The entire collection of photographs by T. de Craene/H. Heuer was declared a monument by the Ministry of Culture – following the opinion of the Central Council of Modern Monuments – due to its special historical value as evidence of the formation of perceptions and attitudes through the use of images by the propaganda mechanisms of the Occupation forces in Greece.

The photographs appeared on the auction website e-bay.de on Saturday, February 14. The alleged owner is collector Tim de Craene, who specializes in memorabilia and artifacts from World War II. He offered them for sale through his company, Crain’s Militaria. Their appearance on Greek social media, and later in the news, generated intense interest from many quarters. On the morning of Monday, February 16, the collector withdrew the twelve photographs from the auction website.

However, the entire collection created by the then Wehrmacht Lieutenant Hermann Heuer remains for sale. In 1943-1944, Heuer served at the Malakasa camp, but was ordered to watch or even assist—it is not clear—in the execution of 200 Greek prisoners who were transferred from the Haidari camp to the Kaisariani shooting range on May 1, 1944. His collection of photographs from areas of occupied Europe (Belgium, France, and Greece) where he served was found in the hands of collector Tim de Craene.

The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, stated: “The 12 photographs that have been made public, depicting Greek patriots before their execution in Kaisariani on May Day 1944, are extremely important evidence of modern Greek history. The photographs in the collection give a ‘face’ to the historical testimonies of their ethos and patriotism, moments before their execution, and for this reason they are invaluable. But the other photographs are also very important, as they allow us to frame the drama of occupied Greece through the eyes of the occupier. The propaganda machine set up by Joseph Goebbels exploited the cutting edge of the information technology of his time—cinema and photography—to create staged evidence of “success” and disseminate it as a tool of influence. As soon as the Ministry of Culture was informed, we gave the relevant instructions for the potential acquisition of these photographs. The competent Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage immediately contacted the collector, and experts will travel to his headquarters in Evergem, Belgium, on Friday to examine the collection up close and talk to him. With today’s declaration of the collection as a monument, the Ministry of Culture has the basis to claim it and acquire it on behalf of the Greek state.”

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)