior airpower and artillery.

The final, fatal blow to the DSE came not from the battlefield, but from politics. In 1948, a major split occurred between Yugoslavia’s leader, Josip Broz Tito, and the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin. Tito, seeking to assert his independence, decided to cut his ties with the pro-Stalin Greek communists. In July 1949, he closed the Yugoslavian border, cutting off the DSE’s most important supply line and escape route.

The Greek National Army saw its chance. In August 1949, they launched Operation Pyrsos (Operation Torch), a final, massive offensive against the DSE’s last strongholds in the Grammos and Vitsi mountains. Pounded by air strikes and overwhelmed by ground troops, the DSE was crushed. The surviving fighters fled across the border into Albania, and the Greek Communist Party announced a “temporary” ceasefire, effectively ending the war.

#1 Steel-helmeted Elas troops use a corner building as a shelter as they fire at police headquarters during a civil uprising in Athens, 1944.

Steel-helmeted Elas troops use a corner building as a shelter as they fire at police headquarters during a civil uprising in Athens, 1944.

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#2 Greek government commandos near Karpenisi, equipped with British berets and American fur-trimmed jackets, 1948.

Greek government commandos near Karpenisi, equipped with British berets and American fur-trimmed jackets, 1948.

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#3 A sentry on guard on Mount Likebetos, overlooking the city of Athens; military forces were employed to guard the city against possible attacks from communist paratrooper guerrillas, 1947.

A sentry on guard on Mount Likebetos, overlooking the city of Athens; military forces were employed to guard the city against possible attacks from communist paratrooper guerrillas, 1947.

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#4 Refugee children in a filthy cellar at Piraeus during the Greek Civil War, 1947.

Refugee children in a filthy cellar at Piraeus during the Greek Civil War, 1947.

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#5 Greek National Guards bring prisoners from guerilla-occupied territory to Drama in northern Greece, 1948.

Greek National Guards bring prisoners from guerilla-occupied territory to Drama in northern Greece, 1948.

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#6 A Home Guard at Goumenissa, Macedonia, after an Andartes raid during the Greek Civil War, 1947.

A Home Guard at Goumenissa, Macedonia, after an Andartes raid during the Greek Civil War, 1947.

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#7 The Greek army opening fire on guerrilla troops during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

The Greek army opening fire on guerrilla troops during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#8 A group of soldiers loading a wounded man on a stretcher into a van during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

A group of soldiers loading a wounded man on a stretcher into a van during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#9 A Greek soldier surveys the surrounding mountainside from his tank during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

A Greek soldier surveys the surrounding mountainside from his tank during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#10 A pair of Greek soldiers make contact with their troops on a field radio during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

A pair of Greek soldiers make contact with their troops on a field radio during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#11 A Greek commando soldier, wearing a fur-collared jacket supplied by the Americans, waits for a guerrilla target to emerge during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

A Greek commando soldier, wearing a fur-collared jacket supplied by the Americans, waits for a guerrilla target to emerge during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#12 Government troops are instructed to cease travelling and fortify their position during the night, when the guerrilla army is more likely to attack; the last transport of the night makes its way along a lonely mountain road during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

Government troops are instructed to cease travelling and fortify their position during the night, when the guerrilla army is more likely to attack; the last transport of the night makes its way along a lonely mountain road during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#13 An old Greek woman takes her most precious possession, a calf, loads it onto her donkey and heads away from the battle zone during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

An old Greek woman takes her most precious possession, a calf, loads it onto her donkey and heads away from the battle zone during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#14 A band of Greek army commandos on the move during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

A band of Greek army commandos on the move during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#15 A Greek woman checks in with the village patrol for the evening curfew during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

A Greek woman checks in with the village patrol for the evening curfew during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#16 Greek commander General Vadzis holds a conference with General Van Fleet of the US and Major-General Down of Britain during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

Greek commander General Vadzis holds a conference with General Van Fleet of the US and Major-General Down of Britain during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#17 A Greek soldier keeps his machine gun at the ready, on the lookout for guerrilla troops during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

A Greek soldier keeps his machine gun at the ready, on the lookout for guerrilla troops during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#18 A truck carries a band of government soldiers along a rocky mountain pass during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

