The smiling Euelpis who wrote his own little story, in the grand story of the 1940 epic
Every year, on the eve of the great national holiday of October 28, 1940, the laurel wreath that is placed last on the marble bust of Lieutenant Kriton Konsoulides and reads “family” shows that even today, 82 years after his heroic death in the mountains of Epirus, his family, his descendants, remember him, honor him, respect him. Together with them, the local authorities and the citizens of Kavala, the city where he was born, grew up and grew up.
His marble bust, which dominates the middle of a small square bearing his name in the center of Kavala, reminds everyone of his heroism. A marble bust representing a young man, rather smiling, whose name became synonymous with heroism, duty, responsibility and loyalty to the country.
“…His sacrifice was not in vain…”
Kriton Konsoulidis was born in 1920 in Kavala and on November 5, 1938 he was enrolled in the Evelpidon military school. On October 29, 1940, due to the war and in accordance with the school’s regulations, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant and sent to a front unit.
Kritonas Consoulidis he was just doing his duty as a young officer of the Greek Army who was called to fight on the front line when the Greco-Italian war was declared. So he wrote his own little story, in the grand story of the 1940 epic.
In the Winter of 1941, Kriton Konsoulides fights in the mountains of Epirus. He is in the 90th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion. As a second year Ewelpis he and his Battalion face the famous Tuscan “Wolves” Division of the Italian Army. The Greeks fight with self-sacrifice and self-denial, the Italians retreat. Their Artillery tries to cover them.
On January 17, 1941, at 8 a.m., a fragment of a firearm injured Kritons Konsoulides. “Standing and undisturbed, defying the terrible merciless fire, he was marching towards his duty, when another enemy projectile exploded at a short distance, wounding him in the right shoulder blade…». This is how the commander of the Battalion describes the injury of Second Lieutenant Cavaliotis in a letter he sent (after the death of Kriton Kasoulides) to his father, doctor Ioannis Consoulides in Kavala.
The Cavalier hero was initially transferred to the military hospital of Ioannina and then to the one in Kavala, where he died due to the severity of his injuries.
In 1945, by Royal Decree, he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and awarded the Golden Medal of Valor.
On February 21, 1941, the commander wrote to his father Konsoulides “however, since the commander through his sacrifice contributed to the creation of the brilliant National Building of the future, let us be comforted (because for us too the sorrow for his loss was great) because his sacrifice was not in vain it will also be mentioned in one of the most brilliant pages of recent military history…”.
The Municipality of Kavala, on February 4, 1973, placed his bust in a small central square. In 2000, this small square was named after him. His body was initially buried in the municipal cemetery of Ioannina and then his bones were transferred to the mausoleum “of the fallen officers”, which is located at the entrance of the First Cemetery of Athens.
Source: Skai
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