PEAN

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The Panhellenic Union of Young Fighters (Greek Πανελλήνιος Ένωσις Αγωνιζομένων Νέων "ΠΕΑΝ" - PEAN) was a resistance group during the German occupation of Greece (1941 - 1944).

PEAN was founded in October 1941 by Airforce officer Kostas Perrikos from Chios. Others involved in the group's founding were Ioannis Katevatis, G. Alexiadis, D. Papavasilopoulos. Members included Antonis Mytilineos, Mihalis Balitsaris, Spyros Galatis, N. Mourtos, Nikos Lazaris, Spyros Stanotas, Ioulia Bimba, Ekaterini Besi and others.

Its greatest accomplishment was the blowing up of the offices of ESPO (the collaborationist National Socialist Patriotic Organisation) at the corner of Patisia and Gladstone streets in Athens, on September 20, 1942. 43 Germans and 29 ESPO members were killed in the blast and ESPO - whose aim was to recruit Greeks in the Axis WWII effort - ceased to exist as an organisation.

On November 11, 1942 several members of PEAN were arrested. Many were later executed:

  • Athanasios Skouras, Ioannis Katevatis, Dimitris Lois and Dionysios Papadopoulos on January 7, 1943
  • Kostas Perrikos on February 4, 1943
  • Ioulia Bimba in Germany

PEAN continued to exist until December 1944 when they fought against EAM/ELAS in the battle of Athens, during the December Events.