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Maria Dimadi (; 1907 – 31 August 1944) was a member of the National Liberation Front (EAM) during the Axis occupation of Greece. She acted as a spy for the resistance at the German garrison of Agrinio, providing crucial information on German maneuvers and undermining the Axis war effort. Dimadi was executed by Greek collaborationists on 31 August 1944.
In 1941, she applied for the translator position at Agrinio's German garrison, intending to infiltrate it. Upon being hired, Dimadi began making copies of confidential documents on German troop movements, destroying pieces of evidence on resistance activities as well as eavesdropping on conversations and phone calls. She smuggled the documents through gas station employee Ioannis Giannoutsos and priest Konstantinos Papavalis, whom she presented as her uncle. Giannoutsos created a cache for the documents at his workplace. Dimadi also convinced the commandant of the garrison to help collect 50,000 okades of corn, olive oil and wheat for the region's poor. In reality only 10,000 okades were sent to paupers, with the rest going to the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS). Dimadi forewarned ELAS about a large scale German clearance operation aiming at destroying the Political Committee of National Liberation in Evrytania, allowing ELAS to fight a series of delaying battles on favorable terms.
On 7 July 1943, the Agrinio EAM cell transferred a message by Dimadi to the ELAS band based at Agios Vlasios. Dimadi provided details about a German plan to establish a military base at Thermos, including the strength of the German force and its weaponry. At 8 a.m., on 10 July, a 120-man German column was ambushed by ELAS outside of Myrtia. In the ensuing Battle of Myrtia, the German column was dispersed. ELAS estimated German losses at 117 killed and 2 captured, while German archival documents put German deaths at fewer than 25. The ELAS General Command was congratulated by British Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, while the outcome of the battle was also reported by Radio Cairo and Radio Moscow. On 31 August 1944, Dimadi was arrested at her home by Security Battalions personnel, she was then executed by firing squad in front of the Agia Triada cemetery, Agrinio.
EAM blamed Dimadi's death on Security Battalions Major Toliopoulos, who feared that Dimadi would provide evidence of his systematic torture of suspected resistance members upon the country's liberation. Her executioners did not face trial after the end of Axis occupation.
Legacy
In 1987, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation released "Maria Dimadi", an eight episode TV series based on the fictionalized account of Dimadi's activities written by F. Geladopoulos. On 10 December 2006, a new square named after Dimadi was unveiled at Skaltsodimos street, Agrinio.
Categories: People From Agrinio, 1907 Births, 1944 Deaths, National Liberation Front Members, Female Resistance Members Of World War Ii, Executed Spies, Executed Greek Women, Greek People Executed By Nazi Germany, People Executed By Nazi Germany By Firing Squad, People Executed By Nazi Germany Occupation Forces
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