Roald Dahl and the Battle of Athens on 20 April 1941

By Pierre Kosmidis Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and fighter pilot. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. He saw service during the last chaotic days of the German invasion of Greece and was one of the few survivοrs of the […]

Historical Re-enactment Society: Reliving the Battle of Crete in New Zealand

By Pierre Kosmidis A group of reenactors from New Zealand, named World War Two Historical Re-enactment Society, are bringing History back to life.  With attention to detail, the re-enactors are reliving important elements of the military traditions of new Zealand during WW2, with a special focus on the Battle in mainland Greece and on the […]

Η τελευταία αερομαχία: Ο θάνατος του υποσμηναγού Ιωάννη Σακελλαρίου στις 2 Νοεμβρίου 1940

By Pierre Kosmidis Με την πολύτιμη αρωγή των κ.κ. Ιωάννη Μυλωνά και Νίκου Χριστοφίλη Πολλά συμβάντα της περιόδου του Β’ Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου, περιβεβλημένα με την αχλύ του μύθου, τις αντιφατικές και σε αρκετές περιπτώσεις ατεκμηρίωτες πληροφορίες, δημιουργούν ένα πλαίσιο μέσα στο οποίο η πραγματικότητα συσκοτίζεται, συντείνοντας έτσι στην εξαγωγή αυθαίρετων, αν όχι εσφαλμένων συμπερασμάτων. Μια τέτοια […]

My grandmother: The Greek Jews of WW2, by Benjamin Bensoua

By Pierre Kosmidis By Benjamin Bensoua* ** My grandmother, Eleanor Isaac, knew something was very wrong when her cousins burst into their small home in Volos, Greece, and warned them to leave because the Germans were going to register the Jews. This was in late 1943 and Eleanor was a young, happy, newly married Greek […]

The first radar assisted attack of a submarine in WW2: The story of HMS Proteus and the German steamer Ithaka torpedoed in the Aegean on 10 November 1941

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos submitted by William McGowan and used by permission Burial photos submitted by Dimitris Skartsilakis and used by permission The transport ship “Ithaka”, carrying 507 German soldiers, as well as cargo, including 80 tons of ammunition, sailed from Piraeus to Souda in Crete. She was escorted by patrol boats 11 V1 and 12 V4. […]

FOUND! The lost Panzer Division and the wreck of “Marburg” full of German tanks and guns

By Pierre Kosmidis The photo of the Italian Archivio Centrale Dello Stato files, reason for the investigation of the ship’s identity – Photo Credit: LUCE/George Karelas Research: George Karelas and Gerasimos Sotiropoulos Photos: As credited Text: Pierre Kosmidis By  May 21st, 1941 the Germans had concluded the invasion of mainland Greece, codenamed “Operation Marita” and […]

Το Seafire που συνετρίβη στις 7 Οκτωβρίου του 1944 στην Κω, από το Γιάννη Λιοντή

By Pierre Kosmidis Οι φωτογραφίες είναι του Γιάννη Λιοντή  και δημοσιεύονται με την άδειά του Ο κ. Γιάννης Λιοντής από την Κω, είναι ερευνητής της Ιστορίας του πανέμορφου νησιού του Αιγαίου κατά τη διάρκεια του Β’ Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου και έχει στην κατοχή του ένα σημαντικό εύρημα, το οποίο φωτίζει μια άγνωστη σελίδα της Ιστορίας του νησιού. […]