Search Results for: greco

Μύθοι και αλήθεια: Πόσα αεροσκάφη καταρρίφθηκαν το 1940-41

By Pierre Kosmidis Φωτογραφίες: Νίκος Χριστοφίλης ENGLISH VERSION: The truth behind the myths: How many aircraft were shot down in 1940-41 during the Italian campaign against Greece  Σε κάθε πόλεμο, “το μεγαλύτερο θύμα είναι η αλήθεια”, λένε. Δεκαετίες μετά τη λήξη του Β’ Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου, περιστατικά περιβεβλημένα με την αχλύ του μύθου αποκτούν μια διάσταση […]

Postcards celebrating Greek victories against the Italians in 1940-41

By Pierre Kosmidis A series of postcards issued in 1945, celebrated the Greek victory against the fascist hordes of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Each of these postcards marks a specific date, related to some of the events of the Greco-Italian war of 1940.  The Italians initiated their offensive against the northern borders of Greece from […]

Alexandros Alexandrakis: The soldier-painter of 1940

By Pierre Kosmidis Alexandros Alexandrakis (1913-1968) was a Greek painter who fought in the 1940-41 Greco-Italian War, along with his five brothers. He fought on the mountains of Epirus, Greece and in Albania, during the winter of 1940-41 and witnessed first-hand the harshness of war, the cruelty, the sacrifices and death that covered the battlefields, […]

Prelude to war: The diplomacy behind the fascist Italian invasion in Greece, October 1940

By Pierre Kosmidis The Italian invasion in Greece, which proved to be a pure…”fiasco” started on October 28th, 1940. Just two weeks after the fascist Italians started their attack, the Greek counter offensive stopped the Italian attack in its tracks and threw the “rooster feathers”, as the Italians were mockingly called by the Greeks, (because […]

1940-41 – The forgotten heroes: The Greek cemeteries in Albania

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos: George Krikelas The Greco-Italian war of 1940-41 cost the lives of thousands of soldiers from both sides. Innumerable stories of hard fought battles, tales of heroism and despair are still echoing to this day in the mountainous regions of Albania, where the two armies fought, leaving many dead behind.   Both […]

Bunker Archaeology: Exploring the 19th century fortifications of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and research by Xenis Sofronidis, used by permission Greek Army Major Nikolaos Schinas in his book “Traveling in Macedonia”, published in 1886, details the defenses of Thessaloniki at the end of the 19th century, while the city was still under Ottoman occupation.” “The details provided by Major Schinas are the first to testify the construction […]