By Pierre Kosmidis

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

The Greek Civil War, lasted from 1946 to 1949 and was a fierce and costly war, that claimed the lives of thousands of Greeks, killing each other.

Mr. Ntinos Mpampakos has identified, with the assistance of respected aviation researcher Mr. Ioannis Mylonas the crash site of a Hellenic Royal Air Force Spitfire, which was shot down by the communist-backed Democratic Army on September 10, 1948.

Can you identify this item, possibly from a Spitfire aircraft?

The debris field covers a wide area, vividly demonstrating the violence of the impact of the doomed aircraft, which also claimed the life of the pilot Flying Officer Kon. Tassopoulos.

The Spitfire was shot down in the northwestern part of Greece, close to Krystalopigi, Florina, during an armed reconnaissance mission. Hit by anti aircraft fire, the doomed aircraft burst into flames and plunged in the ground. Sadly, the pilot did not have the time to bail out and was killed.

Help us identify this landing gear part: Could it belong to a Spitfire?

Mr. Ntinos Mpampakos said to www.ww2wrecks.com:

We went to Boutsi summit with my friend Antonis Kioutsoukis, whose grandfather had been injured when he was about 15 in this place and with my friend Christos Anastasiadis.

γηφ — Ntinos Mpampakos with his friends Antonis Kioutsoukis and Christos Anastasiadis, during the search of the doomed Spitfire.

From here the communist-backed Democratic Army launched its counter-attack against the royalist-backed National Army for the control of the entire area so that the communists could have direct contact with Albania and not be encircled.

ggh — Part of the wooden propeller is still visible in this broken part of the Spitfire’s propeller hub

Although the National Army, after maneuvering from the line of the Democratic Army, managed to capture almost the entire mountain, a fierce counter-attack took place and the mountain remained with the communists until the end of the Civil War.

ffdgf — The beautiful and now serene mountains were hotly contested during the Greek Civil War and the blood of Greeks killing Greeks has soaked these summits.

Based on accounts from that era, as well as from people who had seen lots of war material in these hotly contested areas, we decided to investigate further.

We have found parts of the doomed aircraft, such as parts of the landing gear and the base of the control column, which holds the cables which go to the ailerons.

Now, we have found parts of the propeller hub, including the wooden parts of the propeller itself.”

According to respecter researcher Mr. Ioannis Mylonas:

Date:10/09/48
Damage Cat.: Cat. E1
Aircraft: Spitfire Mk.IXLF
Serial No.: RR192
Base: Sedes AB
Unit: 335 MEBA
Arera of Crash: Krystalopigi, Florina
Pilot: Flying Officer Kon. Tassopoulos
During Armed reconnaissance hit by AA fire (Civil War), Pilot Killed SoC Order F.ABS/265/YL.G/2994/17-6-49

Apart from the propeller hub, another part of the Spitfire’s engine was found nearby.