A plaque on St Mary's Tower marks the spot of 'Concentramento', the open-air concentration camp in Rhodes, where the Italians imprisoned the Greeks in 1940. They stacked them in the castle moat and starved them.
The plaque, in Greek, translates roughly as -
OCTOBER 28, 1940
AT THIS THE AREA OF THE MOAT
OPENED THE FIRST FIELD
CONCENTRATION CAMP OF GREEK NATIONALS
OF THE DODECANESE
"On October 28, 1940, Italy declared war on Greece and hostilities began on the Albanian front. In the Italian-occupied Dodecanese, the administration was immediately activated and arrested as many islanders as it considered dangerous. This case is illuminated by the journalistic investigation of the "Time Machine" program on the Italian occupation of the Dodecanese on Monday June 24th at COSMOTE HISTORY.
Since 1912, when Italy occupied the islands, the Dodecanese were considered Italian nationals. Only those who came later from free Greece were Greek nationals and either settled permanently or frequently moved between Greece and the Dodecanese for commercial purposes. The islanders had experienced the persecution of the Italian commander, De Vecchio, who was a member of Mussolini's famous fascist government. De Vecchio was the one who ordered the Italian submarine to torpedo the Ellis in Tinos in August 1940 and when the war was declared it was ready to impose fascist persecution and severe military action against the island's civilian population.
On October 28 Vangelis Danilidis from Rhodes remembers clearly. As he told the Time Machine he was a little boy when the Italians came home late at night to capture his father. He was told only that he was entitled to take only one spoon, one fork and one blanket. The following day, some 300 Greeks, who were considered "suspicious", were driven into the ditch of the medieval castle of Rhodes. At the point where the bridge over the "Dambouzet" gate was starting the concentration camp. It was called "Concentramento".
Tent villages were raised in the ditch and the prisoners lived in the damp and sludge. Many tents were swept away by floods Most were infected with pneumonia and tuberculosis, while they were endangered by scorpions and snakes that were abundant in the area. From food, they were provided with only one cup of soup and on Sundays, a small piece of meat and a bun. After many prisoners' protests that they were starving, relatives were allowed to bring them food, which was usually shared with their needy detainees. Visitors came under strict scrutiny and meetings with families lasted only a few minutes. Correspondence was allowed, but it was censored and had to be written in Italian. However, after giving the Italian guard a jar of honey and some sponges from Kalymnos, they managed to secure some privileges, such as the woods, with which many carved wood carvings. The Italians allowed a priest, Papanastasis, to perform Christmas Eve in 1940.
The prisoners were organized into groups and elected leader Christos Malandrakis, who represented them in consultations with the Italian administration. In January 1941, after many attempts and after the Italians had found out how bad the living conditions were, they moved the camp to the Kavallini site, behind the present Municipal Hall, where the stables were then housed. The detention ended in April 1941, a few days after General Tsolakoglou's capitulation with the Germans was signed. Greece was divided into three occupation zones, and the Italians took a "share" of their Nazi allies. The Greek prisoners of Concentramento returned to their families, sick and sick. They had to wait another six years under Italian, German and British rule until they could live in the Greek Dodecanese.
Information and photos from the book: "THE CONCENTRAMENT OF THE DODECANESE GREEK CITIZENS ON THE OCTOBER 28, 1940 CONCENTRAMENTO IN THE RODO, AFIDERIOS, ROYALOSIS" GOD Dodecanese Archive."
SOURCE - (visit link)
Mia plakéta ston Pýrgo tis Agías Marías simatodoteí ti thési tou «Concentramento», tou stratopédou synkéntrosis ypaíthrou sti Ródo, ópou oi Italoí fylakízoun tous Éllines to 1940. Tous stoivázontan stin táfro tou kástrou kai tous limoktonoúsan.
I pláka, sta elliniká, metafrázetai perípou -
28 OKTOVRIOU 1940
SE AUTON TO CHORO TIS TAFROU
LEITOURGISE TO PROTO PEDIO
SYNKENTROSI ELLINON ETHNON
DODEKANISA
"Tin 28i Oktovríou 1940, i Italía kíryxe ton pólemo stin Elláda kai árchisan oi echthropraxíes sto alvanikó métopo. Sta italokratoúmena Dodekánisa, i dioíkisi energopoiíthike amésos kai synélave ósous nisiótes theoroúse epikíndynous. Tin ypóthesi aftí fotízei i dimosiografikí érevna tis ekpompís «Michaní tou Chrónou» me théma tin italikí katochí ton Dodekaníson tin Deftéra 24 Iouníou ston COSMOTE HISTORY.
