Viannos is a mountainous area in the southeastern part of
Heraklion regional unit, stretching between the feet of Mount
Dikti in the north and the
Libyan Sea in the south coast of Crete. Following the
Battle of Crete in 1941 during which the island fell to the Axis, Viannos and the nearby
Lasithi were part of the Italian occupation zone. Until the end of 1942, the Italians had hardly any presence in the area, hence facilitating the set up and activation of several resistance groups. Among them was one of the largest guerrilla bands in Crete, led by Manolis Bandouvas. In early 1943, the increasing activity of guerrillas combined with the rumors that the Allies had plans to invade Crete, led the Italians to start the construction of coastal fortifications and install garrisons in the region. On the other hand, the Germans had started since 1942 to station forces of their own in the coastal villages of Tsoutsouros and Arvi. In May 1943, they also established an
outpost with three men in
Kato Simi that were in charge of collecting potatoes for the provision of occupation troops and keeping the surroundings under surveillance.
Ambush at Kato Simi The
Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 followed by the
Italian armistice announced on September 8 and the smuggling of the Italian commander of eastern Crete
Angelico Carta to
Egypt, reinforced the rumors that an Allied operation against Crete was imminent. Prompted by this misapprehension, Bandouvas ordered an attack against the German outpost in Kato Simi. As the English historian
Antony Beevor notes, Bandouvas acted without consulting the British; he anticipated that the Allies would soon land, and hoped that he would emerge as a national hero when they did so. On September 10, Bandouvas'
partisans launched their attack on the outpost, killing the two German soldiers present and throwing their bodies in a crevice. Bandouvas later claimed he had instructed his men to capture the two alive, conforming to orders from
Cairo. These claims have been denied by SOE agents
Patrick Leigh Fermor and
Thomas James Dunbabin, who maintain that no order was given.
Battle of Kato Simi The bodies of the two German soldiers stationed in Kato Simi were discovered and news of the incident reached their superiors, who ordered an infantry
company to move to the village and investigate their fate. Twelve Germans were captured alive. Bandouvas' partisans lost only one man and withdrew to the mountains. ==Massacres==