Michalis Michael, born Michalis Panayi Michael on 13 September 1954, fought against the Turkish army when they invaded Cyprus and was killed in action on 23 July 1974.
Contents
1.Early life
2.First tragedy
3.Early years
4.Hobbies
5.Michalis joins the Cuprus army as a concriped
6.Army coup in cyprus
7.War
8.Battle field of Sihari
9.Michalis figths in a heroic battle.
1. Early life.
Michalis Michael was born in Larnaka in 1954 on the 13th of September. He was the first child of Panayis Michael and Panayiotas Michael. He had a younger brother and a younger sister. As a child he was lively and happy always pleasant and disciplined .At the age of 6 he went to the village school in Xylotymbou. His parents were working at the British army bases in Dhekelia which are close to the village.
2. First Tragedy
At the age of 9 Michalis lost his father in a car accident. On 10th May 1964 Michalis father with 2 other villagers were driving to the village from Famagusta when the car hit a bus and all 3 men were instantly killed. This meant that Michalis became an orphan from the age of 9. This accident marked Michalis life for ever. His whole character changed. From a happy and pleasant child he became introvert and extremely reserved. It was as if though the world came to an end for Michalis.
3. Early years.
His widowed mother had to support all her 3 children and Michalis, being the eldest in the family, supported his mother as much as he could. From the age of 9 he was selling chocolates and other confectionery in a wooden box at his school to other children to earn some money to assist his mother. His mother leaned on him more than the other children because he was the eldest. At the age of 12 he enrolled at a school in Famagusta called the American Academy. From the age of 12 during the summer school holiday he would work at the main village coffee shop as a waiter to earn some money to help his family.
From the age of 15 in the summers he worked on building sites as a laborer with 2 brothers of his mother, Paraskos and Tooulis to pay for his school fees.
4. Hobbies
Although Michalis was not very tall, he won cups in sports games. He loved football and would watch games in Larnaka if he could. He also loved music very much. At school he specialized in electrical engineering and intended to go on to England to study after he would finish the army.
5. Michalis joins the Cyprus army as a conscript.
In July 1973 at the age of 19 Michalis joined the Cypriot army. He was posted to an army station in the village of Trikomo in Artillery unit 181.With his knowledge of electrical engineering from school he became a signal man. At the same time Michalis cousin Antonis joined the army. Antonis’s father and Michalis’s mother were brother and sister. Michalis and Antonis grew up together. They went to the village school at the same time and attended the same classes and both went on to the American Academy and both joined the army on the same day and both became signal men at Trikomo army barracks. Michalis and Antonis had been one year in the army doing their national service and they were planning to go to England to study as soon as they would finish their army service. However another tragedy in Michalis life was to follow.
6. Army coup in Cyprus.
In 1974 Greece was ruled by a military government called the Junta. The Junta government was Facsist and hated the then president of Cyprus Archbishop Makarios who was friendly with the communists in the Soviet Union. Turkey had long planned an invasion of Cyprus and in1974, with the blessing of NATO and the western powers took the opportunity to invade Cyprus. The Greek colonels who were ruling Greece were misled by NATO into organizing a coup in Cyprus to overthrow Makarios government. The Greek colonels foolishly believed that they had agreed with Turkey to partition Cyprus and thereafter part of Cyprus to be joined to Turkey and the remaining part to Greece. On 15 July1974 the army tanks were turned against Makarios and the legitimate government was overthrown. Those were very worrying times for Michalis and his family, as they were for all Cypriots. Fortunately Michalis didn’t take any part in any coup hostilities and he and his cousin Antonis survived the coup.
7. War
On 18 July 1974 Michalis mother, his uncle and his aunt, Antonis parents, went to Trikomo to see their children at their army barracks. Michalis and Antonis were given 10 minuets with their parents. Michalis, as if though he had an insight as to what would follow gave to his mother his watch and said to her “please keep it in case anything happens to me”. He tried to calm her down saying to her that soon he would finish and would go on and study in England. Those were the last words of Michalis to his beloved mother. It was the last time he tried to ease his mother’s fears and worries.
8. Battle field of Sihari
On the 20th July 1974 the Turkish army invaded Cyprus from the northern part of Kyrenia.Greek Cypriots were forced to leave their homes and their lands which they held for thousands of years. They became refugees in their own country. Michalis and Antonis and the other soldiers serving at Trikomo were taken to place called Afentrousa between the villages of Sihari, Bellapals and Dikomo. From there they were supporting the infantry which were in front fighting the invating Turkish army.Unfotunately the Greek officers who were in charge of the Cypriot army were misled into believing that they should not attack the Turks with all their power to fence them of and keep them out, as they were told by their Greek government that the plan was for Turkey to take a small part of Cyprus and the rest would go to Greece. Michalis and his fellow soldiers were in Afentrusa from the 20th of July to the 23rd of July 1974. The Turkish air force had killed 2 soldiers on the 20th of July when they bombed the army lorries when they were going to take positions.
