The 12 photographs posted for sale on eBay (e-Bay.de) showing Greeks being executed by German occupation forces, and the entire collection they belong to, were declared a monument of Greek history by the ministry of culture, the ministry said on Wednesday.
The photographs are especially important historically as proof of the shaping of beliefs and stances through the use of images, by the propaganda mechanisms of occupation forces in Greece, the ministry said in a statement.
Posted by World War II memorabilia collector Tim de Craene through his Crain’s Militaria shop, the photos by German officer Hermann Heuer soon appeared in Greek social media posts and mass media, raising interest in multiple sides. The collector removed the 12 photos on Monday (February 16), but the entirety of the collection of photographs by Heuer remains for sale.
Heuer, a lieutenant of the Wehrmacht, was serving at the Malakassa army base in 1943-1944. He had been ordered to follow or assist in – it is unclear which – the execution of 200 detained Greeks who were transported from the Chaidari army camp to Skopeftirio (the shooting range) of Kessariani on May 1, 1944. Heuer’s collection of photographs, from areas of occupied Europe he served in – Belgium, France, and Greece – ended up with collector Tim de Craene.
“The 12 photographs that were publicized and show Greek patriots before their execution in Kessariani on May Day 1944 are outstandingly important documents of modern Greek history,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said. “The photographs in the collection ‘put a face’ on historical witness reports of their principles and patriotism a few moments before their execution, and that is why they are priceless.”
Mendoni added however that the rest of the photographs in the Heuer collection are equally important, as they allow Greeks to frame the drama of occupied Greece through the eyes of the occupiers. “The propaganda mechanism set up by Joseph Goebbels utilized his era’s state-of-the-art information technology – cinema and photography – to provide a set-up proof of ‘success’ and dissemination, as a tool of influence,” she noted.
The ministry provided directions for the possible acquisition of the photographs as soon as it was notified, Mendoni said, and the relevant directorate contacted the collector immediately. Specialists will be visiting him on Friday at his home base of Evergem in Belgium to see the collection in person and talk with him. “With today’s declaration of the collection as a monument, the ministry of culture acquires the grounds to lay claim to it and acquire it on behalf of the Greek state,” Mendoni said.
Source: ANA – MPA
