Antonis

• 1. Wiener Graben Mauthausen. This is a story told by Iakovos Kampanellis, a greek captive who was transferred to Mauthausen, and was forced with other captives-prisoners to work in rock quarries. Antonis was a greek prisoner too, who helped his Jew fellow-prisoner to carry his rock, defying the Germans. His brave act, inspired Iakovos Kampanellis who wrote the lyrics of this song too, set to music by Mikis Theodorakis.
  https://liberationpolular.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/o-a%CE%BD%CF%84%CF%8E...
  Kampanellis writes in his book " Mauthhausen" :
  "It was after lunch. The SS leaders of the convicts' crews had by that time killed 17 Jewish and Russian prisoners of war.
  As soon as someone stumbled, they would drag him to the barbed wire of the fence. There SS would have him between the fence and shot him. Then the officer was keeping notes in his block "The prisoner no. 137,566 , attempted to escape, and he was shot on the spot ". He kept this note for the evening report. But he wrote one more and pinned it on the deceased. "Only discipline leads to freedom".
  On a stairway to the quarry, a Jew began to stumble. Antonis waved at him to approach. The Jew approached and Antonis held his own rock with his right hand and with his left he raised the Jew's rock. But this happened in the middle of the stairs. They still had a long way to go.. SS saw them and separated them. He ordered the Jew to run. He climbed a few steps, then let the stone fall and knelt on the steps. SS approached and told him to open his mouth. The Jew opened his mouth. SS took out his revolver, put it in the Jew's mouth and fired.
  Then he turned to Antonis and looked at him angrily. Antonis looked at him fearlessly. Then he approached the dead man,lifted his rock and continued to climb the stairs. SS froze. He said nothing. He did nothing. But when they returned to the quarry to reload their rocks, he shouted for Antonis to come closer. He started pacing like a maniac among the stones and he was searching all over. He found a double in size rock , he showed it to Antonis and said to him "This is yours". Antonis looked at the rock, then looked at the SS, then the scattered rocks around him.
  Everyone else pretended not to see, not to hear. In Mauthausen, one for all and all for one was the law. They were trembling out of fear of what might happen next. This Greek guy was provocative. SS had already taken his revolver out of its holster, rubbed it nervously on his pants, and he was getting ready. Antonis stopped in front of an even bigger rock than the one chosen by SS."This is mine," he said and lifted it.
  In all the shifts they were doing until night came, Antonis was always choosing and lifting the heaviest rocks.
  That same night, all over the camp everyone were talking about the Greek Antonis. Such news shook Mauthausen. It was a secret distribution of freedom."
• 2. resistance fighters
• 3. double shift
• 4. According to a byzantine folk epic song, a byzantine hero , Digenis, fought with Death in " μαρμαρένια αλώνια" = marble threshing floor ( since "Grim Reaper" Χάρος, is depicted holding a reap hood).