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 […]
Kos and Leros 1943: Interview with the author Anthony Rogers on the German conquest of the Dodecanese
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos by Anthony Rogers/Osprey Publishing, used by permission of the author You can order the book by clicking HERE Acclaimed author and researcher Anthony Rogers‘ new book “Kos and Leros 1943: The conquest of the Dodecanese by the Germans” published by Osprey is set to hit the bookshelves soon. www.ww2wrecks.com has reached out to […]
Battlefield Archaeology: Interview with author and researcher Jonny Bay, the “History Hunter”, on the untold stories of WW2
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos by Jonny Bay, used by permission It is estimated, according to various sources, that 50 to 80 million people died as a result of World War 2, be it on the battlefield, or from war-related diseases and famine. The numbers by themselves are faceless, just statistics that demonstrate the monstrosity of […]
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 […]
Battlefield Archaeology: The WW2 Listening Wall of Leros – Interview with Luciano Alberghini Maltoni
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos by Luciano Alberghini Maltoni The Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean Sea have a rich history, intertwined with the fate of the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Since antiquity these islands have witnessed a long procession of conquerors, battles were fought for their control and during World War 2 the […]
Battlefield Archaeology: Unearthing the WW1 “Pompeii” at Messines Ridge
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos by Simon Verdegem/Höhe 80 – Project Whitesheet 2018 Over 3,2 million men died in the battles fought in the Western Front during World War 1 and more than 8,4 million wounded soldiers lived to tell the tale of the first industrial-scale killing machine, known as the Great War. Today, vast cemeteries are […]
Battlefield Archaeology: The abandoned WW2 German gun emplacements of Kolymbari, Crete
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos: Manolis Spanoudakis Following the Battle of Crete in May 1941, the Germans occupied Crete, with the exception of the eastern part of the island, which was occupied by their Italian allies. The Germans initiated a large fortification project, in order to turn the island of Crete into a “fortress”, due to its […]