The sinking of the Norwegian tanker MT Solheim close to Crete on March 24, 1941 by the Luftwaffe
By Pierre Kosmidis Research and photos by George Karelas, used by permission The chaotic days just before and during the German invasion of Greece, which was initiated on April 6, 1941, codenamed “Operation Marita”, have seen the Luftwaffe enjoying total air superiority. This meant that the German aircraft dominated the skies and bombed, without any significant opposition, any […]
Operation Albumen: The daring SBS raids in Crete, 1942
By Pierre Kosmidis SOURCE: The National Archives ‘Albumen’ was a British special forces raid by elements of the Special Boat Squadron against airfields on German-occupied Crete (7/8 June 1942). The ‘Albumen’ undertaking was designed to prevent the German air strength on the Axis-occupied Greek island of Crete from being used to support Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel’s […]
The Odyssey of Royal Marine and SBS trooper John Gordon Petrie in Crete
By Pierre Kosmidis Info and photographs submitted by Kathy Mudge, used by permission. 77 years have passed since the end of World War Two in 1945, but still memories of the men who served, haunt their families. Questions remain unanswered, information remains missing and the veil of decades now covers the memories. One such mystery is […]
The FW200 “Condor” G6+FY of Rodos island, by Danie van der Spuy
Research, photos and text by Danie van der Spuy, submitted to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission One of the most beautiful WW2 aircraft the German Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, also known as Kurier to the Allies (English: Courier), a German all-metal four-engined monoplane originally developed by Focke-Wulf as a long-range airliner. A Japanese request for a long-range […]
Freediving at a Luftwaffe Ju88 wreck in Corfu Island, Greece
By Pierre Kosmidis Christos Simatis, a freediver from Corfu, Greece, shared a video he shot of a Ju88 wreck in Corfu island, Greece. The Junkers Ju 88 was a German World War II Luftwaffe twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. According to respected researcher Byron Tesapsides, claimed that if the diver found it in Barbati: Aufklärungsgruppe […]
Petrella steamship tragedy unveiled: The 1944 disaster with 2670 victims
Research and photo documentation by George Karelas The depths of the Aegean Sea in Greece hide some great tragedies that occurred during World War 2. One such disaster is the torpedoing of the German steamship Petrella, formerly named Capo Pino, a cargo steamship of 4785 grt, 114.9 meters long, with a maximum speed of 12 knots, by […]
Hellenic Air Force Museum – The wings of history
By Pierre Kosmidis READ IN ENGLISH: The rare warbirds of the Hellenic Air Force Museum Pilots of the… Abyss: The aircraft salvagers of the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) WW2 German Stuka Ju87 aircraft shot down in 1943 recovered in Leros Found, salvaged and preserved! A Blenheim shot down in Crete by friendly fire on April […]
ΜΕΡΟΣ Α’ – Μια ζωή στρατιώτης: Ο ελληνοϊταλικός πόλεμος 1940-41 μέσα από τα μάτια του Παύλου Γαλανού
By Pierre Kosmidis Φωτογραφίες: Ανδρέας Γαλανός ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΤΟ Β’ ΜΕΡΟΣ – ΕΜΦΥΛΙΟΣ ΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ – Παύλος Γαλανός, 37 μήνες πολεμικών επιχειρήσεων Η Ιστορία δεν είναι απλά μια συρραφή σημαντικών γεγονότων, ούτε η στεγνή καταγραφή των πράξεων ή των παραλείψεων των στρατηγών και της εκάστοτε πολιτικής ηγεσίας. Πολύ περισσότερο, η Ιστορία δεν είναι μονοσήμαντη, μονόπλευρη και αποσπασματική. Τη […]
The rare warbirds of the Hellenic Air Force Museum
By Pierre Kosmidis The Hellenic Air Force Museum, located at Dekelia Air Base (ICAO: LGTT), at the north of Athens, features some unique aircraft, ranging from WW2 to today. The Air Base started operating in 1918 and features a single runway with a length of 1764 metres. The airport is currently used by the […]
The story of the Greek battleship “Kilkis” sunk by Stuka bombers on April 23, 1941
By Pierre Kosmidis Battleship Kilkis (Greek: Θ/Κ Κιλκίς) was a 13,000 ton Mississippi-class battleship originally built by the US Navy in 1904–1908. The Stuka dive bombers hit “Lemnos” in the background, with “Kilkis” visible in the middle of the photo As Mississippi she was purchased by the Greek Navy in 1914, and renamed Kilkis, along […]