49| Jerzy (Georgios) Iwanow-Szajnowicz (1911-1943)

The Legendary Saboteur of WWII

A champion swimmer for Iraklis Thessaloniki, Iwanow-Szajnowicz earned a degree in Agriculture from the University of Leuven in Belgium and was fluent in six languages. He was trained as an agent and saboteur by the secret services of Poland and Great Britain and operated in Greece under the codename Bolby, inflicting significant damage on Axis forces.

Captured by the Germans in December 1941, he managed to escape but was later placed on their wanted list. On September 8, 1942, he was apprehended by the Italians. In both instances, Iwanow-Szajnowicz fell into enemy hands due to betrayal. A hero until the end, he had to be shackled at the execution site as he attempted to flee even then. He was executed on January 4, 1943, in Kaisariani, proclaiming, “Long live Poland, long live Greece.”

Posthumous Honors:
Georgios Ivanow acquired Polish citizenship in 1935 but never became a Greek citizen. He is celebrated as a national hero in Poland. On March 30, 1945, he received the “Virtuti Militari” medal. On March 5, 1962, he was honoured by Great Britain with the “War Medal of King George VI.” Greece awarded him the “Gold Medal of Valour” on May 25, 1976. The Iraklis Thessaloniki team named their indoor stadium “Ivanofeio” in his honor, and in 1953, the swimming competitions “Ivanofeia” were established in his memory. In 1985, a statue of him was erected at the intersection of Lagkada, Agios Dimitrios, and Nestoros streets, 200 meters from Georgios Ivanow Street, which honours him in the Xirokrini area of Thessaloniki.

In 2014, the Athens City Council decided to preserve his grave in the Third Cemetery indefinitely, acknowledging his significant contributions during World War II. In 2017, the Polish Embassy in Greece hosted the exhibition “At the Altar of Freedom: Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz – Hero of Two Nations” at the War Museum in Athens.

The Super Spy Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz

Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz was born in Warsaw on December 14, 1911. His father, Vladimir Iwanow, was an officer in the Tsarist army. After his death, his mother, Leonarda Szajnowicz from Poland, married the Greek merchant Ioannis Lamprianidis, and the family moved to Thessaloniki. Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz was an athlete for the club Iraklis, initially playing football and later excelling in swimming. In 1934, he became the Greek Champion in the 100 meters freestyle. He also distinguished himself in sailing (taking first place in the Thermaikos sailing races in 1936) and in water polo with the Polish National Team (International competitions, 1938).

He studied agronomy at the University of Leuven in Belgium. With the outbreak of the war, he returned to Thessaloniki and later left for Palestine, eager to offer his services in espionage and sabotage networks. Besides his physical abilities and passion for fighting, Iwanow-Szajnowicz spoke Greek, Polish, English, French, German, and Russian. He joined the Polish Carpathian Brigade, and after training as a saboteur in cooperation with British services, he arrived in Athens on October 13, 1941, aboard the British submarine “Thunderbolt,” using the code name Bolby. He connected with naval officers Ioannis Kontopoulos and Vasilis Malliopoulos, members of the resistance organization “Nation’s Resistance Organization” (OAG).

In December 1941, he was captured by the Germans after being betrayed by his friend Nikos Pandou and was taken to AVEROF prison. Iwanow-Szajnowicz managed to escape, but the Germans placed a bounty on him. The police officer Pantelis Lamprinopoulos collected the reward (or its equivalent in food) by betraying Iwanow-Szajnowicz. On September 8, 1942, he was arrested at Pedion tou Areos along with his close associates Kontopoulos, Malliopoulos, and the Yannatos brothers (Iwanow-Szajnowicz had married Marianna Yannatou). Except for Konstantinos Yannatos, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison, Iwanow-Szajnowicz’s group was sentenced to death, and he himself received three death sentences. They were executed on January 4, 1943, in Kaisariani. Even then, he attempted to escape, surprising the firing squad. However, he was shot and wounded. His executioners had to chain him to a post. This final image of him is also depicted in his statue in Thessaloniki.

• Destruction of the German submarine U-133 in Salamina: On March 14, 1942, he swam at night from the coast of Piraeus to the Salamina naval base and planted a bomb on the hull of the German submarine. He then swam to the shore of Elefsina. A few hours later, the submarine was blown up and sank with all 45 crew members aboard.
• Explosion of the Spanish steamship San Isidore in the port of Piraeus: The ship was loaded with ammunition for the Germans.
• Sabotage of the submarine U-372 in August 1942.
• Detonation of explosives on multiple German planes at the Hellenic Airport: He managed to infiltrate the area disguised as a German soldier.
• Destruction of fuel depots at Tatoi Airport.
• He repeated the same sabotage at Elefsina Airport, destroying 87 airplanes.
• Sabotage at the munitions factory of the Maltsiniotis brothers (later known as PYRKAL): Here, engines of Luftwaffe aircraft were being repaired. Ivanow supplied his collaborators with sabotage materials, which they placed in the engines. According to German estimates, this sabotage resulted in the loss of 400-450 aircraft in North Africa and is considered the largest sabotage operation of World War II.
• He planned the assassination of Mussolini on July 20, 1942, at the Hotel Grande Bretagne: He placed explosives in the basement with the intention of blowing up the reception hall while the Italian dictator was present. The operation was canceled as Mussolini spent only a few hours in Athens.

