Generals of the Dead Army

Dean Kalimniou writes opinion pieces for Neos Kosmos, a Greek-Australian newspaper in Melbourne.  Readers can access his excellent writing on his very own blog called "Diatribe."  The following post, which is a year old, speaks volumes of the current state of Greek-Albanian relations and stands in sharp contrast to the meticulous care and respect accorded the German dead on the island of Crete where over 25,000 civilians were killed by the occupying forces.  The German cemetery at Maleme where 4,000 Germans were interred was tended by the Cretan hero, George Psychoundakis until his death.

"Recently, the very hypothesis of Ismail Kadare's  "The General of the Dead Army" was re-enacted, this time by the grieving relatives of Greek soldiers who fell in Albania during World War II. Unlike German and Italian soldiers, with whom Albania was allied during that war, Greek soldiers represent an enemy and occupying force that attempted to re-annex Northern Epirus and denude Albania of its southern provinces. As a result, the corpses of Greek soldiers have been left to decompose, being turned over by the occasional plow and exhumed to prove that even beyond the decomposition of the flesh and the passing of time, hatreds may still remain, hatreds as tragically Greek as Kadare's own masterpiece, given that Creon-like, up until now, the authorities, despite signing an agreement with Greece, have refused these soldiers, a proper burial.
One of the Albanian workers hired to assist in the exhumation was caught robbing the remains and as a result, was fired. Technically, it is illegal in Albania to perform exhumations without a license and the disgraced grave robber reported to the authorities that he was engaged to desecrate Albanian graves. As the exhumation was accompanied by an Orthodox priest who sang the trisagion, various Albanian members of Parliament, enmeshed in the throes of nationalist hysteria, accused the Orthodox Archbishop of Albania of grave desecration, spying for Greece, being a traitor and called for his removal from the country. The hapless priest, has now been jailed.
The bare bones of paranoia lie just under the surface of the topsoil in Albania and can be stripped down to their essence by anyone, let alone a general. The president of Albania, Alfred Moisiu, whose father was an officer in the oppressive Zog regime and then the totalitarian regime of Enver Hoxha and fought in the battle for Elbasan where Italian troops halted the advance of the Greek army towards central Albania, is absolutely opposed to the proper burial of the Greek soldiers. Circles close to him report that the construction of proper cemeteries to house the remains of the fallen and long forgotten soldiers is considered to be as tantamount to extending the Greek borders up until that spot and it will be a long time before the jagged, hostile and unforgiving terrain that has seen so much misery over the course of the twentieth century, will give up our dead to us. "Us" and "them" is as a reality of today's Albania as it is in the fiction of Kadare."

Read the whole thing here.

Comments

[Stavros Stavridis]

Neos Kosmos is Australia's largest circulating Greek-Australian newspaper which is published on Mondays and Thursdays. It appears on Saturdays as Nea Hellada. This newspaper started publication in 1957 and still going strong.

[Leonidas]

How would you feel if that was your great grandfather or grandfather left without a proper service.That's what they want,remember karma.

[jani]

this article is a lie.the priest was taking the bodies of albanian citizens and passing them as greek soldiers there was never a battle in that area and the worker wasnt robing graves he was working for the priest but called the cops when he read his grandmothers name on the grave the priest wanted to take the body. abyway this is helpless u wont belive me.it just amazes me how u lie to yourself and belive it.

[Stavros]

Jani,

The Albanian government past and present has never done anything to honor the Greek soldiers who helped liberate at least a part of Albania from the Italians. Albania was occupied by Italy and Albanians were on the Allied side during World War II, or at least that is the latest version of Albanian history. We were on the same side, right?

If Albanians consider the Greeks enemies then they should still do the humane thing and at least honor their final resting place or assist the effort to identify their remains. BTW, there are a number of cemeteries in Greece where foreign soldiers, British and German are buried and they are well maintained and accorded respect.

http://ww1cemeteries.com/other_cemeteries_ext/maleme_german_cem.htm

Too bad Albanians can't do the right thing although they are quite good at accusing others of lying.

[Kosta]

Jani,

My papou (may his memory be eternal) fought in Epirus. With his own eyes did he see countless Greeks and even more Italians die in Albania. No lie. Just history.

If this is an indication of what sort of country Albania is, then it has a long time before it can join the civilized world.

Kosta

[John]

When ever will be a time that Greeks wherever they live will understand that world is not what they dream during the day and pray at nights. Greek Army occupied Albania the same as Italian and German army did, an occupier is not a liberator.

If you had any brain left you should use to find how the Greek army have no records of their dead soldiers.

It is not responsibility of Albanians to find where the Greek army left their own dead soldiers.

I was born and raised in south (Gjirokaster). I have read and hear plenty of stories how Greek soldiers were deserted by their army and government in the villages of Albania and saved (fed and protected) by poor Albania villagers.

It was Venizellos and Co. that pushed out of Greece land thousand of soldiers who died in the borders with Albania and no one cared for them.

Till you learn to respect your own dead soldiers do not ask other to do so.

[Leonard]

Hi

Been an Albanian even from north surprisingly i see many similarities with greeks. Some of my cousins that studied only 7 years in the school hardly finishing it surprisingly learned greek in one year.
In some villages of Athina they told me that they met greeks that could comunicate freely in southern accent of albanian language. And what puzzled tem most was that they were saying that no way they were albanians but more greeks than even greeks. These people are called arvaniti.

Pls don't use these graves to separate us cause even that you don't accept we are brothers. We reassemble the ancient people of pellazg which is our ancient origine. May be we had different way in centuries but still we remained like brothers; mind you Sulioti and arvaniti that fought for greeks and gave their way.

There's no need for hatred between us.
Religion is one thing that came and will go but Ancient greeks new nothing of christiandom or muslim. Is there a chance that religion fanatizem is spoiling our glorious memories?

Ej by the way the albanian flag doesn't join us?
it is the symbol of Konstandinopul.

[Stavros]

Leonard,

This blog does not promote hatred against Albanians. My father spoke fluent Albanian. My father was born in Sheperi and my mother was born in Politsani. I was never taught to hate Albanians, only bad behavior.

The Albanians who live in Kosovo do not consider themselves Serbian, why does it seem strange that Greeks living in Albania don't consider themselves Albanian. That doesn't mean we all can't get along peacefully.

I am not sure why the issue of the graves is a controversial one. A number of years ago I visited the German cemetery in Crete.

http://www.ww1cemeteries.com/other_cemeteries_ext/maleme_german_cem.htm

The Germans executed 25,000 civilians in Crete.

What's the problem in Albania?

I do appreciate your courteous comments however, and you are welcome back anytime.

Here's a little gift, don't know what he is saying but I like it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cQaU8Y5j2Y&feature=related