Τα πρόσωπα του φόβου: Η Κατοχή στη Θεσσαλία, μια συνέντευξη με το συγγραφέα Χρήστο Ν. Τσιόλα

By Pierre Kosmidis Οι φωτογραφίες προέρχονται από το αρχείο του συγγραφέα-ερευνητή κ. Χρήστου Τσιόλα και δημοσιεύονται κατόπιν έγγραφης αδείας από τον ίδιο. Η περίοδος της Κατοχής έχει αποτελέσει το αντικείμενο εκατοντάδων, αν όχι χιλιάδων, βιβλίων, με επίκεντρο ωστόσο κατά κύριο λόγο τα μεγάλα αστικά κέντρα. Αντίστοιχες έρευνες για την περιφέρεια είναι ελάχιστες και αν δεν αποτελούν […]

Bunker Archaeology: Exploring the 150 mm artillery positions in Aegina

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos submitted by Konstantinos Kyrimis and used by permission Mr. Konstantinos Kyrimis an acclaimed researcher and author of the book “Exploring underground Attica: The secret WW2 bomb shelters” (Volumes I and II) shared with www.ww2wrecks.com yet another fascinating story, related to a 150 mm coastal artillery complex, located on the island of Aegina, in […]

Then and Now: The bombing of a Greek airfield, 1944-2016

By Pierre Kosmidis THEN AND NOW: Bombing of Kalamaki Airfield (also known as Hassani or Ellinikon), Athens, Greece, seen from the bomb bay of a US B-17 bomber, 15 Sep 1944 and a current image via google maps (source of photos: ww2db/google) The airport was built in 1938, and after the German invasion of Greece in […]

The WW2 Greek Army 1940 Reenacting Team at the Military Odyssey

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos submitted by George Krikelas – WW2 Greek Army 1940 Reenacting Team and used by permission The 19th edition of the Military Odyssey featured the WW2 Greek Army 1940 Reenacting Team  and www.ww2wrecks.com contacted Mr. George Krikelas to find out more about this show, which according to the organisers attracted over 100,000 visitors in the course of […]

Athina: The wreck of the first iron steamboat built in Greece

By Pierre Kosmidis The first iron steamboat built in Greece in 1893 at Syros shipyards was used for decades in the Saronic Gulf and was then purchased by a Jewish organization carrying refugees from Europe to the Middle East, where the state of Israel was created in 1948. Mr. Aris Mpilalis, a Greek maritime history researcher, tells about this […]

Leros Island, 1943: The underwater museum of WW2 aircraft wrecks and shipwrecks

By Pierre Kosmidis The Eastern Aegean was the setting for a series of German air-sea landings, something not normally associated with the Wehrmacht. German infantry carried out beach assaults and, unusually, Fallschirmjäger were deployed in their intended role as paratroopers, more than two years after sustaining frightful losses in Crete. Both sides relied on air […]

FOUND! Théophile Gautier: A French ocean liner at the seabed of the Aegean

By Pierre Kosmidis The Aegean seabed is a silent witness of many dramatic events during the Second World War. The wreckdiving.gr research team located and positively identified the wreck of the French ocean liner Théophile Gautier, at a depth of 112 meters below sea level. “Following information received from local fishermen, and thorough research in the historical archives, and despite […]

Gradisca: The “Odyssey” of the Italian hospital ship in Greece during WW2

By Pierre Kosmidis The Hospital Ship “Gradisca” at the Port of Patras, Greece GRADISCA and AQUILEA: Two large hospital ships operating on the Mediterranean under Italian and German flag from 1939-45 In 1935, Italy bought two pre-World-War-I steamships built in England and the Netherlands and originally used as passenger ships – the GRADISCA (13,879 G.R.T.) […]

Η αερομαχία πάνω από τα Ιωάννινα στις 2 Νοεμβρίου 1940

By Pierre Kosmidis Με την πολύτιμη αρωγή των κ.κ. Ιωάννη Μυλωνά, Νίκου Χριστοφίλη, Θέμη Σέρμπη, Δημήτρη Πάντου, Κωνσταντίνου Ντάσιου, Ηλία Κορομπίλη Η αερομαχία της 2ας Νοεμβρίου 1940 αποτέλεσε το έναυσμα για την αποκάλυψη πολλών στοιχείων, τα οποία βοηθούν να αποκτήσουμε μια σφαιρική εικόνα για τα όσα συνέβησαν εκείνο το μοιραίο μεσημέρι, πάνω από τα Ιωάννινα […]