By the end of May 1941, a month had passed since the surrender of Athens to the Germans, who were wrapping up their operations in Greece with the occupation of Crete. Manolis Glezos and Lakis Santas were two young students who, like thousands of Athenians, were moved to tears as they watched the German swastika flying over the Acropolis. The Nazi symbol was an affront to Greek pride. It had to come down, then…
The daring plan took shape in their minds one spring evening at the Zappeion, as they gazed upon the Acropolis, and they set to work to bring it to life. They went to the National Library and read everything they could find about the Sacred Rock. In the Great Encyclopedia, they discovered all the caves and holes in the Acropolis. They quickly realized that the only route they could take to avoid being spotted by the German guards was through the Pandrosos Cave.
On the morning of May 30, 1941, Glezos and Santas heard on the radio that Crete had fallen. The Germans were boasting about their victory in public proclamations. The two young men decided to take action that very night. They had no weapons, only a small lantern and a knife. It was now 9:30 p.m. The small Acropolis guard was gathered at the entrance to the Propylaea, entertaining themselves with young Greek women who were selling their bodies, drinking beer, and getting drunk.
Oblivious to the danger, they jumped over the barbed wire, crawled to the cave of Pandrosios Andros, and began climbing the scaffolding that the archaeologists had erected for the excavations. When they reached a distance of just a few meters from the flagpole, they saw no guards and, with swift movements, took down the hated symbol of Nazism from the pole. It was a huge flag, measuring 4×2 meters. It was now midnight. The two «commandos» folded up the flag and took it with them; following the same route, they made their way away from the Acropolis, once again without being noticed by the Germans, who continued to enjoy themselves.
To their surprise, the German guards noticed early in the morning that the swastika was missing from the flagpole. The German authorities, in a panic, ordered an investigation. It wasn’t until 11 a.m. that they hoisted a new flag on the empty flagpole.
Glezos and Santas were sentenced to death in absentia; the guards were executed; the Greek commanders of the local police stations were relieved of their duties, while no incriminating evidence was found against the Acropolis guards.
The removal of the swastika from the Acropolis was essentially the first act of resistance in occupied Athens, an act of symbolic significance that had a tremendous impact on the morale of the long-suffering Greek people. In September of that same year, the two major resistance organizations, EAM and EDES, were founded.
During the Occupation, Manolis Glezos was arrested three times by the Germans, imprisoned, and managed to escape, while Lakis Santas evaded his pursuers and enlisted in the Hellenic Police (ELAS).
