It is necessary to listen to the stories that have been the subject of movies and books on the islands where Turks and Greeks lived together for so many years.. Experiences that have never been recorded, but that are expressed loudly and enthusiastically in relatives’ gatherings, are very important in terms of shedding light on our recent history. It is necessary to listen and note those moments that we can capture from living historians who are the witnesses of the period…

91. Ahmet Hüsamoğlu, who has left his age behind, remembers the process of giving Kos (Kos) to Greece in 1947, which was occupied by Italians in 1912 and by Germans in 1945.. Hüsamoğlu, who escaped to Bodrum on a boat in 1947, the year the Greeks came to the island, and settled in Çeşme after a short Izmir experience, tells the story of the German occupation and escape with all his excitement…

Ahmet Buğra Tokmakoğlu, Ahmet Hüsamoğlu

Year 1945: Germans occupy Kos (Kos) during World War II

“The Germans have arrived on the island… Airplanes have landed troops, soldiers are walking from below. We used to live near the lake back then.. During the occupation we went to the vineyard. We stayed in the vineyard for three days and three nights.. They are advancing with planes to hit whatever is in front of the soldiers.

They reached our house… When they reached the house, a ceasefire was ordered.

The soldiers, who had their dowry at home, lay down on the pumpkins in the garden.

We entered the shelter at the morning prayer, hungry and thirsty.. If a land comes, it will be a ready grave on us.. I’m resisting to get out my dad is holding my foot. If we’re going to die, my father says we’ll all die in the same place…

We hear at least 20 bombs from morning to night. I couldn’t resist, I walked up to the road by the vineyard. Crowd of people under the mulberry tree. When I noticed the German soldiers, I shuddered and introduced myself.

On the one hand, if they killed me, my sisters and fathers would wait for me.. they took my hello. “Are you Turkish?” said a German soldier in Turkish.. I said I am Turkish. we are german. He said we have occupied the country.. first night of invasion. They occupied half of the city…

Let me know how many people you know in the shelters, he said, gather somewhere.. From 9 o’clock we will beat the city by throwing a cannon on the okra. If you stay here nothing will happen. He warned you that you could return to your old places at 3 o’clock.

He fled to Rhodes, Bodrum, who was able to get into the ballot box during the occupation.

I told my fathers immediately.. The Germans will advance with bombs in order to be able to walk comfortably.. I said stay in the shelter until the morning, then you can go to your place.. We sat on the roof close to 65 people and waited.. Heedlessness came to my memory, I fell asleep. At 9 o’clock the bombs began to explode. The Germans came to scare the British and Italians…

It’s morning and we got up again. It is not clear whether they will kill us, burn us or shoot us… Our elders talk in different ways.. While we were in the bunker, we heard the last gunshots.. War is over declared. The island surrendered. The war ended in the country.

After that, the Germans settled on the island and stayed on the island for almost two years.

When the Germans came, our whole order was broken.. They attacked our crops. No money, no stamps, they took all our savings. The commander and the soldier came and surrounded the three trucks… My father cried and whimpered.. All our crops are gone. Soldier said little straw. One of my arms is crippled, I filled the straw with one hand.

They gave us three sacks.. Otherwise we will die of hunger.

I was milking the cows back then.. About 200 kilos of milk are produced every day.. My father distributes milk to the city with a donkey.. The city is 6 kilometers from the village. He also makes his reckoning from week to week.

I came home one night, slightly drunk.. Dad said to move the three sacks we hid, he was stuck. On the other hand, we used to feed the whole village, everyone is asking how you will be fed now…

The German plan to occupy Kos

German military comes under control

I haven’t changed the place of the sacks. In the morning, I again milked the cows, filled the vats, and my father will go to the city with a donkey to distribute the milk.. I saw an armed soldier came.

The commander of Hüsamoğlu Ali said in German that he will search the house.

