Bunker Archaeology: The German bunkers of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and research by Xenis Sofronidis, used by permission The history of Thessaloniki in Macedonia, Greece, is intertwined with the wars fought during the first half of the 20th century. A bunker complex overlooking the entrance to the city’s port facilities has a rich history, dating back to the 19th century. READ […]

Bunker Archaeology: Exploring the 19th century fortifications of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and research by Xenis Sofronidis, used by permission Greek Army Major Nikolaos Schinas in his book “Traveling in Macedonia”, published in 1886, details the defenses of Thessaloniki at the end of the 19th century, while the city was still under Ottoman occupation.” “The details provided by Major Schinas are the first to testify the construction […]

Bunker Archaeology: The German WW2 fortifications of Agii Apostoli in Crete

By Pierre Kosmidis Info and photos submitted by Emmanouil Tzilivakis, used by permission Nowadays, tourists and locals alike are flooding the wonderful beaches of Agii Apostoli, located within walking distance from Chania, most of them unaware of the fact that the area was heavily fortified by the Germans during WW2. The same area was used as […]

Reliving the past: Operation Marita and the German invasion of Greece in April 1941, through the eyes or reenactors

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos submitted by Kampfgruppe “Süden” Hellenic Reenactment Group, Kampfgruppe ”Bulgarien”, Asociaţia Deutsches Freikorps and used by permission The German invasion of Greece, codenamed “Operation Marita”, was initiated in the early hours of Sunday, April 6, 1941. The German forces attacked “Metaxas Line”, a series of concrete fortifications, located mainly along the border with […]

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 […]

Bunker Archaeology: Inside the WW2 German “Atlantikwall” fortifications

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos © germanbunkers.com used by permission, unless stated otherwise Photo credit: wiki commons On 23 March 1942 the Nazi leader of Germany Adolf Hitler issued Führer Directive No. 40, which ordered the creation of the “Atlantikwall”, a series of fortifications spanning from Norway, along the Belgium and French coastline to the French-Spanish border. The purpose of […]

Battlefield Archaeology: The WW2 bunker at the village of “Zorba the Greek”

By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and research by George Tsampas Kokkino Chorio, or “Red Village” in English, is a village situated in the Chania regional unit of Crete, Greece. It has reached worldwide fame, as it was the filming location of the 1964 film Zorba the Greek starring Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates and Irene Papas. The […]