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Damasta Sabotage
The Damasta sabotage ( el, Το σαμποτάζ της Δαμάστας) was an attack by Cretan resistance fighters led by British Special Operations Executive officer Captain Bill Stanley Moss MC against German occupation forces in World War II. The attack occurred on 8 August 1944 near the village of Damasta ( el, Δαμάστα) and was aimed to prevent the Germans from assaulting the village of Anogeia.Beevor, Antony. ''Crete: The Battle and the Resistance'', John Murray Ltd, 2005, pp.315-6. Psychoundakis, George. ''The Cretan Runner:His Story of the German Occupation'', John Murray Ltd, 1955. The Folio Society, 2009 p178 Background As part of a coordinated attack with the Special Boat Service, Billy Moss, the second-in-command of the Kreipe kidnap team, was despatched back to Crete in early July by Brigadier Barker-Benfield, the new commander of Force 133 in Cairo to provide guides for the S.B.S. and to raise a small strike force to carry out a diversionary attack at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Razing Of Anogeia
The Razing of Anogeia ( el, Καταστροφή των Ανωγείων) or the Holocaust of Anogeia ( el, Ολοκαύτωμα των Ανωγείων) refers to the complete destruction of the village of Anogeia in central Crete (Greece) and the murder of about 25 of its inhabitants on 13 August 1944 by German Army (Wehrmacht), German Axis occupation of Greece, occupying forces during World War II.Beevor, Antony. ''Crete: The Battle and the Resistance'', John Murray Ltd, 2005, pp.315-6. Muñoz, Antonio. ''The German Secret Field Police in Greece, 1941-1944'', McFarland, 2018, pp. 87-8. Kokonas, Nikos A., ''The Cretan Resistance 1941 - 1945'', 1992, pp 91-94, This was the third time Anogeia was destroyed, as the Ottomans had destroyed it twice; first in July 1822 and again in November 1867, during the Cretan Revolt (1866–69), Great Cretan Revolt. Background Geography The village of Anogeia (alternate spellings ''Anogia'' and ''Anoyia'') sits at an altitude of on the north s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cretan
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete rests about south of the Greek mainland, and about southwest of Anatolia. Crete has an area of and a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi). It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea, with the Sea of Crete (or North Cretan Sea) to the north and the Libyan Sea (or South Cretan Sea) to the south. Crete and a number of islands and islets that surround it constitute the Region of Crete ( el, Περιφέρεια Κρήτης, links=no), which is the southernmost of the 13 Modern regions of Greece, top-level administrative units of Greece, and the fifth most populous of Greece's regions. Its capital and largest city is Heraklion, on the north shore of the island. , the region had a population of 636,504. The Dodecanes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Organization Of Crete
The National Organization of Crete ( el, Εθνική Οργάνωση Κρήτης, ''Ethnikí Orgánosi Krítis'' (EOK)) was a resistance organization established in the island of Crete with the cooperation and encouragement of British Intelligence during the Axis occupation of Greece in World War II. Establishment and ideology EOK was established in June 1943 with the aid of Tom Dunbabin, then SOE Field Commander on Crete. Predominantly Venizelist in sympathy and with members ranging from centre-left to right-wing, EOK was meant to act as a counterweight to the pro-communist EAM resistance organization. EOK evolved from the secret organization AEAK ( el, Ανώτατη Επιτροπή Αγώνα Κρήτης, " Supreme Committee of Cretan Struggle"), that was established in Chania on June 15, 1941. AEAK was founded a mere two weeks after the end of the Battle of Crete by patriots Andreas Papadakis, Ioannis Paizis, Andreas Polentas, Titos Georgiadis and Ioannis Ioannidis. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holocaust Of Kedros
The Holocaust of Kedros ( el, Ολοκαύτωμα του Κέντρους/Κέδρους), also known as the Holocaust of Amari ( el, Ολοκαύτωμα του Αμαρίου), was the mass murder of the civilian residents of nine villages located in the Amari Valley on the Greek island of Crete during its occupation by the Axis powers in World War II. The massacre was a reprisal operation mounted by Nazi German forces.Παντινάκης, Μανόλης Α.. ''Νικητές στο απόσπασμα: το Αμάρι στις φλόγες'', εκδ. Καλαϊτζάκης, 2008. The operation was carried out on 22 August 1944 by Wehrmacht infantry and was followed in the coming days by the razing of most villages, looting, pillage of livestock and destruction of harvests.Beevor, Antony. ''Crete: The Battle and the Resistance'', John Murray Ltd, 1991. Penguin Books, 1992.Leong Kok Wey, Adam. ''Killing the Enemy: Assassination Operations in World War II'', I.B. Tauris, 2015 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holocaust Of Viannos
The Viannos massacres ( el, Σφαγές της Βιάννου / Ολοκαύτωμα της Βιάννου) were a mass extermination campaign launched by German forces against the civilian residents of around 20 villages located in the areas of east Viannos and west Ierapetra provinces on the Greek island of Crete during World War II. The killings, with a death toll in excess of 500,Γ. Δ. Χρηστάκης, Κ. Γ. Στεφανάκης. Επαρχία Βιάννου, 1940-1945: το ολοκαύτωμα του 1943', Σύλλογος Βιαννιτών Ηρακλείου "Ο Πατούχας", 2000Fermor, Patrick Leigh; Cooper, Artemis. ''Words of Mercury'', John Murray, London, 2004, .Lewis, Damien. ''Churchill's Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII'', Quercus Editions Ltd, 2014; . [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Albumen
Operation Albumen was the name given to British Commando raids in June 1942 on German airfields in the Axis-occupied Greek island of Crete, to prevent them from being used in support of the Afrika Korps in the Western Desert Campaign in the Second World War. These operations were carried out in tandem with similar raids against Axis airfields at Benghazi, Derna and Barce in Libya and were among the first planned sabotage acts in occupied Europe. Overview During the late spring of 1942, the airfields of Crete gained increased strategic importance by becoming the main transit base for Luftwaffe to supply logistic support to Rommel's Afrika Korps in their advance on the Nile Delta. Furthermore, Luftwaffe aircraft based on Crete operated photo-reconnaissance, bombing and convoy attack missions covering the south-east Mediterranean region. Aiming to disrupt these operations, British generals in Cairo sent three groups from the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and one from Stirling's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kidnap Of General Kreipe
