THE YEARS OF WAR AND RESISTANCE

On the morning of October 28, 1940, Italian planes bombed Piraeus, Tatoi, and Eleusis. Due to poor aim, the bombs fell on Kineta.

On November 1, Loutropyrgos, Neraki, and the Eleusis-Corinth railway line were bombed.

On November 3, 1940, a British Air Force unit was stationed at part of the airport.

On November 6, 1940, air raids began and continued until the end of the war, especially when the Tatoi and Eleusis bases were reinforced with 24 aircraft. The few factories that remained were closed or operating at reduced capacity, and the port was dead.

18 Eleusinians fell in the anti-fascist struggle until April 1941.

April 26, 1941 marks the beginning of the German occupation. The airport is occupied by the Germans. Italian soldiers patrol the city.

In early May, the occupying forces requisitioned the school and other public and private buildings. Orders to inventory food supplies led to their concealment, while agricultural production declined dramatically.

From October 1941, deaths from "starvation disease" begin. By the end of the year, there are 15 deaths from starvation.

1942 could be described as a "deadly" year. The death toll reached 336. Of these, 147 died of starvation.

In 1943, the bombing of the port and airport intensified. On December 6, 1943, the most intense bombing took place. The toll was 26 dead and dozens injured.

On February 14, 1944, it was decided to grant aid to the families of the victims.

On September 12, 1943, the submarine "Katsonis" was attacked by German ships, colliding with them and attempting to dive to avoid enemy fire. Captain Vasilis Laskos and the crew were killed, with only a few survivors.

In September 1941, the first core group of the E.A.M. was formed. A few months later, it had approximately two thousand members, 1/5 of the city's total population. People from a wide ideological and political spectrum had joined.

A large number of residents joined the reserve E. L. A. S., as did a large number of armed members of the Organization.

In August 1942, the first guerrilla group was organized in Dervenochoria, whose activities spread throughout Attica and Boeotia. Initially named the 34th Regiment, it later became the 5th Brigade and eventually the core of the 2nd Division of the ELAS. Approximately 50 officers who had participated in the Greco-Italian War took part.

The EAM organization provided valuable assistance to the rebels: supplying clothing, footwear, food, and information about enemy movements.

ELAS BATTLES - BATTLE OF DERVENOCHORIA (10th / 1943)

It lasted from October 16 to 18. The leading figure was Stefos Maliatsis, who was the first to open fire on the German detachment, even though it had arrested his son along the way and forced him to march at the front.

October 12, 1944, the day of liberation. A large force of the 2nd Division, led by Captain Nikiforos (Dimitrios Dimitriou), headed towards Magoula with the aim of intercepting the Germans, because they were destroying everything in their retreat. It clashed with them and advanced towards Elefsina. The bells rang frantically and the residents poured into the streets to welcome the fighters from the mountains.