By Pierre Kosmidis

Photos © Vasileios Kapantais, submitted to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission

Another WW2 relic, now lost, possibly forever, either stolen and sold as scrap, or taken by a collector for his own collection or to sell it abroad, was located for decades, after WW2 was over close to Amfikleia railroad station in Greece.

Amfikleia railroad station is now a ghost of the past…

Wednesday, January 31, 2018, was the last day of the Amfikleia Railway Station, after 114 years of uninterrupted operation.

The Amfikleia rail station was inaugurated on March 8, 1904. Shortly after its closure, the turret “miraculously” disappeared.

Location of Amfikleia railroad Station (Google Maps)

According to respected researcher Mr. Vasileios Kapantais, from Greece, this turret was located close to the station, a very important area in the railroad line connecting Athens to Thessaloniki.

Front view of a Panzer 38(t) Ausf.A. The radio operator’s hatch door is open. This particular vehicle was taken for evaluation at the German Kummersdorf testing center, possibly in early 1939. (Source: Panzer Tracts No.18).

This Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) had a superstructure to provide protection for the crew members.

A Panzer 38(t) Ausf. S in a museum. Note the “Y”, that can also be seen in the turret of Amfikleia, Greece.

It had a simple design which consisted of four plates (one at the front, one on each side, and one at the rear) and the armored roof plates (the roof could be easily removed for repairs).

Hidden in the undergrowth, the Amfikleia turret is now stolen by thieves.

While the side and rear armored plates were flat, the front was not.

Monument to the fallen at the Amfikleia railway station. 11 Amfikleia residents were murdered by the Germans as a reprisal for the sabotage at the railway station that took place on April 13, 1943.

The left part, where the machine gun ball mount and the small observation port for the radio operator were located, protruded out slightly.

This port had a 4 mm visor slit that was cut into it and, for protection against small-caliber rounds, a stepped deflector was added.

Close up of the turret, with the “Y” still visible

This observation port was protected with a 50 mm thick armored glass block. For the radio operator, there was an additional but much smaller observation port to the left side.

The Balkenkreuz, the emblem of the Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces) is still visible on this photo.

This specific turret was possibly part of a bunker position, a Panzerstellung, close to Amfikleia train station in Greece and up until recently was part of a monument honouring the memory of 11 civilians murdered by the Germans in 1943. Its current whereabouts are unfortunately unknown, so a piece of WW2 history is now lost, possibly forever.

The 8th Panzer Division saw action during the Axis war with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in April 1941. During this operation, the 8th Panzer Division was part of the LVI. Motorized Corps that attacked from Hungary. After the short campaign that lasted less than two weeks, this Division reported the loss of 7 Panzer 38(t)s.