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"In 1963, attack on Kucuk Kaymakli was an example of heroism. During that period, Turks saw Sampson as a charming revenger whom nobody could stand against. Even the simple expression of his name used to create panic amongst the Turks. Armed Turks living in Kucuk Kaymakli used to shout, "Sampson is coming" and left their position in panic and move towards northern parts of Nicosia.

Despite Sampson used to fight with older weapons and armors; with bulldozers and attack with slow-motion tracks full of sandbags, the situation was like this. Sandbags were used to set up small windows and very small amount of men used to count the bullets one by one and fire them with automatic guns.

"THERE WAS ONLY ONE SLOGAN: TURKS TO THE SEA"

Hellenic part of Cyprus was in a period where the only slogan amongst its leadership and people was ‘Turks to the sea’...And under these conditions; without being aware of how the results would affect the whole process of Cyprus state, many Cyprus Hellenics especially the ones in Kaymakli-Kucuk Kaymakli-Kizilbas-Yenisehir, used to applaud those who had the courage to get involved in the war for protecting Cyprus Republic from the extremist Turkish Cypriot Leadership.

In order to understand under which conditions Kucuk Kaymakli operation was made, we should go back to 40 years earlier, right after the proclamation of the Cyprus Republic in 1960. This period was a period which was resembled to be ‘a divorced couple who live in the same house" by a foreign journalist.

CYPRUS REPUBLIC WAS A STATION TOWARDS ENOSIS

As declared by President Makarios and all other ministers and later by EOKA members, Zurich-London Agreements were only a station towards Enosis. On the other side, for the Turkish Cypriots the proclamation of the Cyprus Republic, against the possibility of separation and Greece coming to island, was a temporary station towards making Turkey sovereign although not on the whole island, but at least on the north of the 36th parallel, the area between Guzelyurt and Gazi Magusa.

Therefore, the two sides right after the proclamation of the Cyprus Republic started to get prepared for the next forthcoming countdown.

"AKRITAS ORGANIZATION WAS SET UP BY THE OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT WITH THE HELP OF GREECE

On the Hellenic part of Cyprus, AKRITAS organization, which was an illegal organization, was being set up by the official government. The leader of this organization was powerful Interior Minister Polikarpos Yorgacis. This organization right after the difficulties in the functioning of the Cyprus Republic were identified secretly began to train its members to use weapons. The state, which was established in 1960, became cancerous and had continuous problems with its partners, the Turkish Cypriots. Therefore, until 1963 in accordance with the official Greek government and Zurich and London Agreements, approximately 1000 officers and soldiers and with the help of Greek troops, which were legally in the island, 5000 civilian men and much more ammunitions were armed.

These officers used train the civilian men secretly during night times or in pure regions (regions where only Greek Cypriots lived) such as Masera, Northern Limassol and Eskimedos. This organization consisted of a leader, a chief of staff and other general staff officers and with the attendance of all general staff officers and other officers, at least once a military exercise was carried out at the Presidential Palace in Trodos.

Amongst these under the leadership of Nikos Sampson there was a big force as strong as a company and were trained by Greek officers on commando operations in Masera region. These men were trained not only for fighting with guns but also to learn to use several methods such as "jujitsu", suffocating string, hand grenade. Other gang leaders such as Vasos Lissaridis used to have similar groups.

On the other side, Turkish Cypriots starting from 1950 worked to strengthen TMT. Ammunition on the Greek Cypriot side was limited. It was also difficult to find weapons. Most of the weapons were protected in the barrack of Greek regiment. Greek Regiment never gave these weapons to Greek Cypriots. Generally, Greek Cypriots were trained with single guns or gun maquettes.

Inter-communal fights started in the first hours of 21 December 1963 under these conditions and Nikos Sampson and other forces under the direction of AKRITAS organization’s Chief-General Staff were called to enter Kucuk Kaymakli region.

Everything initiated in the morning of 21 December 1963 at 01.30. At that moment, there was a patrol car at the corner of Ermu-Orhaniye in Nicosia in which there were four polices. Suddenly, they found two speedy cars in front of them, which were trying to turn to the Ermu Street. Polices in the police car wanted to control identities of passengers in those cars. Patrol commander sergeant demanded documents from the driver. However, the driver began to object, shout and revile to the sergeant and other polices. When polices started to talk aggressively with those in the car, many Turkish Cypriots began to arrive to the area. The sergeant demanded reinforcement with wireless phone. When reinforcement arrived under the leadership of an officer, the Turkish crowd was continuing to protest the control applied by the Greek polices to the Turkish citizens of the republic. The situation escalated and a few bullets were shot. A Turkish Cypriot who was known as ‘Cemaliye’ and a Turkish Cypriot Zeki Halil passed away in this clash.

Though this event, which constituted the beginning of armed conflicts between Hellenics and Turks seemed discrete, it continued in a dramatic way. Conflicts later on spread to the whole of Cyprus and led to the disintegration of the state, isolation of the Turkish Cypriots in separate enclaves and the establishment of the first pseudo authority, which its central was in Nicosia.

Therefore, the group of Nikos Sampson, which was composed of 41 people, was called to suppress the Turkish revolt. Upon later statements of Nikos Sampson, he together with his men ended the influence of Turkish posts one by one just like the way the Greek officers had taught them.

It has to be indicated that Major Dimitrios Yoannidis who was one of the officer of Greek Regiment, which was in cooperation with the Greek Cypriot forces, became leader of junta in Greece in 1967, which later on engaged a coup d’etat in Cyprus in 1974. Greek Cypriots, at one stage, were programmed against this officer and in general against the Greek Regiment and arranged protest demonstrations where they complained about Greece as it denied to send aid to halt the Turks. President Makarios was even dynamically entered into force to end protest demonstrations, which were against Yoannidis and other officers of Greek Regiment.

Nikos Sampson was very strong in this period and he was able to reach directly to Archbishop Makarios and he received orders through telephone about how to act when he was in disagreement with the leaders of organization.

Disagreement arose when the organization, which was connected to the Cyprus government through Policarpos Yorgacis, began to establish political contacts with English which they demanded from the organization to withdraw from Kucuk Kaymakli region to move to another area as there was a danger that even if there would not be an intervention, there would be a reaction from the Turkish Regiment. However, he; insisted not to abandon the places which were under his control and ...He unilaterally engaged in new attacks and by acquiring ammunition by his own resources, he cleaned up all of the area, thus in this way it could be possible to protect Hellenism of lower part of Nicosia.

Naturally, it was not only Nikos Sampson who was fighting in the area. There were Cyprus Army and AKRITAS organization forces at other places. These forces were indeed greatly contributed to the suppression of the Turkish revolt in December 1963.