Aris son of Dimitrios Velouchiotis
Άρης Βελουχιώτης
Organizer of a mass partisan war against occupation
In Domnista in 1942, he led a small mountain guerrilla band and proclaimed the emergence of ELAS.
Born Athanasios Klaras, Aris Velouchiotis was a Greek communist activist who became the key organizer linking the National Liberation Front, EAM, with its military arm, ELAS, during the occupation. In 1942 he formed a small guerrilla force in the mountains of Roumeli and built its early base by combining strict discipline with mass politics. Joint actions such as the destruction of the Gorgopotamos viaduct demonstrated the potential of armed resistance, while EAM-ELAS’s growing dominance also sharpened conflict with rival resistance groups and Britain. After the Varkiza Agreement he rejected demobilization, broke with the party leadership, and died isolated in 1945; the communist movement later restored his standing.
Career timeline
- 1920sJoined left-wing and anti-militarist activity and the Communist Party of Greece
- early 1930sWorked on the editorial staff of the communist newspaper Rizospastis
- 1936–1941Imprisoned under the Metaxas dictatorship and forced to sign a renunciation
- 1942.01Sent by the KKE to prepare guerrilla warfare in Roumeli
- 1942.06Announced ELAS and began mountain guerrilla operations at Domnista
- 1942.11Participated in the Gorgopotamos viaduct sabotage
- 1944.10Commanded ELAS operations in central Greece and the Peloponnese after liberation
- 1945Continued armed struggle after Varkiza and died in the mountains