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 […]
By Pierre Kosmidis Captioned photos by Lt. (GM) Nikolaos Christofilis HN, Author and Independent Researcher Wartime propaganda mechanisms are generally inflating the numbers of enemy aircraft shot down, while downgrading the numbers of their own losses. This general rule applies to every nation at war and as time goes by, many myths are shrouding the truth and […]
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 […]
By Pierre Kosmidis Lt. Colonel (ret.) Ilias Kotridis has dedicated his life and efforts unearthing the lost secrets of the “Metaxas Line”, a complex of concrete bunkers and fortresses that withstood the German invasion. The Germans launched their attack on April 6, 1941 and the Greek army stationed at the bunkers caused a significant number […]
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos by Riccardo Iacobini, used by permission Mr. Riccardo Iacobini, 36 years old, lives in a small town near Rome, in the region of “Castelli Romani”, south of the Italian capital. Mr. Iacobini has a strong passion for history since he was a kid, especially of the recent history stretching from the First World […]
By Pierre Kosmidis The Italians initiated their invasion against Greece in the early hours of October 28, 1940. Why did Mussolini select October 28 1940, to start the offensive against Greece? Their plans were met with relative success during the first phases of the operation, but the Greek counter-offensive in mid- November turned the tide. […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]