Eighty years since the «Battle of the Forts»

The historical memory and the greatness of the Greek soul are revived in the mind and eyes of every visitor who sets foot in the sacred site of the Rupel forts. There, on the verdant slope of the Rupel, where history and the natural environment coexist in harmony, under the shadow of the marble monument to fallen soldiers, officers, non-commissioned officers and conscripts, the human mind cannot help but ponder the supreme sacrifice of the Greeks against the Nazi troops.

At an altitude of 1339 meters, the view looks out unobstructed over most of the Greek-Bulgarian border, along Mount Agistro, near the river Struma. There, everything is clean, clear, almost sacred, bathed in sunlight. As clear and holy was the struggle of the defenders of the fortress eighty years ago, in the famous «Battle of the Forts», along the so-called «Metaxa Line».

Visiting Roupel, you don't just experience a great moment in modern Greek history. You admire the works of the people who defined a historical reality. You admire the struggles of soldiers, both great and small, both named and unnamed officers, in order to keep values and ideals alive, but above all to preserve the freedom of the homeland.

The mountain hides in its bowels a historical museum.

Access to the fortress is easy and fast from the major highway, part of the Egnatia (vertical axis A25) leading to the Greek-Bulgarian border and the customs office of Promachonas. The entrance to the fort is free however always remains a guarded military area. Of course, in recent months, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the strict health protocols in force, all visits and tours of the facilities have been suspended until further notice.

In any case, however, and under normal circumstances, visitors must surrender their identity card at the entrance and it is returned to them upon leaving the military complex. At the end of the route there is organised parking for cars and buses. The road is asphalted along its entire length.

As the visitor climbs the hill of Fort Rupel, he cannot remain indifferent to the splendour of nature. In Autumn and Winter, the morning dew forms a thick cloud that can block visibility in the surrounding areas, but at the same time, the mountain is a great place to enjoy the view. gives the unique feeling of being above the clouds. In spring and summer, nature reveals itself majestically, reminding us that in this splendour, eighty years ago, dozens of soldiers from both sides lost their lives.

The kindness, the friendly mood, the warm smile of the soldiers who welcome the visitors to the military complex of the fort predispose for a very interesting experience. At the same time, the formality followed by the military personnel, forewarns the visitors that they are in a sacred place, full of symbolism and messages. A place that must be respected by every Greek and foreigner, being a minimal tribute to the defenders of the fortress.

A coffee at the fort's KPSM and a short break before the tour, prepares the visitor to become a partaker of all those great and important things that took place above and below the mountainsides during the three-day «Battle of the Forts», where the Nazi forces literally pounded the Greek troops.

The congratulations of the Germans to the defenders of the fortress

The 10th of April 1941, a date that was decisive not only for the fate of the fortifications but also for Greece, is captured photographically and dominates the entrance of the central stoa, where the tour begins and ends. It is the day of the surrender of the forts by their commander, Lieutenant Colonel Georgios Douratsos, to the German conquerors, demanding at the same time that «no German should enter the fortress until the last of them leave», which is what happened. This was preceded by three days of fierce fighting throughout the ’Battle of the Forts« along the »Metaxas Line«, between the Greek and German soldiers, which may have ended in victory for the latter, but their losses were almost double those of the Greeks.

The German colonel who received the fortress congratulated the commander, expressing his admiration and appreciation for the resistance and heroism of the Greek soldiers. He even stressed that for the Germans it was an honour and pride that they were facing such a heroic army. Outside the fort was lined up a German section that paid tribute. Then officers and soldiers left on foot for Sidirokastro and Serres.

«The forts are not surrendering. They are being occupied.»

The historical words of Lieutenant Colonel Douratsos - «The forts are not surrendered. They are occupied»- are at the entrance of the lodge, conveying the magnitude of the heroism of the Greek soldiers. The heavy bombardment by the Germans had not dampened the morale of the defenders of the forts.

It should be noted that there were only 27 officers and 950 hoplites in Fort Rupel. Around the fort there were only eight guns, divided among the artillery batteries of the Captain Kozoni and of hero Lieutenant Kyriakides, in well-hidden locations. The German military forces were armored with equipment that outnumbered and outperformed the Greeks in terms of numbers and technology.

The number of casualties at Fort Rupel in the four days of bombardment by German troops was 14 dead and 38 wounded. The forts were never captured thanks to the heroism of the Greek defenders, who fought with self-sacrifice until the last moment. They surrendered when the fortress command had already been informed of Greece's capitulation to the Germans.

The few items of the soldiers and a Greek flag with the royal crown kept at the entrance to the entrance of the fort's administration gallery are only small fragments of the great but difficult moments that the Greek soldiers lived in their daily lives defending the fort and the homeland.

The tour of the fort's gallery is truly moving, almost immersive. The lodge is an excellent example of engineering, perfect organization, ingenuity, foresight and above all faith in the survival and defense of the homeland. And all this under very difficult conditions, political, mainly economic but also social.

The self-sacrifice of Captain Kyriakidis

One of the most important moments of the tour is the visit to the military museum of the forts. Inside the museum, uniforms, flags, armaments of the Greek and German armies during World War II are exhibited, as well as one of the two anti-tank guns that the fort's garrison had in 1941.

A special place among the exhibits are the personal belongings of Captain Alexandros Kyriakidis and his soldiers, as found in the trench along with their bones in 2001, sixty years after their heroic death and sacrifice in 1941.

Captain Kyriakides refused to stop firing his artillery and thus became the target of the German artillery. Together with his soldiers he met a tragic death in the position where the artillery bunker was located. In April 2001, on the initiative of officer Ilias Kotridis, the search for the remains of the fallen of Captain Kyriakidis' battery was started.

Fort Rupel was never captured because of the unparalleled resistance of the fighters and its sturdy construction. For eighty years now it remains there, proudly standing on the mountain and as if it too has a soul, it gives its own testimony to the unequal but honoured struggle of the Greek soldiers and their defence for the defence and freedom of the homeland.

Only in Rupel can the visitor listen to the heartbeats of its defenders, walking on its «powdered» slopes and underground labyrinthine galleries.