By Pierre Kosmidis

Photos © Ntinos Mpampakos, submitted to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission

Mr. Ntinos Mpampakos, 29 years old, has shared the photos he has shot, during his numerous visits on the mountains, on the northwestern borders of Greece with Albania, showing the beauty of Nature, but also the relics of War.

Although few, if any, of the 1940-41 trenches remain, as most of the buildings, gun emplacements and other fortifications were built during the Cold War, Mr. Mpampakos sent www.ww2wrecks.com a series of photos, reminding us of the beauty of the area, the unique views it offers and the remains of the fortifications in the area.

The area is called “Papadimas”, located on Triklarion Mountain and fierce fighting took place there during the early stages of the Greco-Italian War 1940-41. The Greek military units, consisting mainly of local conscripts, with an excellent knowledge of the terrain and its secrets, armed with the firm belief that they were literally fighting for their homes and families, managed to rout the Italians, inflicting them heavy casualties.

Mr. Mpampakos says: “A song of the 33rd Regiment of Florina says “and as the war broke out up there on Papadimas, the Italian Centaurs became hares and left behind them mandolins and guitars”  (“και σαν ο πόλεμος αρχίνησε ψηλά στον Παπαδήμα, οι Κένταυροι λαγοί γινήκανε κι αφήσαν κιθάρες, μαντολίνα”). 

Until around the 1980s, it was a Greek army outpost. Now, just a few trenches from the 1940’s epic struggle and some buildings from the outpost remain in the area.