March 2, 2026 — Greece’s culture ministry says it has acquired an archive of World War II-era material that appears to document the final moments of 200 men executed by German soldiers after the killing of a German general.
The collection includes 262 photographs, 16 documents and four contemporary banknotes. Ministry officials say the images were likely taken by a German soldier who served in Belgium and France. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement that “the transfer of ownership of the photographic collection… has been completed.” The ministry believes the pictures show communist detainees executed at an Athens firing range on May 1, 1944.
Twelve of the photographs briefly appeared for sale on an online militaria seller on eBay, Crain’s Militaria, earlier this month before being removed. Their appearance provoked strong reactions in Greece, especially from relatives of the victims. Ministry staff traveled to Belgium to meet the collector who listed them and to verify the material’s authenticity.
Belgian collector Tim de Craen removed the items after some images attracted bids above $2,000, according to reports. De Craen told a Greek newspaper he understood how sensitive the photographs were.
The mass execution followed the assassination of a German general and members of his staff by communist guerrillas. Greece was under Nazi occupation from 1941 to 1944. Most of the men killed on May 1 had reportedly been detained earlier during anti-communist operations carried out by the police of Greece’s prewar dictator, Ioannis Metaxas.
Until now, accounts of the victims’ final hours mainly relied on handwritten notes said to have been thrown from the trucks that transported them to the firing range. The newly acquired images provide visual documentation: groups of men marching through a field, lined up against a wall at the range, and facing the camera in what appear to be their last moments. One image shows several men looking defiantly at the photographer; in another two appear to be singing.
“The photographs shocked me,” said Polymeris Voglis, a professor of social history in Greece. He told France 24 that while the mass execution of resistance fighters was a known historical event, there had been no photographic record until now. “Some of the photographs show the faces of the men, reflecting their determination as they walk proudly towards the firing squad,” he added.
Greek officials say the archive will remain in state custodianship while experts continue to verify its provenance and work on how the material should be preserved and studied. The images have reignited public attention to a painful episode of occupation and repression during the war.