On this day in 1941: Two Brave Greek University Students Remove Nazi Flag from the Acropolis

On May 30, 1941, in the late hours of the evening, two university students, Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas, climbed on the Acropolis and tore down the Nazi flag.

A month earlier, on April 27, 1941, the invading Nazi army had entered the city of Athens and raised the Nazi flag high above the city on the Acropolis.

The act of bravery of university students has been acknowledged as one of the first acts of resistance against the Nazis in Europe and the first in Greece.

It inspired not only the Greeks, but all subjected people, to resist the occupation, establishing them as two international anti-Nazi heroes.

The Nazi regime responded by sentencing the perpetrators to death in absentia, but they did not learn who they were until much later.

Years later, the men spoke about their brave act and fear of returning home after they pulled the Nazi flag down but their determination prevailed, and to this day they are considered national heroes by Greeks worldwide.