Cyprus-Forum.com

[observer]

On a separate thread, ( http://www.cyprus-forum.com/viewtopic.p ... &start=130 ) Bananiot wrote to Oracle: Have you ever wondered, oracle, what brought about the bombings by the Turkish airforce? Did Turkey wake up one morning in August 1964 and said "today I will bomb Tillyria"?

Oracle (or whatever her name is now) replied: Pray ... do tell the Turkish side for me dear Bananiot ..... the spokesperson of the silent minority

As she continues to mention the bombing of Tillyria by the Turkish air force, leaving the impression that it was unprovoked attack upon innocent GC civilians. I have reviewed the events and here are some facts, none taken from Turkish sources.

Following the GC attacks around the new year of 1964, many TCs had retreated into enclaves. One of these was the enclave around Kokkina. On 1 June 1964, Makarios ordered the conscription of every able-bodied GC man between the age of 18 and 50 into the National Guard, contrary to Article 129 of the Cyprus Constitution which forbids conscription except by common agreement. Lieutenant-General Karayannis of the Greek Army was placed in charge of this force. The constitution also limits the size of the Army to 2,000 men, which was greatly exceeded.

Over the summer, Greek soldiers also poured into Cyprus. Greek journalist Taki Theodoracopulos wrote in “The Greek Upheaval”:
Garoufalias (Greek Minister of Defence) managed to pull off a magnificent coup. Under cover of darkness, using only small yachts and fishing boats, 9,000 men and 950 officers, fully equipped and heavily armed, landed in Cyprus”.

Additionally, more armaments entered via Limassol harbour, UN observers being barred from Limassol at that time. According to Newsweek of 27 July 1964:
“Before dawn each day, the great iron doors of the port of Limassol are slammed shut. Turkish Cypriot dockers are sent home. United Nations guards are barred. A few hours later, the doors swing open and covered lorries, weaving on heavily overloaded springs, roar out of the port and head northward towards the Troodos mountains”.

On 14 June 1964 Grivas, now a Lieutenant-General in the Greek Army, was sent to command the Greek soldiers on Cyprus which some estimates number as high as 20,000, with 10,000 as a minimum number. Grivas also assumed actual command of the GC National Guard. The nominated commander, Lieutenant-General Karayannis resigned on 15 August.

During July, The GC government banned the delivery of Red Crescent supplies to the enclaves and Lieutenant-General Grivas started concentrating his forces around the Kokkina enclave. These forces included several thousand men, six 25 pounder guns, two 4-barrelled Oerlikon guns, motors and some armoured cars. The UN Commander, India General Kodendra Thimayya, complained to Makarios about the troop buildup, and was told that no attack was planned. However, on 6 August, Lieutenant-General Grivas launched an assault on the area around Kokkina and Makarios announced that the struggle for enosis had entered its final phase (Newsweek, 17 August1964).

As the attack begun, UN posts were overrun and TCs forced back into a smaller and smaller enclave. GC guns bombarded the Kokkina all day, and in the evening of 6 August, a GC manned patrol boat arrived and bombarded the village from the sea. On 7 August, four Turkish F-100 fighters buzzed GC concentrations and fired rockets into the sea as a warning. It may be that this warning persuaded GC civilians to leave the area.

On the 7 August, the UN commander, General Thimayya, asked Makarios for a truce to allow the evacuation of some trapped UN soldiers and some TC women and children. This was refused.

Following a further day of GC bombardment from the land and the sea, Turkish jets were sent to bomb and shoot at GC positions around Kokkina on 8 August, and one of the patrol boats that had been bombing Kokkina was also damaged and forced to run aground. Air attacks were repeated on 9 August and the GC offensive stopped.

I have put down a number of international references to avoid the accusation of just mouthing propaganda. The account that I have written above is in broad agreement with contemporary accounts http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 35,00.html and at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 25,00.html it is also broadly in agreement with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Hist ... _of_Cyprus

My reason for posting this is not to reawaken old sores, I genuinely hope that Talat and Christofias come to an agreement which we can all sign up to. I would hope, however, to put the events of the past into perspective.

[Get Real!]

Which reminds me of this thread and a few others actually...

http://www.cyprus-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10319

I have to go to a funeral right now Observer, but if you are willing and able to play regarding the Kokkina bombings we can meet up here in the evening ok?

[observer]

GR Out this evening, and by a sad coincidence, a funeral tomorrow, but should be free Friday.

[denizaksulu]

On a separate thread, ( http://www.cyprus-forum.com/viewtopic.p ... &start=130 ) Bananiot wrote to Oracle: Have you ever wondered, oracle, what brought about the bombings by the Turkish airforce? Did Turkey wake up one morning in August 1964 and said "today I will bomb Tillyria"?

Oracle (or whatever her name is now) replied: Pray ... do tell the Turkish side for me dear Bananiot ..... the spokesperson of the silent minority

As she continues to mention the bombing of Tillyria by the Turkish air force, leaving the impression that it was unprovoked attack upon innocent GC civilians. I have reviewed the events and here are some facts, none taken from Turkish sources.

Following the GC attacks around the new year of 1964, many TCs had retreated into enclaves. One of these was the enclave around Kokkina. On 1 June 1964, Makarios ordered the conscription of every able-bodied GC man between the age of 18 and 50 into the National Guard, contrary to Article 129 of the Cyprus Constitution which forbids conscription except by common agreement. Lieutenant-General Karayannis of the Greek Army was placed in charge of this force. The constitution also limits the size of the Army to 2,000 men, which was greatly exceeded.