He started to examine the house.. He says if there is something hidden you will go to jail (castello castello). Looking at the warehouse empty. Straw is visible at the end of the sack where my father hid the sacks. I put the pitchfork to the end and took the grass. He asked two or three times if there was anything. He began to feel the sacks with the handle of the pitchfork.. He took the sacks out. He said you will go to Castello. My father started crying when he saw. Didn’t I tell you, they brought you three trucks and they will take them, and they said, “We will starve.”. Saying come on castello, he took out the sacks and took them to the commander.. I have 30 francs, an ox coin in my pocket. You take the money, take the lamb, take the egg basket. we said let’s eat this. No, he says you will go to jail, he doesn’t say anything else.. At that time, he put his hand in his pocket and took out a paper, it reads as Ali Hüsamoğlu, Ali Hüsamoğlu, Ali Hüsamoğlu.

I understood that it was the soldier who loaded the sacks with the commander from here.. When I took out the paper, I felt that it was stealing. I wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t taken out the paper. This is the commander and the soldier carrying the sacks.

Then a kilo of corn is an Ottoman lira, a kilo of oats is an Ottoman lira, ten kilograms of wheat is an Ottoman lira.. There is 330 kilos of wheat, he will sell it and put the money in his pocket.

At that moment, I returned to my father saying do not interfere, did I go to jail or did I go to jail?. you said. I plunged into the soldier’s throat. I got the gun in your hand. My father started to cry because you will take us to the execution.. Dad, don’t cry, I wouldn’t have bought the gun if I didn’t see the paper.. Go fetch the horse, we will go to the commander, in case he came here to steal.

At that moment the soldier began to tremble.. He started to beg my father, he says give me my gun, let me go, give me my gun. Thomsen gun in hand, soldier tucked at my father’s feet. We are open, there is no further. I’m 96 kilos then. I found myself in the field at 7 years old. I’d lift 200 kilos of tomatoes by myself. There is a dead power, I never felt sorry for myself…

We talked for half an hour. I’ll give you the gun, you won’t look back. You will go without looking back. Give me another gun. I said I’ll kill you the second you look back. If we had taken it to the commander, they would have executed him for theft.. The commander had put three sacks.

My father said that he was the son of ha kerata.

German frustration in Russia

They entered Russia. We ate the remaining crops. In Russia, they were captured when the engines did not start.. British won the war. The British who decided to hand over the 12 islands to the Greeks. we do not know. The ferries are coming. Greeks say Greek is coming, Turks are saying Turkish is coming. Greek flags in the hands of the Greeks, Turkish flags in the hands of us, we are waiting…. We said we’re dead now. Gavur girls play and dance, we stayed like orphans.

There was Uncle Sabri in Germe, who was very old. He said we’ll do it like this, we’ll do it like this. everything left. I got on a horse and went and people were throwing guns at the tortoiseshell.. The Greek Government has arrived. 5-10 days passed, things started to happen. I sat for 25 years, and in Italian time there would be no incidents.

Everyone went to court. Greeks and Greeks clashed. They kept complaining to each other that a pig came into my garden and his chicken dug into my field.

It’s time for my military service.. I worked for my father, ate Italian, I studied ate German. Our 100 calves, 3 truck crops are gone. we don’t have money. I said that I will not feed the Greeks, I will not serve in the military.. I have 2 horses, I have a job, I’m comfortable actually.

The letter came that we will pick you up on Wednesday or Thursday.

Time to escape to Bodrum

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We started to wait by the sea, three friends. We’re looking at incoming engines. Durmuş Yaşar had an uncle, he was the Italian policeman on the island.. He was also waiting to pass with us. He loaded his daughter’s dowry on the boat.. The boat is submerged in water to be buried. I have boots on my feet, I peeled them off and entered the water. We pulled the boat out of the sand. We moved the poo. 14 people boarded the island, we approached the Bosphorus in Bodrum.

When we landed in Bodrum, Haydar’s wife brewed tea in the fire.. We drank the tea, three people said wait for the rest and started walking.. I stepped on a flint stone in the sea, my feet are throbbing, so we started walking towards Bodrum.. We surrendered in Bodrum. We said there were 14 of us, and we told them where.

I phoned my uncle in the morning.. Because we came to Bodrum. We got up from there and came to Piçhane (Today’s Ethnography Museum) to Izmir… We stayed for a week and registered.. I went to Cesme to my sister’s house from Izmir…”