9. Michalis fights in a heroic battle.
On the 22nd July 1974 a truce had been agreed and Artillery was not to be used from 4 o’clock on that day.
Michalis was 1 of over 100 soldiers who were waiting instructions from the Cypriot army headquarters whether to move back from their position. They could see the Turkish army getting close but they were told to stay where they were. The head of artillery, a Greek man called Poullos visited them on the 23rd of July 1974 and told them that they had to stay there and fight to the end if necessary, but he himself left and went back safety in Nicosia. It was about 3 o’clock in the afternoon when they decided to load their arms on to the lorries and move from that position. They followed the only available road eastwards but they came to a dead end and the officer in charge Stilianos Karpoutzis decided that they should turn back on the same road. Whilst they were moving back the first landrover in front was hit by Turkish fire from about 2 kilometers away and the convoy of lorries and landrovers stopped. The Turkish army was coming down from the mountain in big numbers towards the valley were they were stationed. Michalis and his other fellow soldiers put up a brave fight killing over a hundred Turks, moving away from the burning lorries and landlovers. The Turks were trying to encircle them and a 4 hour battle raged. Some of the fellow soldiers of Michalis who were towards the back of the convoy ran away and escaped. At about 8 o’clock Michalis was shot on the head by a bullet from a Turkish gun and fell down dead. He had fought for 4 hours killing many Turks. The brave Cypriot soldiers killed far more Turks than the men they lost, although the Turks had superior guns, but in the end they could not continue to resist due to the sheer numbers of Turks attacking them. A fellow soldier Kyriakos saw Michalis as he fell down dead and he ran to tell Antonis that his cousin was dead.Antonis was being told about Michalis death when a Turkish bullet hit his head and Antonis fell down dead, too. Kyriakos decided to take a white blanket and wave it in front of the Turks signaling surrender.
The Turks have not given any information where the dead are buried even though 35 years have past and Michalis is still one of the missing persons. His poor mother had to cope with a second tragedy having lost her husband when she was 30 and her son when she was 40.
References
http://www.tukishinvation.com/
http://www.junta.com/
http://www.nato.com/
http://www.artilleryunit181.com/
http://www.cyprusproblems.com/
External links
http://www.23rdofjuly1974/
http://www.cypriotheadquarters.com/
Contents
1.Early life
2.First tragedy
3.Early years
4.Hobbies
5.Michalis joins the Cuprus army as a concriped
6.Army coup in cyprus
7.War
8.Battle field of Sihari
9.Michalis figths in a heroic battle.
1. Early life.
Michalis Michael was born in Larnaka in 1954 on the 13th of September. He was the first child of Panayis Michael and Panayiotas Michael. He had a younger brother and a younger sister. As a child he was lively and happy always pleasant and disciplined .At the age of 6 he went to the village school in Xylotymbou. His parents were working at the British army bases in Dhekelia which are close to the village.
2. First Tragedy
At the age of 9 Michalis lost his father in a car accident. On 10th May 1964 Michalis father with 2 other villagers were driving to the village from Famagusta when the car hit a bus and all 3 men were instantly killed. This meant that Michalis became an orphan from the age of 9. This accident marked Michalis life for ever. His whole character changed. From a happy and pleasant child he became introvert and extremely reserved. It was as if though the world came to an end for Michalis.
3. Early years.
His widowed mother had to support all her 3 children and Michalis, being the eldest in the family, supported his mother as much as he could. From the age of 9 he was selling chocolates and other confectionery in a wooden box at his school to other children to earn some money to assist his mother. His mother leaned on him more than the other children because he was the eldest. At the age of 12 he enrolled at a school in Famagusta called the American Academy. From the age of 12 during the summer school holiday he would work at the main village coffee shop as a waiter to earn some money to help his family.
From the age of 15 in the summers he worked on building sites as a laborer with 2 brothers of his mother, Paraskos and Tooulis to pay for his school fees.
4. Hobbies
Although Michalis was not very tall, he won cups in sports games. He loved football and would watch games in Larnaka if he could. He also loved music very much. At school he specialized in electrical engineering and intended to go on to England to study after he would finish the army.
5. Michalis joins the Cyprus army as a conscript.
In July 1973 at the age of 19 Michalis joined the Cypriot army. He was posted to an army station in the village of Trikomo in Artillery unit 181.With his knowledge of electrical engineering from school he became a signal man. At the same time Michalis cousin Antonis joined the army. Antonis’s father and Michalis’s mother were brother and sister. Michalis and Antonis grew up together. They went to the village school at the same time and attended the same classes and both went on to the American Academy and both joined the army on the same day and both became signal men at Trikomo army barracks. Michalis and Antonis had been one year in the army doing their national service and they were planning to go to England to study as soon as they would finish their army service. However another tragedy in Michalis life was to follow.