[Source: Xenophon Mavrogiannis, Rear Admiral (retired) of the Hellenic Navy, “Georgios Iwanow-Szajnowicz – Agent No. 1,” magazine “NAUTICAL HELLAS,” No. 964, February 2014]

2. The Execution of Ivanow
   “In AVEROFF prison, alone in cell number 2, Ivanow was singing, which irritated his German guards.
   — ‘Rrrrroue!’ the Germans grumbled, but he continued his monotonous song about his beloved homeland. Thirty-two of his fellow prisoners in the surrounding cells had learned the song by heart, having heard it in Polish from September 1942 until January 3, 1943.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and the sky was bright blue. The prison’s visiting hours had just ended. Suddenly, the dreadful figure of Margarita Chartophilou appeared. She was a rather short woman, around 25 years old, lively, blonde, with small eyes filled with malice. Serving the Germans as an interpreter, each time she entered the prison, the number of condemned prisoners seemed to dwindle.

She was accompanied by three Germans armed with automatic weapons. They stood in the middle of the prison yard, and as silence was ordered, her piercing voice rang out:
— ‘Georgios Ivanow, Vasileios Maliopoulos, Michail Papazoglou, Konstantinos Giannatos, Dimitrios Giannatos, and Ioannis Kontopoulos.’ All were members of Ivanow’s group. As she finished reading the list, she added, ‘They are to go for a bath!’

It was customary for the condemned to be sent for a… bath before facing the firing squad.

The six condemned men emerged from their cells, with Ivanow being the last, as they had just unshackled his legs. He smiled and smoked a cigarette. They formed a line, and as Chartophilou left, they were escorted to the bathhouse, all in high spirits.”

When they returned, a chief guard of the prison, Mexas, who also acted as a secret messenger for the prisoners to their families, approached Michail Papazoglou and whispered to him:
— “Four coffins have arrived!”

So, out of the six, four were accounted for. Papazoglou thought to himself: One is Ivanow, the second is Kontopoulos. Who are the other two?

This thought occupied Papazoglou throughout the night. He didn’t say a word, as the information from Mexas tormented him instead of encouraging him. His reflections were intermittently interrupted by Ivanow’s singing. Only tonight, no German voice commanded silence. And Ivanow sang, praising the freedom, filled with hope for the future.
For the future!

He knows full well that he has only a few hours left to live. Summoning his courage, Papazoglou reflects on his leader: Ivanow is a formidable man. A champion swimmer and water polo player representing Iraklis Thessaloniki, he studied at the Montpellier Agricultural School in France and speaks five languages. How brave he is…

As his thoughts drift from one to another, dawn begins to break.

On Monday, January 4, at precisely 5 a.m., the familiar metallic clatter of doors opening and closing is heard once again. And once again, that dreaded Chartophilou appears, flanked by an entire squad.

A German pulls out a piece of paper and begins to read. She then offers the translation:

1. Ivanow, B. Malliopoulos, I. Kontopoulos, and D. Giannatos, since your request for clemency has been rejected, the general has ordered your execution for this morning.
2. Giannatos asks for permission to speak with his brother. They allow it. Two priests, a Catholic for Ivanow and an Orthodox for the others, perform their last religious rights. Soon, the firing squad and the condemned prisoners begin to move forward, while the other prisoners watch in silence. Suddenly, voices are heard. Ivanow shouts: “Hello, gentlemen. Long live Greece. Long live Poland.” The others shout the same.

Giannatos’s words stand out: “Don’t forget, guys! Revenge!”

At the Shooting Range, now, the condemned are lined up before the firing squad. No one agrees to have their eyes covered. As the officer moves away to take his position and give the order, Ivanow, with chains on his hands, breaks free. He runs, but there is no escape. In the distance, the wall is high. In the corner, where some houses can be seen, he hopes to find salvation. But the Germans shoot at him. A bullet hits him in the leg. He falls to the ground. The first German to reach him kicks him. They bring him now beside his silent companions. On the hill, which is their Golgotha. And there, at last, Ivanow and the three other patriots fall under the murderous bullets of the Germans.

It has been eight years since then, just like today. Who can forget the legend that fell for our freedom?”

Ch. Svolopoulos, “The Execution of Ivanow,” TA NEA newspaper, January 4, 1951, [Historical Archive of TO VIMA & TA NEA].