Z Special Unit: The top secret Australian Special Forces “Zed” during World War 2
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and video submitted by Lionel Aitken and used by permission A 13-part documentary series, focusing on Z Special Unit, a largely unknown Australian Special Operations element, is in the making and www.ww2wrecks.com has reached out to Mr. Lionel Aitken, the driving force behind capturing and producing all the interviews with surviving members […]
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, […]
The WW2 “flying coffin” that never returned: The search for the lost Beaufort
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and info by Pamela Harrison In a solemn ceremony, the relatives of Flying Officer Arthur Aitken and Flight Sergeant Peter Hastie threw flowers on to the ocean gently lapping the shore. It was on the 72nd anniversary since the ill-fated RAAF Beaufort A9-317 took off from RAAF Busselton Air Base on September 9, 1943, never to be […]
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 – […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham Part 14: Exploring the graveyard of the 11 PBJ-1H Mitchell aircraft wrecks of US Marine Bombing Squadron 613 (VMB-613)
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, text and research submitted by Dan Farnham, used by permission Designed in 1938, the B-25 ‘Mitchell’ started out as a private, in-house design by the North American Aviation company, and was designated the NA-40B, for North American Model 40B. The NA-40B was originally intended to be an attack bomber for export to […]
Shot down but not forgotten: The search for lost WW2 airmen and their crashed aircraft (PHOTOS and VIDEO)
By Pierre Kosmidis The sky over Belgium was witness to fierce fighting during the duration of World War 2. Thousands of fighters, bombers, and transport aircraft were shot down in flames and crashed in the fields and forests below, many of them with their crews still inside. Several aircraft wrecks have been found since 1945, […]
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 […]
Reflections of Our Gentle Warriors: Personal stories of WW2 Veterans
By Pierre Kosmidis Brad Hoopes from Colorado, USA, started saving and preserving veteran stories 10 years ago. “I believe we have all the facts and figures related to WW2, but not nearly enough of the personal stories, which add a powerful dimension to the numbers and the big picture”, Brad says. US Government reports show […]