By Pierre Kosmidis

Photos: Miltiadis Dimitriadis

The German invasion of Greece was initiated on April 6, 1941, dubbed “Operation Marita”.

The German forces faced stiff resistance at the borders of Greece with Bulgaria, an ally of the nazis in 1941 and the ensuing battles, which lasted for days, left a lasting legacy that still echoes to this day.

Researcher Miltiadis Dimitriadis visited the fortifications of the “Metaxas Line”, some of which were destroyed by the Bulgarians, while others remained intact and were used during the Cold War.

Miltiadis Dimitriadis shared with www.ww2wrecks.com photos he shot during his research, which vividly demonstrate the ferocity of the battles of 1941, the subsequent destruction of some of the bunkers by the Bulgarians during World War 2, as well as the post-war use of several fortifications, when the undeclared war between the USA and the USSR, known as the “Cold War”, was in full swing.

Click the links below for additional reading:

April 1941: Operation Marita and the Greek “Maginot Line” that cost the nazi Germans dearly

 

WW2 The Lost Footage: Operation Marita, Greece April 1941 (VIDEO)

 

WW2 bunkers in Greece: Lt. Colonel (ret.) Ilias Kotridis and the “Metaxas line” that stopped the nazis in 1941

 

FOUND! The lost Panzer Division and the wreck of “Marburg” full of German tanks and guns

 

Then and now: Arpalouki bunker complex, April 1941 – April 2016

 

Battlefield Archaeology: Inside the “forgotten bunkers” of Usita fortress in Greece

April 1941: Operation Marita and the Greek “Maginot Line” that cost the nazi Germans dearly

WW2 The Lost Footage: Operation Marita, Greece April 1941 (VIDEO)

WW2 bunkers in Greece: Lt. Colonel (ret.) Ilias Kotridis and the “Metaxas line” that stopped the nazis in 1941

FOUND! The lost Panzer Division and the wreck of “Marburg” full of German tanks and guns

Then and now: Arpalouki bunker complex, April 1941 – April 2016

Battlefield Archaeology: Inside the “forgotten bunkers” of Usita fortress in Greece