elas

Elas, commonly written ELAS, stands for Ethniko Apeleftherotiko Metopo, or National Liberation Front, and is the best-known Greek resistance organization that operated against Axis occupation during World War II. It emerged in 1942 as the military wing of the broader left-wing movement EAM (National Liberation Front) and brought together various socialist, communist, and labor groups under a unified command.

Under the leadership of figures such as Aris Velouchiotis, ELAS organized guerrilla warfare across occupied Greece, conducting operations against German, Italian, and collaborationist forces. The organization developed a large network of irregular units and relied on rural support, while also attempting to provide social services, education, and local administration in liberated areas. At its height ELAS controlled significant portions of rural Greece and became the strongest resistance force in the country.

The relationship between ELAS and the Greek government-in-exile, as well as with Allied authorities, grew tense as the war progressed. After the Axis collapse, clashes between ELAS and government forces intensified, most notably during the December 1944 events in Athens known as the Dekemvriana. These conflicts contributed to the onset of a broader civil war in Greece that lasted from 1946 to 1949, pitting leftist forces aligned with ELAS against government and anti-communist factions supported by Western powers.

Following the civil war, ELAS was dismantled as a functioning military force and its influence diminished, though its legacy continued to shape Greek politics and memory of resistance. The organization is remembered as a central element of Greece’s WWII experience and the early postwar period, illustrating both the mobilization of broad popular support and the enduring divisions within Greek society.