By Pierre Kosmidis On April 6th 1941, the Germans started their offensive against Greece. The German offensive against Greece, April 1941 Following the stalemate of their Italian allies in the Albanian front and the victories of the Greeks in the mountainous regions of northern Greece and Albania against the Italian army, since the unprovoked attack […]
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos submitted by Kampfgruppe “Süden” Hellenic Reenactment Group, Kampfgruppe ”Bulgarien”, Asociaţia Deutsches Freikorps and used by permission The German invasion of Greece, codenamed “Operation Marita”, was initiated in the early hours of Sunday, April 6, 1941. The German forces attacked “Metaxas Line”, a series of concrete fortifications, located mainly along the border with […]
By Pierre Kosmidis The blitzkrieg against Greece, codenamed “Operation Marita” started on April 6, 1941. When Operation Marita began on 6 April, the bulk of the Greek army was on the border with Albania, then a protectorate of Fascist Italy, from which the Italian troops were trying unsuccessfully to conquer Greece. German troops invaded through Bulgaria, […]
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos © Jochen Fries, submitted to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission. Personal stories of individuals, who found themselves in the maelstrom of war, are always interesting, as they offer us a glimpse of daily life, as well as the country they found themselves in. One such case is German soldier Paul Fries, […]
All photos © by Panagiotis Kostidis, submitted exclusively to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission Text by Pierre Kosmidis Florina town, in northwestern Greece, has witnessed fierce fighting during the initial stages of Operation “Marita”, the German invasion of Greece in 1941, as well as during the Greek Civil War, in 1949. During the Greek Civil War, it is estimated […]
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and information provided by Daniel Breed to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission Operation “Marita”, the German invasion of Greece, initiated on April 6, 1941, swiftly developed in a chaotic situation for the British Expeditionary Force. The Germans advanced at such a pace, that the few and intermittent stands of the Allies, […]
By Pierre Kosmidis A German propaganda video (Deutsche Wochenschau 568 – 23 Juli 1941) on the fallschirmjäger II./Fallsch.Sturm- regiment parade in the city of Goslar, on July 12, 1941. During the war, Goslar became an important location for airborne troops. They were equipped with DFS 230 gliders. On 16 December 1940, the Second Battalion of the Sturm […]
By Pierre Kosmidis You can see more previously unpublished or rare photos, in the magazine LIGNE DE FRONT N°101 Greece found itself in the midst of war, on October 28, 1940, when it was attacked by Italy. Soon the Italian offensive turned into a fiasco and the Greek army found itself chasing the Italians deep into […]
By Pierre Kosmidis Research and photos by George Karelas, used by permission The chaotic days just before and during the German invasion of Greece, which was initiated on April 6, 1941, codenamed “Operation Marita”, have seen the Luftwaffe enjoying total air superiority. This meant that the German aircraft dominated the skies and bombed, without any significant opposition, any […]
By Pierre Kosmidis Research and photos by George Karelas Updated in January 2021 with information by Giuseppe Barbetta PART ONE CLICK ON THE LINKS IN RED FOR FURTHER READING George Karelas from Patras, Greece, is a technical scuba diver and historical researcher credited with some of the most impressive WW2 Wrecks ever found, researched or identified in […]