Greek People's Liberation Navy

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Greek People's Liberation Navy Ελληνικό Λαϊκό Απελευθερωτικό Ναυτικό
An ELAN ship seizes a vessel during patrol
Dates of operation	1942–1945
Size	~1,200 men, ~100 mostly small armed boats
Part of	National Liberation Front
Allies	Soviet Union, SNOF, Albanian Partisans, Bulgarian Partisans, Yugoslav Partisans, Yugoslavia (Until July 1949), SOE
Opponents	German Army, Royal Italian Army, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Collaborationist government, Security Battalions, Kingdom of Greece
Battles and wars	Greek resistance Greek Civil War

The Greek People's Liberation Navy (Greek: Ελληνικό Λαϊκό Απελευθερωτικό Ναυτικό; Elliniko Laiko Apeleftherotiko Naftiko), commonly abbreviated as ELAN (ΕΛΑΝ), was the naval force of the communist-led Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) resistance movement during World War II, and later during the Greek Civil War.^[1]^[2]

ELAN was essentially an auxiliary coastal force, operating mostly caïque and other small vessels near the coasts of the Greek mainland and between the islands. By mid-1944 however it had grown to about 100 mostly small armed boats and over 1,200 men, divided into seven squadrons of three or four flotillas with up to six vessels each.

Structure

By the time of Liberation in late October 1944, ELAN was organized into six squadrons and a number of independent detachments, named after their areas of operations. These were:

1st Squadron operating in the western Peloponnese and Zakynthos
2nd Squadron operating in western Continental Greece and the northern Ionian Islands
3rd Squadron operating in the Euboic, Saronic and Malian gulfs
4th Squadron operating on the coasts of Pelion and the Pagasetic Gulf
5th Squadron operating on the coasts of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
6th Squadron operating in the Thermaic Gulf and Chalcidice
Independent Squadron operating in the Argolic Gulf
ELAN of Chios
ELAN of Lesbos

References

^ Elaine Thomopoulos (2012), The History of Greece, ABC-CLIO, pp. 130–, ISBN 978-0-313-37511-8
^ American University (Washington, D.C.). Special Warfare Research Division; Doris M. Condit (1961), Case Study in Guerrilla War: Greece During World War II, Special Warfare Research Division, Special Operations Research Office, American University, pp. 332–

Greece during World War II

1940–1941 Balkans Campaign

Greco-Italian War
(1940–1941)

Battles

Leaders

Greece	Ioannis Metaxas Alexandros Papagos Charalambos Katsimitros Konstantinos Davakis Markos Drakos and Ioannis Pitsikas Dimitrios Papadopoulos Georgios Kosmas
Italy	Benito Mussolini Galeazzo Ciano Sebastiano Visconti Prasca Ubaldo Soddu Ugo Cavallero Carlo Geloso

Units

Greece	8th Infantry Division Epirus Army Section Western Macedonia Army Section
Italy	9th Army 11th Army

German invasion
(April–May 1941)

Battles

Leaders

Greece	King George II Alexandros Papagos Konstantinos Bakopoulos Georgios Tsolakoglou
British Commonwealth	Henry Maitland Wilson Thomas Blamey Bernard Freyberg
Germany	Wilhelm List Sepp Dietrich Kurt Student

Units

Greece	Eastern Macedonia Army Section Central Macedonia Army Section Epirus Army Section
British Commonwealth	1st Armoured Brigade 2nd New Zealand Division 6th Australian Division
Germany	XVIII Army Corps XXXX Panzer Corps Luftflotte 4 1st Parachute Division 5th Mountain Division

Occupation and collaboration

Occupying
powers

Leaders and
commands

Germany	Günther Altenburg Hermann Neubacher Walter Schimana Alexander Löhr Army Group E Hellmuth Felmy LXVIII Army Corps Hubert Lanz XXII Mountain Corps Alexander Andrae, Bruno Bräuer and Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller Fortress Crete Max Merten
Italy	Angelico Carta Pellegrino Ghigi Piero Parini Carlo Geloso and Carlo Vecchiarelli 11th Army III Army Corps [it] VIII Army Corps XXVI Corps
Bulgaria	Ivan Markov [bg] Trifon Trifonov [bg] Asen Sirakov