A truck carries a band of government soldiers along a rocky mountain pass during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#19 Monarchist soldiers armed with a machine gun guarding a mountain garrison at Karpenisi during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

Monarchist soldiers armed with a machine gun guarding a mountain garrison at Karpenisi during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#20 A mule train carrying ammunition near Papades on Euboia during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

A mule train carrying ammunition near Papades on Euboia during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#21 Officers plan the assault on Mount Kiapha at Mount Lyoku during the Greek Civil War, while a Greek Orthodox priest drinks coffee; each brigade has a chaplain who travels with them, 1947.

Officers plan the assault on Mount Kiapha at Mount Lyoku during the Greek Civil War, while a Greek Orthodox priest drinks coffee; each brigade has a chaplain who travels with them, 1947.

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#22 One exhausted guerrilla fighter surrenders to the Greek army during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

One exhausted guerrilla fighter surrenders to the Greek army during the Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#23 Greek regular soldiers search a peasant and his wife for arms, which are being smuggled to the Andartes rebels during the Greek Civil War, 1947.

Greek regular soldiers search a peasant and his wife for arms, which are being smuggled to the Andartes rebels during the Greek Civil War, 1947.

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#24 Greek soldiers climbing ropes during training by British officers in the Greek civil war, 1947.

Greek soldiers climbing ropes during training by British officers in the Greek civil war, 1947.

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#25 A class of recruits in the technical training wing of a Greek training centre are given advice from a British instructor during the civil war, 1947.

A class of recruits in the technical training wing of a Greek training centre are given advice from a British instructor during the civil war, 1947.

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#27 Partisan formations marching in a crowded street of Athens to celebrate the liberation on the fourth anniversary of the Axis forces attack, Athens, Greece, 1944.

Partisan formations marching in a crowded street of Athens to celebrate the liberation on the fourth anniversary of the Axis forces attack, Athens, Greece, 1944.

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#28 Winston Churchill disembarking HMS Ajax at Athens, Greece to attend a conference with the Greek government, 1944.

Winston Churchill disembarking HMS Ajax at Athens, Greece to attend a conference with the Greek government, 1944.

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#29 Government troops advancing during engagements at Konitzsa, Greek Civil War, 1940s.

Government troops advancing during engagements at Konitzsa, Greek Civil War, 1940s.

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#31 Blown up bridge between Joannina and Konitsa by the Democratic Army, Greek Civil War, 1948.

Blown up bridge between Joannina and Konitsa by the Democratic Army, Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#32 Government troops on the way to the front along the road from Yannina to Konitsa, Greek Civil War, 1948.

Government troops on the way to the front along the road from Yannina to Konitsa, Greek Civil War, 1948.

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#33 Two officers after the fightings at Konitsa, Greek Civil War, 1947

Two officers after the fightings at Konitsa, Greek Civil War, 1947

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#36 Soldiers of the 23rd Armoured Brigade in Petmeza Street, Athens, during the Dekemvriana; the Sherman tank is from C Squadron, 46th Royal Tank Regiment and the soldier stands besides graffiti from the KKE, 1944.

Soldiers of the 23rd Armoured Brigade in Petmeza Street, Athens, during the Dekemvriana; the Sherman tank is from C Squadron, 46th Royal Tank Regiment and the soldier stands besides graffiti from the KKE, 1944.

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#37 British soldiers of the Parachute Regiment alongside a Scottish band in Athens, 1945.

British soldiers of the Parachute Regiment alongside a Scottish band in Athens, 1945.

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#38 British soldiers of the Parachute Regiment engage in rooftop fighting against factions of the Greek resistance in Athens during the Dekemvriana, 1944.

British soldiers of the Parachute Regiment engage in rooftop fighting against factions of the Greek resistance in Athens during the Dekemvriana, 1944.

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Written by Andrew Thompson

Andrew Thompson is an archaeologist and historian who specializes in the study of war and conflict. He writes about the brutal history of warfare, including the World Wars and other significant conflicts. Through his work, he aims to deepen our understanding of the human cost of conflict and inspire us to work towards a more peaceful future.

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