WW2 Signal magazines (Greek edition “Σύνθημα”)
On offer for sale or exchange original issues of Signal magazines in Greek (“ΣΥΝΘΗΜΑ”). Contact ww2wrecks for details
Then and Now: Operation “Taifun”, the Battle for Leros, 1943-2016
By Pierre Kosmidis SWASTIKA OVER THE AEGEAN is a limited edition book by acclaimed author Anthony Rogers, a photographic record of events that occurred in and around the Dodecanese in the autumn of 1943. Those events resulted in the last decisive German victory of the Second World War. The Eastern Aegean was the setting for […]
The Royal Hellenic Air Force during World War 2
By Pierre Kosmidis During the Second World War, although being severely outnumbered, counting only 79 aircraft against the 380 fighters and bombers available to the Italian Regia Aeronautica, the Royal Hellenic Air Force managed to successfully resist the Italian invasion in 1940. On November 2, 1940, a Breguet 19 intercepted the 3 Alpine Division Julia […]
Now and Then: 1941-2016, rare photo from the British Expeditionary Force in Athens
By Pierre Kosmidis A previously unpublished photo, from the personal collection of a British Army Officer, brings back to life the moment when the British Expeditionary Force entered Athens, in March 1941. Major (his rank in 1941) E. Holding served throughout the Second World War in Egypt, mainland Greece and Crete, Libya, Tunisia, and Italy. […]
“The Germans in the Aegean, 1941-45”: Book review and presentation
By Pierre Kosmidis Jean-Louis Roba is an acclaimed author of 120 books on the Second World War. One of his first works is the book “The Germans in the Aegean Sea” on the occupation of the Greek islands by the German army. Jean-Louis Roba est un acclamé auteur de 120 livres sur la Deuxième Guerre Mondiale. […]
The sinking of Bartolomeo Colleoni in Crete, 19 July 1940
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos: IWM The Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni was sunk during the naval battle off Cape Spatha in north west Crete, on 19 July 1940. Out of her crew, 555 were eventually rescued by Allied warships, while 121 perished with the ship. The battle started when Allied ships in the Aegean saw two Italian […]
Greece must be saved! An appeal coming from India during WW2
By Pierre Kosmidis The courageous struggle of Greece against the Italians and the Germans in 1940-41 was admired from the USA to India, as it set an example of resistance against fascism and nazism in the early years of WW2, when the eventual Allied victory seemed all but certain. In that context and following the […]
HMS Rover: The unknown story of the submarine in Souda Bay, Crete, 1941
By Pierre Kosmidis In this rare and previously unpublished photo, dated April 1941, HMS Rover is seen in Souda Bay, Crete Few are aware of the fact that Souda Bay in Crete, a large naval base used by the British in early WW2, is in a way similar to Pearl Harbor, Scapa Flow and Truk […]
James Zampelis: O μοναδικός Αυστραλός ελληνικής καταγωγής που σκοτώθηκε στη Μάχη της Κρήτης το 1941
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and additional media submitted by Jim Claven and used by permission READ THE ENGLISH VERSION Μια άγνωστη ιστορία στο ευρύ κοινό ήρθε στο φως χάρη στις προσπάθειες του Αυστραλού ιστορικού Jim Claven, ο οποίος ερευνά εδώ και χρόνια την παρουσία των Αυστραλών στην Ελλάδα. Πρόκειται για τον James Zampelis, ή […]
The search for James Zampelis, the only Australian of Greek descent Killed in Action in Crete, 1941
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and additional media submitted by Jim Claven and used by permission On the morning of 24 May 1941 James Zampelis, an Australian of Greek descent, was assisting wounded men close to Mournies village in Crete. The Battle was raging and Ju87 Stuka dive bombers were pounding the Allied positions. A direct bomb hit killed […]