Fort Intzes
Located on the western bank in the Straights of the Nestos River, on the hills to the northwest of the village of Paradeisos, are the remains of Fort Intzes. They seem to be part of a larger defensive complex, with the rest of its positions found on the hills rolling further west, up to the north of the abandoned settlement of Lithochori. The works show two phases in their construction, the first following the Balkan Wars, the other being of the 1936-1940 timeframe.
The fort was originally built in 1914, alongside with seven similar ones in the wider area of Eastern Macedonia. Their mission was to serve as a base for artillery pieces, which would control crucial points leading to the mainland, intercepting the advancing enemy. An infantry force was also stationed in the forts, protecting the works and supporting the artillery. Extensive trenches connected the gun and machine-gun positions, command posts, ammo and personnel shelters, as well as first-aid stations. Fort Intzes, located right above the flow of the Nestos River, was literally on the Greek-Bulgarian border, as shaped after the Treaty of Bucharest. Following the surrender of the IV Army Corps in 1916, the fort was also surrendered to the Bulgarian army.
During the 1936-1940 period, the position, having been renamed to Paradeisos Resistance Centre, belonged to the zone of the Nestos Brigade, alongside with other fortifications further to the north, including the Metaxas Line fortress of Echinos. Typical surface pillboxes of this timeframe can be seen on the hill, while, in some cases, pre-existing open trenches have been covered and reinforced with the use of concrete and lengths of railway tracks –a material which seems to have been readily available in the area, since the railway follows the flow of the river, along the straights.
The Brigade strength consisted of the 37th Infantry Regiment (I.R), the 93rd I.R., the XIV Reconnaissance Group, a field artillery battery, an 85mm heavy artillery section, a 47mm anti-tank (A/T) artillery section, and a further 75mm field artillery battery in A/T use.
During the German Invasion of April 6, 1941, the Brigade had to face units of two Infantry Divisions (I.D. – the 50th and the 164th) of the XXX Army Corps. According to Alex Buchner, “Der Deutsche Griechenland Feldzug – Operationen der 12. Armee, 1941” (Heidelberg 1957), the fortified position controlled the passage of the Nestos River -the bridge located between the villages of Toxotes and Paradeisos. The same study makes mention of a 10m-long and 3-4m-deep A/T trench, complemented by other obstacles and barbed wire. Evaluating the fortifications, the writer notes a number of disadvantages, such as the insufficient number of men and artillery pieces, the field of fire of the independent positions not covering all directions, as well as the difficulty of movement of the reserves towards these positions, as well as between them.
Paradeisos Resistance Centre was held by III/37 I.R., later reinforced by Companies of the 93rd I.R., which had been in contact with the enemy since April 6, their mission being to delay the advancing enemy, falling back to organised defensive postitions from the hills of Haidou by the Greek-Bulgarian border to Stavroupoli, where they also demolished the bridge over the river.
With resistance having ceased in the fortresses of Echinos and Nymphaea since April 8 and 7, respectively, the I/382 I.R. Battalion of the 164th, as well as the bulk of the force of the 50th I.D. -its spearhead being the reinforced 123 and 122 I.R.- were moving towards the bridge of Toxotes, aiming at crossing it and further advancing into Macedonia. The spearhead of the 50th I.D. reached the river during the first hours of the night of April 9, reconnoitering the terrain for a possible passage, as well as for enemy positions. I/382 arrived later, but their movement towards the already demolished bridge came to a halt due to a Greek artillery barrage and the Battalion was subsequently attached to the 50th I.D. No action is mentioned in the following hours, except for sporadic exchange of fire.
According to the German battle plan, the Divisional Infantry, reinforced with the 3./85 Pionier Battalion, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 190, plus artillery units and sub-units, was to attack the position at 17:00. The guns of the II/63 and II/65 Artillery Regiments, assisted by the ones of the I/64 Anti-Airrcraft Artillery Regiment, opened fire against the reconnoitered positions “with good results” at 15:15, while the assault guns managed to cross the river, firing on the move. The following pioneers and infantrymen, though, failed to do so, since camouflaged machine-gun positions opened fire, sinking five of their rubber boats. Only one squad managed to reach the other bank and hold their ground. The CO of the Centre received the order to surrender by raising white flags, but communication with the Germans was not successful, due to low visibility. The position remained under artillery fire until 19:30.
