Greece has recovered a set of photographs showing the execution of 200 communists by Nazi forces on May Day 1944, after they were put up for auction on eBay by a Belgian collector. The culture ministry hailed the prints as being of 'exceptional historical importance', saying they provide visual evidence of a mass execution that has long been a symbol of resistance during the Nazi occupation.
The photographs, believed to have been taken by Wehrmacht lieutenant Hermann Heuer, depict the victims walking into a firing range in the Athens suburb of Kaisariani, with their heads held high. According to historical accounts, the men went to their deaths chanting partisan songs. Until the images surfaced, no pictorial evidence of the event was known to exist, and testimony relied on handwritten notes thrown from trucks by the condemned.
The 200 communists were executed in retaliation for the killing of a German general by communist guerrillas. The event is considered a high point of the communist-led anti-Nazi resistance and has inspired many Greek artists. The culture ministry said the collection includes 262 photographs, some bearing the handwritten note 'Aten 1.5.44', the date of the massacre.
Greek historians have described the discovery as exceptional, noting that it will aid research into Nazi-era atrocities and open up discussion about the subsequent Greek civil war. The images were posted on eBay by Belgian collector Tim de Craene, who specialises in Third Reich memorabilia. After days of public outcry, the culture ministry signed a preliminary agreement to buy the photos, and de Craene withdrew them from sale.
