The mystery of the Ju88 wreck in Macedonia, Greece
By Pierre Kosmidis Research and photos submitted by George Karelas and used by permission The skies over Greece saw intense air battles during WW2, resulting in many aircraft destroyed. Several have been located, out of which some have been identified, while others are still shrouded in mystery. One such aircraft wreck, located thanks to information received […]
The Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM 79 «Sparviero» aircraft at the seabed of Poros Island, Greece
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos: Kostas Mylonakis www.wetklik.gr An important historical discovery, the first Italian aircraft of World War II which was located in Greece was documented photographically by the diving team of Anthony Grafas. It is a three-engined bomber Savoia – Marchetti SM 79 ‘Sparviero “, (“Hawk”), which was originally identified a few years ago, […]
When 544 Italian Prisoners drowned in 1943: The tragedy of the “Marguerite” unveiled
By Pierre Kosmidis On October 13, 1943 a tragedy unfolded in the Gulf of Patras, which took nearly 65 years to come back to the surface, thanks to a thorough historical research and on-site diving. The wreck of the cargo ship Marguerite is one of many that occurred at that time with ships carrying Italian prisoners […]
Takis Lazaridis, the man who escaped the execution by firing squad
By Pierre Kosmidis «Περίλυπος σέρνω αυτές τις γραμμές», γράφει ο Τάκης Λαζαρίδης στο βιβλίο του «Ευτυχώς ηττηθήκαμε σύντροφοι…» που πρωτοκυκλοφόρησε το 1988, προκαλώντας την οργή των πρώην συντρόφων του και έκτοτε έχει επανεκδοθεί 7 φορές: «Διπλά καλότυχοι όσοι, σαν τον πατέρα μου, δεν πήγαν από αδελφικό, αλλά από γερμανικό βόλι. Και για τους ζωντανούς, πώς […]
Horrido! Fighter Aces Of The Luftwaffe
By Pierre Kosmidis Great book covering the top aces of the Luftwaffe with an overview and personal stories of pilots such as Rall, Barkhorn, Marseille and Hartman. First published in 1968, the stories are more immediate to the events, that is these fellows were still alive. Also as 1968, the authors spend some time explaining […]
“Velos” and “Georgios Averoff” the floating museums of Greece
By Pierre Kosmidis Georgios Averof is a modified Pisa-class armored cruiser built in Italy for the Royal Hellenic Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The ship served as the Greek flagship during most of the first half of the century. Although popularly known as a battleship in Greek, she is in fact […]
The War Museum: A stroll in the yard of History
By Pierre Kosmidis The War Museum in Athens opened its doors on July 18, 1975. Its purpose is the exhibition of weapons, military artifacts and the history of war, since ancient times. The museum’s collection includes exhibits from Greece and other civilizations, such as China and Japan. There is a very interesting collection of guns, […]
FOUND! A Ju 52 off Rodos island: The discovery, the exploration and the unanswered questions
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and videos: © Marinos Giourgas, published under license Mr. Marinos Giourgas is a technical diving instructor and together with his colleagues, they found off Rhodes a Luftwaffe Junkers 52 in very good condition, at a depth of approximately 80 meters. The discovery of the Ju 52 in almost intact condition is in itself an […]
Το Ju52 της Ρόδου: Η ανακάλυψη, η κατάδυση και τα αναπάντητα ερωτήματα
By Pierre Kosmidis Φωτογραφίες και video: © Μαρίνος Γιούργας, παραχωρήθηκαν στο www.ww2wrecks.com και δημοσιεύονται κατόπιν αδείας. Ο κ. Μαρίνος Γιούργας είναι εκπαιδευτής τεχνικών καταδύσεων και μαζί με συνεργάτες του, εντόπισε στη θαλάσσια περιοχή της Ρόδου ένα γερμανικό μεταγωγικό αεροπλάνο Junkers 52 σε πάρα πολύ καλή κατάσταση, το οποίο χρονολογείται από την περίοδο του Β’ Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου. Κάθε φορά που […]
Report by Matron of 26 General Hospital, in Kifissia, Greece, 1940-41
This is a copy of the report sent to Miss Jones (Matron in Chief, later Dame Katherine Jones) by Miss Sharpe the matron at 26 British General Hospital in Athens in 1940 and 1941 before and during the evacuation from Greece. SOURCE Kindly submitted by Mrs. Jane Cassidy