A second attack was mounted at 01:30, after another artillery barrage - with the added strength of 24 Anti-Tank guns - had been opened at 00:20, with the advancing infantry facing no resistance, since the defenders had retreated, abandoning their positions under the cover of darkness. The bulk of the force of both Greek Regiments, leaving the defenders of the Centre behind, moved towards the port of Keramoti, from were it was transported to Thassos and later to Lesvos and Chios, where it surrendered. The latter, consisting of one-and-a-half Company, had retreated to the west, also surrendering to the advancing Germans.
Today, minor additions of the Cold War era are also observed on the site, the pillboxes and concrete barracks, which must have seen some use for a certain period of time after WW2.
During the German Invasion of April 6, 1941, the Brigade had to face units of two Infantry Divisions (I.D. – the 50th and the 164th) of the XXX Army Corps. According to Alex Buchner, “Der Deutsche Griechenland Feldzug – Operationen der 12. Armee, 1941” (Heidelberg 1957), the fortified position controlled the passage of the Nestos River -the bridge located between the villages of Toxotes and Paradeisos. The same study makes mention of a 10m-long and 3-4m-deep A/T trench, complemented by other obstacles and barbed wire. Evaluating the fortifications, the writer notes a number of disadvantages, such as the insufficient number of men and artillery pieces, the field of fire of the independent positions not covering all directions, as well as the difficulty of movement of the reserves towards these positions, as well as between them.
Paradeisos Resistance Centre was held by III/37 I.R., later reinforced by Companies of the 93rd I.R., which had been in contact with the enemy since April 6, their mission being to delay the advancing enemy, falling back to organised defensive postitions from the hills of Haidou by the Greek-Bulgarian border to Stavroupoli, where they also demolished the bridge over the river.
With resistance having ceased in the fortresses of Echinos and Nymphaea since April 8 and 7, respectively, the I/382 I.R. Battalion of the 164th, as well as the bulk of the force of the 50th I.D. -its spearhead being the reinforced 123 and 122 I.R.- were moving towards the bridge of Toxotes, aiming at crossing it and further advancing into Macedonia. The spearhead of the 50th I.D. reached the river during the first hours of the night of April 9, reconnoitering the terrain for a possible passage, as well as for enemy positions. I/382 arrived later, but their movement towards the already demolished bridge came to a halt due to a Greek artillery barrage and the Battalion was subsequently attached to the 50th I.D. No action is mentioned in the following hours, except for sporadic exchange of fire.
According to the German battle plan, the Divisional Infantry, reinforced with the 3./85 Pionier Battalion, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 190, plus artillery units and sub-units, was to attack the position at 17:00. The guns of the II/63 and II/65 Artillery Regiments, assisted by the ones of the I/64 Anti-Airrcraft Artillery Regiment, opened fire against the reconnoitered positions “with good results” at 15:15, while the assault guns managed to cross the river, firing on the move. The following pioneers and infantrymen, though, failed to do so, since camouflaged machine-gun positions opened fire, sinking five of their rubber boats. Only one squad managed to reach the other bank and hold their ground. The CO of the Centre received the order to surrender by raising white flags, but communication with the Germans was not successful, due to low visibility. The position remained under artillery fire until 19:30.
A second attack was mounted at 01:30, after another artillery barrage - with the added strength of 24 Anti-Tank guns - had been opened at 00:20, with the advancing infantry facing no resistance, since the defenders had retreated, abandoning their positions under the cover of darkness. The bulk of the force of both Greek Regiments, leaving the defenders of the Centre behind, moved towards the port of Keramoti, from were it was transported to Thassos and later to Lesvos and Chios, where it surrendered. The latter, consisting of one-and-a-half Company, had retreated to the west, also surrendering to the advancing Germans.
Today, minor additions of the Cold War era are also observed on the site, the pillboxes and concrete barracks, which must have seen some use for a certain period of time after WW2.
Photos of the structure and the reservoir.