While the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff pretend that the deadly fiasco in Libya did not happen, while they pretend not to listen to what the surviving soldiers say and testify, an event reminds us that Greece was not always in such a situation.
The Parents' School and the Open University of Katerini invited historian Vlasis Agtzidis to speak about the legendary rescue mission 2.000 of our compatriots who were trapped in besieged Sukhumi.
Abkhazia is located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. It is estimated
that in 1926 14.045 Greeks lived there, constituting 7,6% of the
its population, which was then 201.016.
In 1939, Greeks numbered 34.621 (11,1% of the population) out of a total population of 311.885. The mass deportations of 1949 to Central Asia of those expatriates who had Greek citizenship had reduced their percentage to 2,5% to 3%.
The 1989 census recorded 14.664 Greeks in the region. The
most of them fled Abkhazia and fled to South
Russia. From there, several came with their own means to Greece. Approximately 2.000 people remained in war-torn Abkhazia, who were trapped with the start of fierce fighting and the siege of the city of Sukhumi. For these trapped people, the operation that bore the name was carried out Golden fleece in memory of Jason's mythical journey.
On the morning of August 15, 1993, the ship Viscountess of the Marlines company arrived at the port of Sukhumi. What was happening in Sukhumi at that time is described revealingly in a document sent to the Greek government by the Greek Association of the city of Sochi, where many Greek refugees had taken refuge. Among other things, the appeal read:
"Today a terrible war is raging in Georgia, the blood of Greeks is being shed.
of our compatriots, old men, women and children are lost. 1.000 Greek refugees
from Abkhazia - they are abandoning the livelihood of many generations, their households and homes without any means of livelihood to save their lives. They headed to Batumi to later go to Greece through neighboring Turkey. It is difficult to describe their suffering. In an instant they lost everything, many relatives and barely managed to leave their homes and save their lives. But the hardest thing is to see the mothers, grandparents, and grandmothers crying. The genocide of the Pontic Greeks continues, they are being killed, robbed, raped…”.
The story of the legendary mission
The day of the Virgin Mary dawned. August 15, 1993…A group of Greek frogmen, led by a fearless officer, the Lieutenant Commander Vasilis Dertilis,are ready to implement a daring plan.Very far from the homeland. The operation GOLDEN WOOL in Sukhumi, with which 2000 of our compatriots were saved from war and death, remained in history.
The photos are from the archive of a frogman who participated in the expedition. Vasilis Dertilis is unfortunately no longer alive… He lived a reckless life. He always lived in conditions of danger and when that stopped he “left”…
Dawn of August 15, 1993 a Special Forces unit was writing its own history beyond the borders. At such times that day the operation GOLDEN FLEECE, was entering its final phase! Led by Lieutenant Commander Vasilis Dertilis, led a group of Greek frogmen in the most “known-unknown” special operation of the Greek Armed Forces. The evacuation 2000 of our compatriots from Sukhumi!
The operation had the political cover and supervision of the then Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Virginia TsouderouDertilis, an excellent officer, had undertaken the selection of men, the planning and execution of the operation, which was not at all easy.
The first difficulty that Dertilis faced?The air traffic controllers' union members at the then Hellinikon airport. Inside the Olympic plane, ready to fly and go to meet the group of frogmen who had already arrived in Sukhumi. The captain of the plane informs that there will be a significant delay in the flight due to a work stoppage by the controllers. Dertilis, always calm, got up from his seat and told the captain of the plane to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The relevant communications were made and perhaps for the only time in history the most powerful trade union body of air traffic controllers backed down! The plane took off in record time and the other passengers could not believe the miracle. They did not know that the Lieutenant Commander who had undertaken the most serious special mission of the Air Traffic Controllers in recent decades was flying with them.
Dertilis arrived in Sukhumi, found their men and assessed the situation. From the military conflicts Georgians and Abkhazians they had already lost their lives 200 expatriatesThere was no time for the remaining 2000.
With the help of political officials, the collection of information for the distribution of single-use passports (of the former USSR) for the evacuation of Greek villages from mountainous Abkhazia was organized.
At dawn on August 15, Dertilis and his men had not only the 2000 expatriates ready to board a Greek passenger ship waiting outside the port. Dertilis had secured the tolerance, not to mention the protection, of a Russian regiment, which was besieging the city of Sukhumi with separatist forces.
Nevertheless, battles were taking place. There was also a group of paratroopers on the ship who acted as the crew.
The Greeks boarded, definitively ending a 3.000-year history of Greek presence in the region.
The photos come from one of the frogmen who participated in this extraordinary military operation.Which is just one proof of the ingenuity and efficiency of the Greek military. When they are left to do their job. Virginia Tsouderou blindly trusted Vasilis Dertilis. So did Gerasimos Arsenis when he became Minister of National Defense. The then Chief of General Staff Christos Lymberis had many years before he diagnosed Dertilis' talent and abilities.
It is no coincidence that Vasilis Dertilis decided to resign from the National Defense Ministry without even having secured anything, when he realized that during the Simitis government, the "modernizers" had only heard about special operations in the cinema!
source, photos https://www.militaire.gr/365055-2/