The kidnapping of Heinrich Kreipe was an operation executed jointly by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and local resistance members in Crete in German-occupied Greece during the Second World War. The operation was launched on 4 February 1944, when SOE officer Patrick Leigh Fermor landed in Crete with the intention of abducting notorious war criminal and commander of 22nd Air Landing Division, Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller. By the time of the arrival of the rest of the abduction team, led by William Stanley Moss, two months later, Müller had been succeeded by Heinrich Kreipe, who was chosen as the new target. On the night of 26 April, Kreipe's car was ambushed while en route from his residence to his divisional headquarters. Kreipe was tied and forced into the back seat while Leigh Fermor and Moss impersonated him and his driver respectively. Kreipe's notorious impatience at roadblocks enabled the car to pass numerous checkpoints before being abandoned at the haml ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruno Bräuer
Bruno Bräuer (4 February 1893 – 20 May 1947) was a general in the paratroop forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. He served as a commander on Crete (called Fortress Crete by the Germans) and then commanded the 9th Paratroop Division. After the war, he was convicted of war crimes and executed, along with Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller, on the anniversary of the Axis invasion of Crete. World War II In November 1942 Bräuer replaced General Alexander Andrae as commander on Crete. On 25 March 1943, Greek Independence Day, he released 100 Cretans jailed in Agia prison. Among them was Constantinos Mitsotakis, who later became MP and Prime Minister of Greece. After German failures at Stalingrad and El Alamein, Bräuer ordered the construction of underground command bunkers, more defenses around Suda Bay and increased ammunition stocks. He was replaced by General Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller 31 May 1944. In January 1945, the German 9th Parachute Division was formed under Bräuer, m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller
__NOTOC__ Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller (29 August 1897 – 20 May 1947) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He led an infantry regiment in the early stages of the war and by 1943 was commander of the 22nd Air Landing Division. Under his orders, troops of the division committed atrocities against Greek civilians. He was later commander of occupied Crete and his harsh methods of controlling the island saw him nicknamed "The Butcher of Crete." After the war he was convicted and executed by a Greek court for war crimes. Biography Müller was born in Barmen, Prussia. When World War I began, Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller served as an infantryman with the 2nd Infantry Regiment. In 1915, he was promoted to second lieutenant and transferred to the 266th Regiment. After the war, Müller remained in the army and continued to rise through the ranks, attaining the rank of major in 1936. Shortly after World War II commenced, Müller was promoted to lieutenant colonel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Historical Museum Of Crete
The Historical Museum of Crete is a museum in Heraklion, Crete. It was founded by the Society of Cretan Historical Studies in 1953 and was originally housed in the former home of Minos Kalokairinos. The museum has since been expanded with a modern wing. The museum's permanent collections highlight the art and history of Crete from the 4th century AD through the Second World War. The collections are ordered chronologically and by subject matter, and are combined with visual material and multimedia. They include ceramics, sculptures, coins, jewelry, wall paintings, portable icons, ritual objects, manuscripts, heirlooms, weavings, and the reconstructed interior of a Cretan rural home. The museum exhibits two paintings by El Greco, who was born in Crete as Domenikos Theotokopoulos: ''View of Mount Sinai'' (1570–1572) and Baptism of Christ (El Greco, Heraklion), ''Baptism of Christ'' (c. 1567–1569). These are his only works in Crete. There is also a 4×4 meter mock-up of mid-17th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A War Of Shadows
''A War of Shadows'' is a non-fiction book written by W. Stanley Moss, a British soldier, writer and traveller, best known, together with Patrick Leigh Fermor, for the Kidnap of General Kreipe as described in Moss’s book ''Ill Met by Moonlight''. Moss recounts his subsequent activities during World War II as agent of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in Crete, Macedonia (Greece) and Siam (Thailand). The 2014 editions contain an Introduction by one of Moss's children and a short biography, ''Billy Moss: Soldier, Writer, Traveller - A Brief Life'' by Alan Ogden as an Afterword. Summary In May 1941, German forces attacked and occupied Crete. Allied forces were driven back and evacuated to North Africa by June. The Special Operations Executive (SOE) inserted agents on Crete in order to work with the local resistance in harrying German occupying forces. Crete After the Kreipe Abduction, Moss returned to Crete on 6 July 1944. On the main road connecting Rethymno and Her ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chania
Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion. The municipality has 108,642 inhabitants (2011). This consists of the city of Chania and several nearby areas, including Kounoupidiana (pop. 8,620), Mournies (pop. 7,614), Souda (pop. 6,418), Nerokouros (pop. 5,531), Daratsos (pop. 4,732), Perivolia (pop. 3,986), Galatas (pop. 3,166) and Aroni (pop. 3,003). History Early history Chania is the site of the Minoan settlement the Greeks called Kydonia, the source of the word quince. It appears on Linear B as ''ku-do-ni-ja''. Some notable archaeological evidence for the existence of this Minoan city below some parts of today's Chania was found by excavations in the district of Kasteli in the Old Town. This area appears to have been inhabited since the Neolithic era. The city reemerged after the end ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
