The Alphabet Soup
Listening to Christos reminiscing about the war I got lost in the acronyms. There were so many organizations, with similar abbreviated names, that made me wonder how anyone could remember to which group he belonged to! Below are some of them.
Notice that most of the group acronyms, regardless of the group’s political orientation, have an “E,” for “Εθνικη,” or "Ελληνικη(ος)" which means "National," or "Greek or of Greece," respectively—thus evoking an aura of patriotism and authenticity!
EA Ethniki Allilegii — National Solidarity.
EAM Ethiko Apeleftherotiko Metopo — National Liberation Front. (Its military branch was ELAS).
EASAD Ethnikos Agrotikos Syndesmos Antikomunnistikis Draseos — National Agricultural Federation of
Anti-Communist Action.
EDES Ethnikos Dimokratikos Ellinikos Syndesmos — National Republican Greek League.
EEAM Ethniko Ergatico Apeleftherotiko Metopo — National Workers’ Liberation Front.
EEE Ethniki Enosis Ellados — National Union of Greece.
EKKA Ethniki Kai Koinoniki Apeleftherosi — National And Social Liberation.
ELAS Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos — Greek People’s Liberation Army. (Its political branch was EAM).
EPON Eniaia Panelladiki Organosis Neon — United Panhellenic Organization of Youth.
KKE Kommounistiko Komma Ellados — Communist Party of Greece.
OPLA Organosis Perifrourisis tou Laikou Agona — Organization for the Protection of the People’s
Struggle.
PEEA Politiki Epitropi Ethnikis Apeleftheroseos -- Political Committee for National Liberation.
X “Organization X” (Greek: Οργάνωσις "Che") — commonly referred to simply as X and its members
as Chites. A paramilitary militia of the extreme right armed and funded by the British. The letter
X was used as the emblem of the organization because it resembled King George’s II crest.
Founder and leader of X was Colonel George Grivas, a Greek Cypriot by birth,
who in the 1950’s became a nemesis for the British as leader of the underground EOKA
movement in Cyprus.
Listening to Christos reminiscing about the war I got lost in the acronyms. There were so many organizations, with similar abbreviated names, that made me wonder how anyone could remember to which group he belonged to! Below are some of them.
Notice that most of the group acronyms, regardless of the group’s political orientation, have an “E,” for “Εθνικη,” or "Ελληνικη(ος)" which means "National," or "Greek or of Greece," respectively—thus evoking an aura of patriotism and authenticity!
EA Ethniki Allilegii — National Solidarity.
EAM Ethiko Apeleftherotiko Metopo — National Liberation Front. (Its military branch was ELAS).
EASAD Ethnikos Agrotikos Syndesmos Antikomunnistikis Draseos — National Agricultural Federation of
Anti-Communist Action.
EDES Ethnikos Dimokratikos Ellinikos Syndesmos — National Republican Greek League.
EEAM Ethniko Ergatico Apeleftherotiko Metopo — National Workers’ Liberation Front.
EEE Ethniki Enosis Ellados — National Union of Greece.
EKKA Ethniki Kai Koinoniki Apeleftherosi — National And Social Liberation.
ELAS Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos — Greek People’s Liberation Army. (Its political branch was EAM).
EPON Eniaia Panelladiki Organosis Neon — United Panhellenic Organization of Youth.
KKE Kommounistiko Komma Ellados — Communist Party of Greece.
OPLA Organosis Perifrourisis tou Laikou Agona — Organization for the Protection of the People’s
Struggle.
PEEA Politiki Epitropi Ethnikis Apeleftheroseos -- Political Committee for National Liberation.
X “Organization X” (Greek: Οργάνωσις "Che") — commonly referred to simply as X and its members
as Chites. A paramilitary militia of the extreme right armed and funded by the British. The letter
X was used as the emblem of the organization because it resembled King George’s II crest.
Founder and leader of X was Colonel George Grivas, a Greek Cypriot by birth,
who in the 1950’s became a nemesis for the British as leader of the underground EOKA
movement in Cyprus.
