The Poulos Verband Greek Right Wing during WW2

The Poulos Verband Greek Right Wing during WW2 The Poulos Verband Colonel George Poulos was another unknown Greek Army reserve office when he volunteered his services to the Germans in the spring of 1943. Although up until then, his political background was considered Republican, his right wing nationalistic feelings were soon to surface. He was an anti Monarchist and anti Communist as well. Colonel Poulos formed and led the most feared collaborationist formation in Greece during the years of 1943-44. His unit was so effective and so detested, that after the German withdrawal from Greece, Poulos and his men would be forced to withdraw with the Germans, lest they fall prey to the vengeance of the ELAS Communists. The Germans actually inducted the battalion which he formed into their Order Police organization, and used the unit in Yugoslavia in the fall and winter of 1944-45. At the time when Colonel Poulos offered his assistance to the Germans in Thessalonica ( his home city), it was at a time when the Italians, Bulgarians and Germans were experiencing a marked increase in the number of Greek guerrilla attacks. By that time, a steady rift had developed between the Greek nationalists, Greek monarchists and Greek Communists who wished to be like Communist Russia. These differences which were mostly discussed at tavernas had finally hit the streets. Their differences were settled by death. The Axis occupying powers so an advantage with this battalion with their anti Communists offenses. The Italians had earlier tried to raise Greek volunteers but because they were so hated and despised, they could barely keep the local Greek governments and constabulary in line. The Germans, and to a lesser degree, the Bulgarians were the ones who would be most effective for some strange reason in recruiting Greek soldiers. Most the Greeks who volunteered with the Bulgarians did it so they can spare their families lives under Bulgarian rule. The Germans because they were respected as excellent soldiers and the Greek quite honestly impressed by the military feats which the Germans had been able to accomplish. Additionally, a decent size segment of Greek society was strongly Fascist, and therefore backed the Nazis. It was only natural then, that Colonel George Poulos offered his services to the Germans. He was assigned to Sonderkommando 2000, and German counter intelligence unit which was then operating in the city of Thessalonica. Colonel Poulos quickly recruited several hundred Greek volunteers, and quartered them in the heavily fortified village of Krya-Vrisi, just outside of Thessalonica. Krya-Vrisi would become the headquarters and home base for Poulo's formation. During September of 1943 the Poulos Verband as the Germans called them, was attached to the German 2nd Brandenburg ( Commando) Regiment, then stationed in and around the Macedonian town of Ptolemais. They made numerous anti guerrilla sweeps in western and central Macedonia, razing every village suspected of being Communist sympathizers to the ground. Suspected Communists were shot, many Greeks praised the Poulos Verband. By January of 1944 Poulos's volunteer battalion received an influx of about 90-100 Greeks from the island of Crete. This company sized unit had been raised in Crete by a German named Fritz Schubert. Sergeant Schubert had in his ranks not only his Cretan volunteers, but Germans from some of the penal and fortress battalions which made their appearance on Greek soil in the fall of 1943. Sergeant Schubert , who spoke fluent Greek, was able to recruit many Greek volunteers. Many were ardent anti Communists and some of them were just unemployed tough guys. The local Communist ELAS unit in Crete was the 2,000 strong 5th ELAS Division. This unit had sworn to destroy the Schubertiani through all possible recourse and means, and soon Sergeant Schubert's formation could not venture out of Chania without being heavily escorted by a large Wehrmacht force. In effect, the unit lost most of its effectiveness, since it could no longer venture out to the hills. In March 1945 Poulos and his men were transferred to western Austria and was ordered to fight the advancing US forces under the German 1st Army. He refused and was ordered to report with his unit to Kitzbuehi, Austria where the Greek National Committee had established. The unit remained their until the end of the war, guarding such Serbian and Greek collaborationists. At the end of the war Poulos and Schubert were both extradited to Greece, where they stood trial for their actions during the war. Both were hanged in 1946. Interestingly no other collaborators who were put on trial were even hanged. In fact, many only served brief sentences if any at all. To read more in Greece's role during WW2 and other right wing or other Greek collaborators click here:Hellenic Life