Then and Now: Stuka attack on Greek steamer “Macedonia”, April 22, 1941

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and Research: George Karelas   George Karelas, a respected researcher and deep scuba diver is credited, along with his associates, with some of the most impressive finds related to World War 2 in Greece, including aircraft wrecks, shipwrecks and even the lost panzer division, a deep sea enigma that lasted for […]

April 1941: Operation Marita and the Greek “Maginot Line” that cost the Germans dearly

By Pierre Kosmidis On April 6th 1941, the Germans started their offensive against Greece. The German offensive against Greece, April 1941 Following the stalemate of their Italian allies in the Albanian front and the victories of the Greeks in the mountainous regions of northern Greece and Albania against the Italian army, since the unprovoked attack […]

The Metaxas Line bunkers through previously unpublished photos

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos submitted by Ted Konstantinov and used by permission The Metaxas Line, the series of bunker complexes in the northern borders of Greece, withstood the German onslaught, during the initial stages of “Operation Marita”, the German invasion of Greece, initiated on April 6, 1941. Many photos have surfaced over the years, mostly […]

Reliving the past: Operation Marita and the German invasion of Greece in April 1941, through the eyes or reenactors

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos submitted by Kampfgruppe “Süden” Hellenic Reenactment Group, Kampfgruppe ”Bulgarien”, Asociaţia Deutsches Freikorps and used by permission The German invasion of Greece, codenamed “Operation Marita”, was initiated in the early hours of Sunday, April 6, 1941. The German forces attacked “Metaxas Line”, a series of concrete fortifications, located mainly along the border with […]

Then and Now: 1941-2018 a Luftwaffe Dornier Do 215 over Olympus

By Pierre Kosmidis Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece with its highest peak at 2,918 metres, was considered to be the home of the ancient Greek gods. On April 6 1941, the German offensive against Greece, codenamed “Operation Marita” resulted in the capitulation of the Greek Army on April 20, 1941. The Greek Army, which had […]

Battlefield Archaeology: Inside the “forgotten bunkers” of Usita fortress in Greece

By Pierre Kosmidis   Text and photos: Lt. Colonel (ret.) Ilias Kotridis Fortress “Usita” is located on the west side of Rupel Bunkers Complex, near the Strymonas (Struma) River and is one of its six defensive positions. Usita consisted of eleven machine gun emplacements, two searchlight positions, a mortar emplacement, two observatories, an optical wireless […]

Then and Now: 1941-2018, the Germans in front of the Greek Parliament

By Pierre Kosmidis With the conclusion of Operation Marita, the conquest of mainland Greece and a couple of weeks before Operation Merkur, the airborne invasion of the island of Crete, the Germans held a victory parade in Athens, on May 5, 1941. The Royal Palace in 1941, which is the Greek Parliament today, was a […]

“Y1: Στη Σιωπή του Βυθού”: Ο “Κατσώνης” ταξιδεύει στο 22ο Φεστιβάλ Ντοκιμαντέρ Θεσσαλονίκης

By Pierre Kosmidis   “Y1: Silence of the Deep”: The underwater exploration of a Greek submarine lost during World war 2 and the unknown story   “Y1: Στη Σιωπή του Βυθού”. Η άγνωστη ιστορία του ελληνικού υποβρυχίου που χάθηκε το 1943   FOUND! The WW2 Greek submarine Y1 “Katsonis”, sunk on September 14, 1943 Το […]