Apó to 1912, ótan i Italía katélave ta nisiá, oi Dodekanísioi theoroúntan Italoí ypíkooi. Ellinikí ypikoótita kateíchan móno ósoi eíchan érthei argótera apó tin eléftheri Elláda kai eíte eíchan enkatastatheí mónima eíte metakinoúntan sychná metaxý Elládas kai Dodekaníson gia emporikoús lógous. Oi kátoikoi ton nisión eíchan viósei tis dióxeis tou italoú dioikití Nte Vékki, pou ítan mélos tis perífimis fasistikís tetrarchías tou Mousolíni. O Nte Vékki ítan aftós pou diétaxe to Italikó ypovrýchio na torpilísei to «Élli» stin Tíno ton Ávgousto tou 1940 kai ótan kirýchtike o pólemos ítan étoimos na epiválei fasistikés dióxeis kai sklirá stratiotiká métra katá tou ámachou plithysmoú ton nisión.
Tin 28 Oktovríou thymátai kathará o Vangélis Daniilídis apó ti Ródo. Ópos anéfere sti «Michaní tou Chrónou» ítan mikró paidí ótan oi Italoí írthan argá to vrády sto spíti tous gia na syllávoun ton patéra tou. Tou eípan móno óti dikaioútai na párei mazí móno éna koutáli, éna piroúni kai mia kouvérta. Tin epómeni méra, perípou 300 Éllines pou eíchan theoritheí «ýpoptoi», odigíthikan mésa stin táfro tou mesaionikoú kástrou tis Ródou. Sto simeío pou vrísketai i géfyra tis pýlis «Ntampouáz» xekinoúse to stratópedo synkéntrosis. To apokaloúsan «Concentramento».
Síkosan prócheires skinés mésa stin táfro kai oi kratoúmenoi zoúsan mésa stin ygrasía kai tis láspes. Pollá antískina parasýrthikan apó plimmýres Oi perissóteroi arróstisan me pnevmonía kai fymatíosi, enó kindýnevan apó tous skorpioús kai ta fídia pou ítan áfthona ston chóro. Apó trófima, tous pareíchan móno mía gavátha soúpa kai tis Kyriakés, éna mikró kommáti kréas kai éna psomáki. Metá apó pollés diamartyríes ton kratoúmenon óti limoktonoúsan, epetrápi stous syngeneís na tous férnoun fagitó, to opoío syníthos moirázontan me tous áporous synkratoúmenous tous. I eísodós ton episkeptón ginótan ýstera apó afstiró élencho kai oi synantíseis me tis oikogéneies diarkoúse mólis líga leptá. I allilografía epitrepótan, allá pernoúse apó logokrisía kai éprepe na eínai gramméni sta italiká. Ostóso, afoú dórisan ston Italó froúrarcho éna vázo méli kai meriká sfoungária ap’ tin Kálymno, katáferan na exasfalísoun kápoia pronómia, ópos ítan ta xýla, me ta opoía polloí dimioúrgisan xylóglypta. Oi Italoí epétrepsan se énan ieréa, ton Papanastási, na telései leitourgía anímera ton Christougénnon to 1940.
Oi kratoúmenoi organóthikan se omádes kai exélexan archigó ton Chrísto Malandráki, o opoíos tous ekprosopoúse stis synennoíseis me tin italikí dioíkisi. Ton Ianouário tou 1941, metá apó pollés prospátheies kai afoú oi Italoí diapístosan póso kakés ítan oi synthíkes diavíosis, metéferan to stratópedo stin topothesía «Kavallíni», píso apó to simerinó Dimotikó mégaro, ópou tóte stegázontan stávloi. I krátisi élixe ton Aprílio tou 1941, líges méres metá ti synthikológisi pou ypégrapse o Stratigós Tsolákoglou me tous Germanoús. I Elláda chorístike se treis zónes katochís kai oi Italoí píran «merídio» apó tous Nazí symmáchous tous. Oi Éllines aichmálotoi tou Concentramento epéstrepsan stis oikogéneiés tous, exastheniménoi kai árrostoi. Tha éprepe na periménoun akóma éxi chrónia ypó tin katochí Italón, Germanón kai Vretanón, méchri na zísoun eléftheroi sta elliniká Dodekánisa.
Antlíthikan pliroforíes kai fotografíes apó to vivlío: «TO STRATOPEDO SYNKENTROSEOS TON DODEKANISION ELLINON YPIKOON TIS 28is OKTOVRIOU 1940 CONCENTRAMENTO STI RODO, AFIEROMA», Sýndesmos Éfedron Axiomatikón Dodekanísou, Rodiakí Léschi. Archeío GAK Dodekaníson."
PIGI - (Sýndesi epískepsis)