Athens secures deal for rare Nazi archive documenting 1944 mass execution

A Belgian collector has entered into a preliminary agreement with the Greek government to sell a cache of previously unpublished photographs documenting the execution of Greek communists during the Nazi occupation of 1943–1944.

The emergence of these images on an online auction sparked significant outcry in Athens, highlighting the enduring sensitivity of World War II history in the Hellenic Republic.

According to a report by Euractiv, Tim De Craene—a Belgian collector specializing in Wehrmacht memorabilia and Second World War artifacts—listed the photographs on eBay on Feb. 14 through his firm, Crain’s Militaria. It appears the collector was initially unaware of the profound historical magnitude of the items in his possession.

The collection originates from the personal archive of Lieutenant Hermann Heuer of the German Wehrmacht. It comprises 262 photographs, including documentation of the mass execution of 200 Greek communists on May 1, 1944.

The slaughter at Kaisariani—where the 200 victims, many of whom had been imprisoned since the Metaxas dictatorship, were put to death—was carried out in retaliation for the assassination of a German general by resistance fighters from the Greek People’s Liberation Army (ELAS), the military wing of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). The massacre has since become a definitive symbol of Greek national resistance.

The discovery prompted urgent calls from various political factions, led by the KKE, for the Greek state to intervene and secure the documents. Recognizing the gravity of the matter, the Greek government moved swiftly, demanding the collector withdraw the items from the auction block.

Under Belgian law, the sale of Nazi-era documents and photography is legal, provided the materials are treated as historical records and are not utilized to promote National Socialist ideology.

Greece, however, maintains a claim to the archives on the grounds that documentation of war crimes committed on its soil constitutes an integral component of the national heritage.

The collector asserted that he had acquired the photographs legally through a prior auction and was their rightful owner.

On Friday, the Ministry of Culture dispatched a team of experts to Evergem, a small town near Ghent, to verify the authenticity of the photographs and negotiate a purchase price for the Greek state.

A preliminary agreement was subsequently signed between the two parties to remove the images from all online auction platforms and facilitate their transfer to the Greek government.

Images already circulated online depict victims marching toward their execution with visible stoicism. Euractiv, present in Evergem during the negotiations, learned that the album also contains disturbing imagery captured in the immediate aftermath of the killings.

“I am relieved and happy regarding the preliminary agreement reached with the Greek state,” De Craene told Euractiv outside his home in Evergem.

The young collector, who seemed not to have fully grasped the historical weight of the archive, appeared unsettled by the intense scrutiny the matter has received in the Greek media.

When asked if he had recognized the historical significance of the photographs over the years, De Craene declined to comment, nor would he discuss the final sale price.

While the local newspaper Protothema reported that the agreed price stands at approximately 100,000 euros, the Ministry of Culture has not officially confirmed this figure.

The acquisition has not been without domestic political friction. Certain far-right and ultra-nationalist politicians argued for an end to what they described as “one-sided sympathy” for the left. Afroditi Latinopoulou, leader of the “Voice of Reason” party, contended that while “leftists” also committed crimes, they are the ones honored with monuments and statues across the country.