The bombing of Piraeus on January 11, 1944
By Pierre Kosmidis The port of Piraeus has been the target of aerial bombings on several occasions during World War 2, both by the Germans, as well as the Allies. In April 1941, the Luftwaffe bombed Allied shipping and port facilities in Piraeus, causing extensive damage and on January 11, 1944, a large-scale Allied aerial […]
Identifying the air attacks of 1941: Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica hit shipping hard in Greece
By Pierre Kosmidis Research and photos by George Karelas Updated in January 2021 with information by Giuseppe Barbetta PART ONE CLICK ON THE LINKS IN RED FOR FURTHER READING George Karelas from Patras, Greece, is a technical scuba diver and historical researcher credited with some of the most impressive WW2 Wrecks ever found, researched or identified in […]
The Battle of Crete in 3D: Realistically recreating the WW2 battlefields
By Pierre Kosmidis Info and 3D renditions by Michael Johnson Mr. Michael Johnson is working on a computer project seeking to accurately reflect the invasion of Crete 1941. He is looking for accurate photos and locations of various buildings at Rethymno and Maleme so he can make them in 3D and place them on the maps […]
Help us solve the mystery of a Greek flag from World War 2!
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and information submitted by Charles Eliopoulos Mr. Charles Eliopoulos, from Baltimore, USA, is of Greek descent and his uncle George fought during WW2 on board USS JORDAN. According to his account, he was in a Βritish convoy close to Crete, where they found a Greek naval ship. The Greeks were still fighting against […]
Major Alexis Casdagli, the Battle of Crete and the… “[email protected] Hitler” message
By Pierre Kosmidis By Trevor Solley Imprisoned by the old enemy for four years during World War Two, Major Alexis Casdagli never lost his fighting spirit up with his own cheeky form of resistance, adding the secret messages to his needlework which were never spotted by his Nazi captors. Pinching red and blue thread from […]
The story of the Greek PZL P24 fighter aircraft, 1940-41
By Pierre Kosmidis The Royal Hellenic Air Force (EVA) is the only air force during WW2 to operate the PZL.24 as its main fighter type. Two subtypes, thirty P.24F and six P.24G, were ordered and delivered in 1937-38. They were split between three Mirae Dioxeos (Fighter Squadrons): the 21st at Trikala, 22nd at Thessaloniki and […]
Thursday 14 November 1940: The day the Greek counter-offensive against the Italians started
By Pierre Kosmidis On 14 November 1940, three hundred German bombers dropped 500 tons of explosives, 33,000 incendiary bombs and dozens of parachute mines on the industrial city of Coventry. During the raid, 507 civilians were killed and 420 seriously injured. Europe was under the nazi boot, with the exception of the neutral countries like […]
Bunker Archaeology: The German WW2 “Hohlgangsanlage” bunkers of Aegina island, Greece, by Konstantinos Kirimis
By Pierre Kosmidis Research and photos by Konstantinos Kirimis, submitted to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission Among the various bunkers and fortifications built by the German occupation forces all over Greece during World War 2, this specific “cave-shelter” (Hohlgangsanlage, according to the German technical terminology of the time) is located in the Northern Fortress of Aegina (see Note 1, […]
FOUND! “Votrys”, the first true sea-going ship with diesel propulsion worldwide, sunk in 1940
By Pierre Kosmidis Research and photos by George Karelas December 1940 was a month of glory for the Greek Army. The Italians were promptly ousted from Greece, after their failed invasion, which was initiated on October 28, 1940. This aggressive campaign of Mussolini’s army meant the start of World War 2 for Greece. Shortly after […]
The truth behind the myths: How many aircraft were shot down in 1940-41 during the Italian campaign against Greece
By Pierre Kosmidis Captioned photos by Lt. (GM) Nikolaos Christofilis HN, Author and Independent Researcher Wartime propaganda mechanisms are generally inflating the numbers of enemy aircraft shot down, while downgrading the numbers of their own losses. This general rule applies to every nation at war and as time goes by, many myths are shrouding the truth and […]