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 […]

Shot down but not forgotten: The RAAF Beaufighter pilot Amichai Honig’ story

By Pierre Kosmidis Research and photos by George Karelas and Manolis Bardanis It all started with a black and white photo, depicting an aerial attack against a ship. Rated among the best in Greece, respected researchers George Karelas and Manolis Bardanis, managed to connect the dots and after a painstaking process and thorough research, they managed […]

Then and Now, 1941-2019: The “Guns of Navarone” in Crete

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, documentation and information provided by Mr. Nikolaos Suladakis Black and white photo and photo of shell case by Mr. Nikolaos Melakis A well-known WW2 movie, the Guns of Navarone, starring Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn, about  the efforts of an Allied commando unit to destroy a seemingly impregnable German fortress […]

The Odyssey of Jacob Bensoua, a World War II Greek soldier of Jewish descent

Jacob, far left, and servicemen work on a truck. The Odyssey of Jacob Bensoua, a Greek of Jewish descent, during the turbulent times of WW2 and the ensuing Greek Civil War (1946-49), is published for the first time. Jacob told his story to his daughter Mattika Rosenthal and I personally wish to thank his son […]

Knyaguinya Maria Luisa: The moment a steamship exploded in Piraeus port, 30 May 1941

By Pierre Kosmidis Research by Tony Allen, Dimitris Galon and Ted Kostantinov The Bulgarian steamship Knyaguinya Maria Luisa was destroyed in Piraeus harbour on May 30th, 1941. Her deck cargo of benzine in drums caught fire and this detonated her cargo of munitions. The ship blew up with an explosion that sank three ships in the harbour and caused some […]