|
Pigi Airport
Pigi Airport ( el, Αεροδρόμιο Πηγής) was a military airfield situated at Pigi, Rethymno, Pigi, Crete. It was a centerpoint for the Germans during the The Battle of Crete, Battle of Crete. The former military airport of Pigi was located east of Rethymno and from the coast. It was a runway built by the British in November 1940 as part of the defense of the island in the event of an attack by the Axis powers. The residents of the nearby area (Adele, Pigi) also worked on its construction, for payment. It was long and wide. In the Battle of Crete, the capture of this airfield was the main strategic objective of the German forces. Three battalions, two Australian (2/11th Battalion (Australia), 2/11th and 2/1st Battalion (Australia), 2/1st) and one Greek were charged with its defense. For this reason, they occupied defensive positions on the heights east of the airport, i.e. on hill "Kefala" or "Hill A", as the Australians called it, and on the heights south of the run ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pigi, Rethymno
Pigi is a local community of the Rethymno (municipality), Rethymno Municipality in the Rethymno regional unit of the Regional units of Greece, region of Crete established by Kallikratis reform. Previously, it was part of the municipal district of Arkadi, Municipality of Arkadi. Capital of the new municipality is Rethymno. Geography and history Pigi is located 9 km east of the city of Rethymno, on the road towards Arkadi Monastery, Arkadi, at an altitude of 60 meters, 1 km from Adele village. It is situated in the heart of a fertile and relatively smooth area, which in older times it was called Aryan. It is noteworthy that the English traveller Robert Pashley was the one who first wrote about the origin of the name of the village, 170 years ago. The relevant note is the two-volume book of this great traveller, printed in London in 1837. He says among other things: "In Pigi - the name comes from a rich source that supplies the village with excellent water." Pigi is being i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Battle Of Crete
The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, with a multiple German airborne landings on Crete. Greek and other Allied forces, along with Cretan civilians, defended the island. After only one day of fighting, the Germans had suffered heavy casualties and the Allied troops were confident that they would defeat the invasion. The next day, through communication failures, Allied tactical hesitation, and German offensive operations, Maleme Airfield in western Crete fell, enabling the Germans to land reinforcements and overwhelm the defensive positions on the north of the island. Allied forces withdrew to the south coast. More than half were evacuated by the British Royal Navy and the remainder surrendered or joined the Cretan resist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
