June 10, 2024 – Today marks 80 years since the horrific Distomo massacre, a chilling reminder of the brutality inflicted upon Greece during Nazi occupation. On June 10, 1944, in retaliation for a Greek resistance victory at Katavothra, German forces under the command of Lieutenant Hans Zambel descended upon the unsuspecting village.
218 innocent lives, including 45 children and 20 infants, were brutally extinguished. SS troops rampaged through Distomo, setting homes ablaze and committing unspeakable acts: babies bayoneted in their cribs, pregnant women stabbed, even the village priest beheaded.
Despite international outcry, the German administration in Athens deflected blame onto the villagers. However, justice eventually found Zambel in Paris after the war. His 1949 confession exposed the full extent of the Distomo atrocities.
The tragic events are immortalized in the film “A Song For Argyrishas”, told through the eyes of four-year-old survivor Argyris Sfountouris. Today, we remember the victims of Distomo and vow to never forget the horrors they endured.