Peter Mygiakis, son of Manousos and Aikaterini, was born in 1900 in Asi Gonia, Apokoronas, Chania on the island of Crete. He was active in the National Cretan Organization as a group leader and was involved in transmitting information via wireless radio, which he concealed in his home on Pipinou Street 11 in Egaleo.
“English resistance fighters would come from Sepolia via Kifisos. They would set up an antenna and transmit information about airplanes. I was seven years old at the time and kept watch. When the radio direction finder approached, I would run to warn them. They would gather their things, jump into the street, and leave from Kavalas Avenue without being caught.” (Oral testimony of Manousos Mygiakis, son of Peter, 2024).
According to his death certificate, “he was killed following an altercation with the Germans” on September 29, 1944. He left behind five children.
The first armed resistance organization in Greece was established in Crete in 1941, two weeks after the Battle of Crete. The 12-member guerrilla group led by Manolis Bandouvas, known as “Free Shooters,” later became the Supreme Committee of the Struggle for Crete (AEAK). This group developed significant resistance activities and information networks throughout Crete, contributing to the escape of Greeks and allies to the Middle East. In 1943, it was renamed the National Cretan Organization (EKO) – also referred to as the National Organization of Crete (EOK) – distancing itself from any political ideological direction and declaring its sole national goal as the fight for freedom. In 1944, the National Patriotic Union of Crete (EPEK) joined its ranks, rallying non-communist fighters around it.