Η πυροβολαρχία των 178 χιλ. του Ναυτικού Οχυρού Φλεβών, από τον Κωνσταντίνο Κυρίμη
By Pierre Kosmidis Φωτογραφίες: Κωνσταντίνος Κυρίμης, δημοσίευση κατόπιν αδείας Ο κύριος οπλισμός του «Ναυτικού Οχυρού Φλεβών (Ν.Ο.Φ.)» ήταν μια πυροβολαρχία (τεσσάρων πυροβόλων) των 178 χιλιοστών, εγκατεστημένη σε δεσπόζον ύψωμα, στο μέσο του νησιού. Τα πυροβόλα (όλα είχαν αφαιρεθεί από το παροπλισμένο θωρηκτό «Λήμνος») βρίσκονταν εδραιωμένα σε μεγάλες τσιμεντένιες βάσεις, με διάμετρο 9 μέτρων. Ο σύγχρονος επισκέπτης, […]
Relics from the forgotten battlefield: Italians against Germans in Rodos island, September 1943
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos by Panagiotis Brokos Following the Italian capitulation in September 1943, the Dodecanese (a word deriving from Greek, meaning “twelve islands”) became a highly contested area, which was strategically important for both the Germans and the Allies. The biggest island in the Dodecanese is Rodos, which was an important Italian naval base […]
Exploring with a… submarine the U-133, the German U boat that sank off Aegina Island, Greece, in 1942
By Pierre Kosmidis The wreck of U-133, broken in two, after hitting a mine off Aegina Island, Greece. (PHOTO CREDIT: Kostas Katsaros) Few people have the opportunity to dive a WW2 U Boat wreck, the feared weapon of nazi Germany. Submersible Commander and scuba diver Kostas Katsarosfrom Athens, Greece, is one of the few persons […]
Wartime graffiti: Soldier artists turn their barracks into an art gallery
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos: Markos Spanos Leros Island in the Dodecanese, Greece, was a theatre of fierce fighting in 1943, marking the last German victory of strategic importance in the Aegean, with the Operation code named “Taifun”. READ MORE: Battlefield Archaeology: The rare relics of Leros, 1943 The Battles for Kos and Leros, 1943 – […]
Battlefield Archaeology: One of the last battles of WW2 in May 1945
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos: Panagiotis Brokos The war in Europe was almost over in Europe in late April, early May 1945. The Russians had conquered Berlin, the nazi leader Hitler had committed suicide and the western Allies were moving swiftly in the heartland of the 3rd Reich. It was just a matter of days, before […]
Mystery solved! The life and death of Xenophon Castrisos
By Pierre Kosmidis It all began with a black and white photograph of a soldier reading a Greek newspaper, “somewhere in the Pacific” during WW2. The newspaper is the “ΠΑΝΕΛΛΗΝΙΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΞ” or “Hellenic Herald” and according to the caption “Xenophon Castrisos (Castles), an aerial photographer with the Royal Australian Air Force, reads the Hellenic Herald, […]
Behind the scenes: Preserving and restoring rare warbirds from WW2 to present
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos: Yannis Mylonas & Pierre Kosmidis/www.ww2wrecks.com Additional resources: 1/ Hellenic Air Force Museum – The wings of history (click to read the story) 2/ The rare warbirds of the Hellenic Air Force Museum (click to read the story) Aviation enthusiasts all over the world are thrilled every time they see an aircraft from a bygone era […]
Kostas Kavvathias, the Greek master of Aviation Art
By Pierre Kosmidis Kostas Kavvathias is undoubtedly an artist whose works have established him as the Greek Aviation Art master worldwide. Kostas , the man who has linked his name with the artistic and historically documented aviation art for over two decades, modestly says that “I do not feel like I am someone special. But I am glad […]
The forgotten WW2 barracks and the… sexy lady
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos by Panagiotis Brokos Rodos island, Greece, was under Italian occupation from 1912 to 1943, when Italy capitulated. Following the failed Allied attempt to gain control of the island (click to read more) the Germans managed to keep the Dodecanese islands, including Rodos, up until the end of WW2 in Europe, in May 1945. […]
1941: The nazi invasion of Greece through the paintings of Hans Liska
By Pierre Kosmidis Hans Liska (1907-1984) is one of the most well-known and prolific WWII Axis illustrators, who served with the German Armed Forces during the war. In 1942 and 1943 German publishing house Carl Werner in Reichenbach, sponsored by Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke AG, published 2 albums with Hans Liska’s sketches and color […]