The women of Pindus (1940)
"The Women of Pindus" is a top chapter of heroism in the mountains of Northern Epirus, when Greece was called to repel the Italian attack in 1940.
The contribution, the voluntary and spontaneous offer and self-sacrifice of the Greek women of the Epirus region through written and oral testimonies for their actions, constitute an unknown to many, sides of the war.
The women of Epirus offered their homes to accommodate the Greek soldiers, giving them a few moments of warmth. They offered food, blankets, and all kinds of clothing from their own reserve. In their little free time, they knitted socks and clothes and kneaded bread for the fighting soldiers.
Where the army was not able to reach due to the inaccessible terrain, the women carried ammunition, food, and clothing, climbed steep ravines, and defied the extremely adverse weather conditions by covering distances of two or three days.
Also, incidents are reported that speak of transport and detachable cannons, which were carried on their backs in steep positions.
In addition to materials, they also transported the injured, facilitating the work of the ambulances and giving courage to the injured.
Endless phalanxes of girls, young and old, climbed to an altitude of well over 2,000 meters, to the most inaccessible places, under incessant rains, in snowstorms and north winds. and when they returned they carried the wounded.
They participated in the opening and repair of roads, as well as in their construction.
In fact, according to testimonies, when the bridge builders of the Engineer were unable to connect the Vogiousa River at one point due to the rapid current of its waters, a group of women from Pindos entered the water themselves and were held tightly by the shoulder, in order to create a human embankment that would interrupt the momentum of the river.
Never before in the rest of the world have women stood so bravely in helping the warring factions and defying death.
We shall never forget the heroism, faith, courage, and endurance of the women who carried Greece on their shoulders.
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