Crete (Cretan resistance) World War II in Albania The Drama uprising (Greek: Εξέγερση της Δράμας; Bulgarian: Драмско въстание, romanized: Dramsko vastanie; Macedonian: Драмско востание) was an uprising of the population of the northern Greek city of Drama and the surrounding villages on 28–29 September 1941 against the Bulgarian occupation regime.

Unlike Germany and Italy in their respective occupation zones, Bulgaria officially annexed the occupied territories on 14 May 1941; they had long been a target of Bulgarian irredentism.

[6][7] However, the Germans considered the Bulgarian annexation "provisional" until a peace treaty was signed at the end of the war, retained control over mining and industrial concerns within the Bulgarian-occupied area, and also had extensive influence over military, political and economic matters within its boundaries.

[5] In eastern Macedonia, the occupiers made efforts to gain the support of Slavic Macedonians, and encourage in them an identification with a Bulgarian national identity.

[1] Tsar Boris III personally visited the annexed areas on 28–30 April, and gave speeches to reassure the local Greek and Slavic population.

[11][need quotation to verify] As of summer 1941 with the appearance of the first communist Partisans groups, they appealed towards the Macedonian Slavs to join the resistance.

[12] With the capitulation of Italy in 1943 and the Soviet victories over Nazi Germany[13][14] more Slavic Macedonians, began to support the resistance forces led by Communist Party of Greece (KKE).

[9][15][16][17] Immediately before the uprising, the activity of the teacher Thanasis Genios from the village of Irakleia was noticed, who later became known as the commissar of the 11th division of ELAS under the name "Lasanis".

[18] On August 20, 1941, the speech of Petros Pastourmatzis (nom de guerre: Kitsos[19]), was recorded at the first plenum of the Communist Party of Greece - District Committee for Drama region, where he informed that a headquarters was already formed which needed fighters who did not have families on their own.

[20] The uprising initially broke out in Doxato, where local Greeks attacked the police station and killed six or seven Bulgarian policemen.