National and Social Liberation

The well-known by the acronym EKKA National and Social Liberation ( Greek Εθνική και Κοινωνική Απελευθέρωσις, Ethniki ke cinema Niki Apeleftherosis ) was a resistance movement against the German occupation of Greece during World War II.

The Republican- oriented social democratic organization was created by the venizelistischen Colonel Dimitrios Psarros ( Δημήτριος Ψαρρός ) founded in October 1941 together with the politician Georgios Kartalis. Military arm of the organization was the Evzonen Regiment 5/42, founded in 1943.

The organization had up to 1,000 fighters. It partially worked together with the larger anti-communist resistance organization EDES, while the ratio for the communist -influenced Greek People's Liberation Army, ELAS was characterized from the beginning of rivalry. The EKKA was active mainly in central Greece in the region of Phocis. She was dependent on British support.

The ELAS claimed the sole leadership of the resistance, claiming the EKKA kollaboriere with the enemy, already tried to disarm the EKKA in May 1943. At the urging of the British, however, the resistance organizations found in an agreement, the "National gangs Agreement " in which they provided a coordinated approach. However, concentrated forces of ELAS of 1,400 men attacked the regiment 5/42 on April 14, 1944 near the village of climate on. The 450 men of the regiment 5/42 held their position for several days, until they were forced to retreat. However, most of the regiment remained with Colonel Psarros, who refused to go. Psarros was captured and killed. Many men also the EKKA were captured, mostly tortured and killed. This meant the end of the organization, even if Kartalis even as their representatives participated in the Lebanon Conference of the resistance groups and the government in exile in the following month.