On May 30, 1941, two Greek university students removed the Nazi flag from the Acropolis

Greek 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.

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On May 30, 1941, two Greek university students removed the Nazi flag from the Acropolis

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

The university students act of bravery 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 and established them both 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.

 

GCT Team

This article was researched and written by a GCT team member.