The ghosts of the Greek Civil War: The remains of a fallen soldier found in the mountains of Florina, 80 years later.

All photos © by Panagiotis Kostidis, submitted exclusively to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission Text by Pierre Kosmidis Florina town, in northwestern Greece, has witnessed fierce fighting during the initial stages of Operation “Marita”, the German invasion of Greece in 1941, as well as during the Greek Civil War, in 1949. During the Greek Civil War, it is estimated […]

The iron harvest of Greece: Unexploded relics of the Greek Civil War, 1946-49, by Greek Army EOD Specialist Panagiotis Kostidis

All photos © by Panagiotis Kostidis, submitted exclusively to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission Text by Pierre Kosmidis Florina, with approximately 17,000 inhabitants, is one of the most beautiful towns in northwestern Greece. Today, visitors from all over Greece, as well as neighbouring countries, are visiting Florina for its wonderful climate, the nice architecture and […]

Centaur tanks in Greek service, 1946-1957

By Pierre Kosmidis Greece received its first tanks after WW2 as part of the British military aid in May 1946, 52 Centaurs (along with Carriers, Marmon Herrington Mk. IVs and Otter Is) , which were set in action the very next year, during the Greek civil war, against the communist forces in Macedonia and Epirus. […]

Regia Aeronautica aircraft at Maritsa airfield, Rodos island, by Massimo Mometti

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos submitted to www.ww2wrecks.com by Massimo Mometti and used by permission Mr. Massimo Mometti, from Italy, has a series of photos of his father, who served with the Regia Aeronautica, the Italian Royal Air Force, in Rodos island, during World War 2. Mr. Mometti’s father was based at the Maritsa airfield. Maritsa airfield is […]

Then and Now: The Fallschirmjäger memorial in Crete, 1941-2022

The Fallschirmjäger memorial (German: Fallschirmjäger-Denkmal) is a German war memorial for German parachutists who fell during the ten-day Battle of Crete in World War II. The memorial, known to Cretans as the German bird or the Evil bird, was erected in 1941 by the occupation forces and is located about 3 kilometers west of Chania […]

ITALIAN GROUND FORCES IN GREECE, 25 APRIL 1943-Through Italian staff maps Part 1 – Epirus and the Ionian Islands, by Alexis Mehtidis

Text and research by Alexis Mehtidis    SOURCES T-812 R-143/IT1220 (section) T-821 R-247 Italienische Dokumente Aktensammelstelle mit Sitz in Sud Bavaria u. Munich 1932-1944   NOTES :   Formations/units there were under German operational control First place names are in modern Greek. Italian follow in parentheses. This is actually in note form. A lot of the […]

Bombs away! Scuba divers locate WW2 500lb aerial bombs used in 1943 allied attacks in Greece

Scuba divers conducting research in the Saronic Gulf, Greece, close to Patroklos Island, made an… explosive discovery! The diving team located two unexploded World War 2 aerial bombs, most probably used against Axis shipping in 1943. ΑΝ-Μ64 bomb found in the Saronic Gulf, Greece. Photo by Nikos Karatzas, http://aviationarchaeology.gr/ The AN-M64 were used as general purpose […]

Αναφορά για την επιχειρησιακή και επιμελητειακή ετοιμότητα του Ιταλικού Στρατού στην Ελλάδα, 1 Αυγούστου 1943 (Situazione operativa e logistica degli scacchieri Balcanici ed Egeo al 1o Agosto 1943), από τον Αλέξη Μεχτίδη

Κείμενο, έρευνα, φωτογραφίες: Αλέξης Μεχτίδης Text, research, photos: Alexis Mehtidis Αναφορά για την επιχειρησιακή και επιμελητειακή ετοιμότητα του Ιταλικού Στρατού στην Ελλάδα, 1 Αυγούστου 1943 (απο το Situazione  operativa e logistica degli scacchieri Balcanici ed Egeo al 1o agosto 1943). Πρόκειται περί της τελευταίας γνωστής αναφοράς πριν την ιταλική συνθηκολόγηση τον Σεπτέμβριο του 1943. Επιλεγμένα αποσπάσματα ακολουθούν. […]