Atrocities

Economic
exploitation

The Holocaust

Collaborationist
government

People	Georgios Tsolakoglou K. Logothetopoulos Ioannis Rallis Sotirios Gotzamanis Georgios Bakos Georgios Poulos Friedrich Schubert Nikolaos Bourantas George S. Mercouris Ioannis Plytzanopoulos Dionysios Papadongonas
Organizations	Security Battalions Hellenic Socialist Patriotic Organisation (ESPO) National Union of Greece (EEE) Greek National Socialist Party
Secessionists	Roman Legion Alcibiades Diamandi Nicolaos Matussis Vassilis Rapotikas Ohrana Andon Kalchev Cham collaboration Këshilla Xhemil Dino
Atrocities	Paramythia Executions of Kokkinia

Resistance and Free Greece

National Liberation
Front (EAM)

People	Aris Velouchiotis Stefanos Sarafis Andreas Tzimas Georgios Siantos Alexandros Svolos Ilias Tsirimokos Markos Vafeiadis Evripidis Bakirtzis
Organizations	Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Socialist Party of Greece (SKE) Union of People's Democracy (ELD) Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) Greek People's Liberation Navy (ELAN) Political Committee of National Liberation (PEEA) and National Council United Panhellenic Organization of Youth (EPON) National Solidarity (EA) Organization for the Protection of the People's Struggle (OPLA) Slavic-Macedonian National Liberation Front (SNOF) Anti-Fascist Committee for a Free Germany (AKFD)
Operations	Drama uprising Ryka Mikro Chorio Gorgopotamos Bridge Meritsa Protests against labour mobilization Fardykambos Porta Sarantaporos Kournovo Tunnel 1943 Athens protest Pinerolo disarmament Steiri Agorelitsa Killing of Franz Krech
Atrocities	Feneos executions 5/42 Regiment dissolution Meligalas Kilkis Red Terror (Greece)

Non-EAM resistance

People	Napoleon Zervas Georgios Kartalis Dimitrios Psarros Komninos Pyromaglou Antonis Fosteridis Kostas Perrikos Ilias Degiannis Vasileios Sachinis Lela Karagianni Konstantinos Ventiris Manolis Paterakis Petrakogiorgis Kimonas Zografakis
Organizations	National Republican Greek League (EDES) National Bands of Greek Guerrillas (EOEA) National and Social Liberation (EKKA) 5/42 Regiment Defenders of Northern Greece (YVE)/Panhellenic Liberation Organization (PAO) Panhellenic Union of Fighting Youths (PEAN) Prometheus II Apollo National Organization of Crete (ΕΟΚ) Hellenic Army (ES) Northern Epirus Liberation Front (MAVI) others...
Operations	ESPO bombing Gorgopotamos Bridge (Operation "Harling") Agia Kyriaki Milia Skala Paramythias Execution of Josef Salminger Xirovouni Trahili Menina Dodona
Atrocities	Expulsion of Cham Albanians

British Military Mission (SOE)

People	Eddie Myers Monty Woodhouse Patrick Leigh Fermor Bill Stanley Moss Themis Marinos George Psychoundakis Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz
Operations	Operation "Albumen" Gorgopotamos Bridge (Operation "Harling") Operation "Animals" Asopos Bridge (Operation "Washing") Kidnapping of Heinrich Kreipe Damasta sabotage

Greek government-in-exile

Greek government
in exile

Events/Battles	Mareth Line El Alamein Wadi Akarit Dodecanese April 1944 mutiny Rimini Symi Santorini
People	King George II Emmanouil Tsouderos Sofoklis Venizelos Panagiotis Kanellopoulos Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos Christodoulos Tsigantes Pafsanias Katsotas
Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East	3rd Mountain Brigade Sacred Band Vasilissa Olga Adrias Katsonis Papanikolis 13th Squadron 335th Squadron 336th Squadron

Liberation and road to the civil war

Prelude to Civil War

Events	National Bands Agreement Plaka agreement [el] Red Terror Lebanon Conference Caserta Agreement Operation "Manna" Percentages agreement Dekemvriana Treaty of Varkiza White Terror
People	Ronald Scobie Georgios Papandreou Archbishop Damaskinos Georgios Grivas Angelos Evert Nikos Zachariadis

Commemoration

Events	Ohi Day
Museums	Athens War Museum Holocaust Museum of Greece Kalavryta Massacre Museum Kalpaki War Museum Museum of the Battle of Crete and the National Resistance Thessaloniki War Museum
Popular culture	Aera! Aera! Aera! Captain Corelli's Mandolin film Ill Met by Moonlight film Ipolochagos Natassa Mediterraneo The 11th Day: Crete 1941 The Guns of Navarone film What Did You Do in the War, Thanasis?

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