6. Army coup in Cyprus.
In 1974 Greece was ruled by a military government called the Junta. The Junta government was Facsist and hated the then president of Cyprus Archbishop Makarios who was friendly with the communists in the Soviet Union. Turkey had long planned an invasion of Cyprus and in1974, with the blessing of NATO and the western powers took the opportunity to invade Cyprus. The Greek colonels who were ruling Greece were misled by NATO into organizing a coup in Cyprus to overthrow Makarios government. The Greek colonels foolishly believed that they had agreed with Turkey to partition Cyprus and thereafter part of Cyprus to be joined to Turkey and the remaining part to Greece. On 15 July1974 the army tanks were turned against Makarios and the legitimate government was overthrown. Those were very worrying times for Michalis and his family, as they were for all Cypriots. Fortunately Michalis didn’t take any part in any coup hostilities and he and his cousin Antonis survived the coup.
7. War
On 18 July 1974 Michalis mother, his uncle and his aunt, Antonis parents, went to Trikomo to see their children at their army barracks. Michalis and Antonis were given 10 minuets with their parents. Michalis, as if though he had an insight as to what would follow gave to his mother his watch and said to her “please keep it in case anything happens to me”. He tried to calm her down saying to her that soon he would finish and would go on and study in England. Those were the last words of Michalis to his beloved mother. It was the last time he tried to ease his mother’s fears and worries.
8. Battle field of Sihari
On the 20th July 1974 the Turkish army invaded Cyprus from the northern part of Kyrenia.Greek Cypriots were forced to leave their homes and their lands which they held for thousands of years. They became refugees in their own country. Michalis and Antonis and the other soldiers serving at Trikomo were taken to place called Afentrousa between the villages of Sihari, Bellapals and Dikomo. From there they were supporting the infantry which were in front fighting the invating Turkish army.Unfotunately the Greek officers who were in charge of the Cypriot army were misled into believing that they should not attack the Turks with all their power to fence them of and keep them out, as they were told by their Greek government that the plan was for Turkey to take a small part of Cyprus and the rest would go to Greece. Michalis and his fellow soldiers were in Afentrusa from the 20th of July to the 23rd of July 1974. The Turkish air force had killed 2 soldiers on the 20th of July when they bombed the army lorries when they were going to take positions.
9. Michalis fights in a heroic battle.
On the 22nd July 1974 a truce had been agreed and Artillery was not to be used from 4 o’clock on that day.
Michalis was 1 of over 100 soldiers who were waiting instructions from the Cypriot army headquarters whether to move back from their position. They could see the Turkish army getting close but they were told to stay where they were. The head of artillery, a Greek man called Poullos visited them on the 23rd of July 1974 and told them that they had to stay there and fight to the end if necessary, but he himself left and went back safety in Nicosia. It was about 3 o’clock in the afternoon when they decided to load their arms on to the lorries and move from that position. They followed the only available road eastwards but they came to a dead end and the officer in charge Stilianos Karpoutzis decided that they should turn back on the same road. Whilst they were moving back the first landrover in front was hit by Turkish fire from about 2 kilometers away and the convoy of lorries and landrovers stopped. The Turkish army was coming down from the mountain in big numbers towards the valley were they were stationed. Michalis and his other fellow soldiers put up a brave fight killing over a hundred Turks, moving away from the burning lorries and landlovers. The Turks were trying to encircle them and a 4 hour battle raged. Some of the fellow soldiers of Michalis who were towards the back of the convoy ran away and escaped. At about 8 o’clock Michalis was shot on the head by a bullet from a Turkish gun and fell down dead. He had fought for 4 hours killing many Turks. The brave Cypriot soldiers killed far more Turks than the men they lost, although the Turks had superior guns, but in the end they could not continue to resist due to the sheer numbers of Turks attacking them. A fellow soldier Kyriakos saw Michalis as he fell down dead and he ran to tell Antonis that his cousin was dead.Antonis was being told about Michalis death when a Turkish bullet hit his head and Antonis fell down dead, too. Kyriakos decided to take a white blanket and wave it in front of the Turks signaling surrender.
The Turks have not given any information where the dead are buried even though 35 years have past and Michalis is still one of the missing persons. His poor mother had to cope with a second tragedy having lost her husband when she was 30 and her son when she was 40.
References
http://www.tukishinvation.com/
http://www.junta.com/
http://www.nato.com/
http://www.artilleryunit181.com/
http://www.cyprusproblems.com/
External links
http://www.23rdofjuly1974/
http://www.cypriotheadquarters.com/
