The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham Part 16: The F4U-1 Corsair wreck near Mellu Island
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, text and research submitted by Dan Farnham, used by permission Designed in 1938, the Vought F4U-1 ‘Corsair’ would become the greatest American-built carrier fighter of World War II. It would also have the longest production run of any piston-engine fighter in history. The first Corsair was built in 1940, and by the […]
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, […]
Locating and identifying WW2 aircraft wrecks: The Kwajalein Missing in Action (MIA) Project
By Pierre Kosmidis Flight deck of the PBM-3D which crashed at Kwajalein on February 16, 1944 Kwajalein Atoll is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. Dan Farnham speaks to WW2 Wrecks andpierekosmidis.blogspot.com about the Kwajalein Missing in Action (MIA) Project: “The […]
Luc Vanrell: The story behind the discovery of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s P-38 “Lightning”
By Pierre Kosmidis Luc Vanrell is a diver, photographer and underwater explorer, credited with the discovery of famous author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s P-38 “Lightning”, which was shot down by a German fighter aircraft over the Mediterranean, on July 31st, 1944. The remains of the aircraft are located at a depth of 83 meters in the […]
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 […]
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 […]
Dark Waters: Exploring the wrecks of the abyss with Richie Kohler and Dmitry Tomashov
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos submitted by Dmitry Tomashov and used by permission Dark Waters, a fascinating TV series, documenting the fate of stunning wrecks, which caught the imagination of explorers, is brought to life, thanks to the efforts of U Boat Malta and AQ Films Malta, featuring Richie Kohler and Dmitry Tomashov. www.ww2wrecks.com reached out to […]
Kos, Greece, 1943: The execution of 103 Italians by the Germans, a forgotten massacre of World War 2 – “Αrmadio della vergogna”
By Lieta Zanatta Photos by Colonel (ret.) Pietro Giovanni Liuzzi Broken buckles, medals, military decorations, buttons belonging to the jackets of artillery soldiers, a golden fountain pen and several cartridge cases for German pistol, rifle and machine gun, appeared on the ground dug in a plot next to the sea in the island of Kos, in Dodecanese. […]