Over the summer, Greek soldiers also poured into Cyprus. Greek journalist Taki Theodoracopulos wrote in “The Greek Upheaval”:
Garoufalias (Greek Minister of Defence) managed to pull off a magnificent coup. Under cover of darkness, using only small yachts and fishing boats, 9,000 men and 950 officers, fully equipped and heavily armed, landed in Cyprus”.

Additionally, more armaments entered via Limassol harbour, UN observers being barred from Limassol at that time. According to Newsweek of 27 July 1964:
“Before dawn each day, the great iron doors of the port of Limassol are slammed shut. Turkish Cypriot dockers are sent home. United Nations guards are barred. A few hours later, the doors swing open and covered lorries, weaving on heavily overloaded springs, roar out of the port and head northward towards the Troodos mountains”.

On 14 June 1964 Grivas, now a Lieutenant-General in the Greek Army, was sent to command the Greek soldiers on Cyprus which some estimates number as high as 20,000, with 10,000 as a minimum number. Grivas also assumed actual command of the GC National Guard. The nominated commander, Lieutenant-General Karayannis resigned on 15 August.

During July, The GC government banned the delivery of Red Crescent supplies to the enclaves and Lieutenant-General Grivas started concentrating his forces around the Kokkina enclave. These forces included several thousand men, six 25 pounder guns, two 4-barrelled Oerlikon guns, motors and some armoured cars. The UN Commander, India General Kodendra Thimayya, complained to Makarios about the troop buildup, and was told that no attack was planned. However, on 6 August, Lieutenant-General Grivas launched an assault on the area around Kokkina and Makarios announced that the struggle for enosis had entered its final phase (Newsweek, 17 August1964).

As the attack begun, UN posts were overrun and TCs forced back into a smaller and smaller enclave. GC guns bombarded the Kokkina all day, and in the evening of 6 August, a GC manned patrol boat arrived and bombarded the village from the sea. On 7 August, four Turkish F-100 fighters buzzed GC concentrations and fired rockets into the sea as a warning. It may be that this warning persuaded GC civilians to leave the area.

On the 7 August, the UN commander, General Thimayya, asked Makarios for a truce to allow the evacuation of some trapped UN soldiers and some TC women and children. This was refused.

Following a further day of GC bombardment from the land and the sea, Turkish jets were sent to bomb and shoot at GC positions around Kokkina on 8 August, and one of the patrol boats that had been bombing Kokkina was also damaged and forced to run aground. Air attacks were repeated on 9 August and the GC offensive stopped.

I have put down a number of international references to avoid the accusation of just mouthing propaganda. The account that I have written above is in broad agreement with contemporary accounts http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 35,00.html and at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 25,00.html it is also broadly in agreement with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Hist ... _of_Cyprus

My reason for posting this is not to reawaken old sores, I genuinely hope that Talat and Christofias come to an agreement which we can all sign up to. I would hope, however, to put the events of the past into perspective.

I have also read similar accounts from Retired Greek Army Officers Journals. I dont think most GCs would be much interested what the Generals write. I wish I had kept a record of their names. I am sure people know where to find them.

[Sotos]

I would hope, however, to put the events of the past into perspective

If you put the events of the past into perspective then you will see that what we did to you is very small compared to what you did to us. So why you hope to put them into perspective? You should hope the opposite!

[Bananiot]

Stop talking rubbish sotos. It's not you and us. It is us and us! It should have never boiled down to "you and us". When we so light heartedly pronounce and condemn the British policy of the past as one of divide and rule we tend to forget that this "us and you" business simply reinforces the colonial divide and rule only this time we are shooting our own legs.

[Get Real!]

Stop talking rubbish sotos. It's not you and us. It is us and us! It should have never boiled down to "you and us".

That's something you should be saying to BOTH communities or readers will suspect bias and you wouldn't want that right?

Getting back to the issue, which you started Bananiot, please tell us in your own words why a group of TMT fighters were trapped in the Kokkina bay by the EOKA fighters which prompted the Turkish airforce to bomb EOKA's positions.

[Oracle]

Stop talking rubbish sotos. It's not you and us. It is us and us! It should have never boiled down to "you and us". When we so light heartedly pronounce and condemn the British policy of the past as one of divide and rule we tend to forget that this "us and you" business simply reinforces the colonial divide and rule only this time we are shooting our own legs.

Twerp!

We were sitting on an island minding our own business, and along came them ... making it us and them. The them refused to be nice to us, preferring to slaughter us and until some other thems joined forces and us had to fight for our survival. Them objected and joined forces with those, so that little old us got sold up the Swanee ....

When they are weak they want it to be us and us ... when they are strong they make it you and us ...

Bananiot ... little featherbrained shuttlecock .... there is still no you and me ...

[Bananiot]

I do not care twopence GR, what readers will suspect. I had my own mind and I spoke out even when the opposite view was villified by the previous corrupt government that spied on citizens and divided people into patriots and traitors.

In the didactic methodology, we normally ask pupils to explain something in their own words so that we can see if they really understand principles, mechanisms etc. Your question misses the point by far and this is to be expected. Your perspective only leads to a dead end because the blame game is all you are interested, I am sorry to say. Thus, because you happen to be Greek Cypriot you only see the plight of the Greek Cypriot community without pausing to reflect on the plight of the other side. If you were a Turksih Cypriot you would show the same behaviour from the reverse. I am not interested in this. I want to build bridges of friendship, solidarity and fraternity between the two communities. I want to build strong bridges that will not collapse under the blows of the nationalists and come through the test of time. This is the only way to go about it and survive in this small island. Really, I find it very hard to understand why this simple truth has such a difficult time surfacing.

[Bananiot]

Oracle has spoken, the misanthropist. Hate, hate hate ... scary!