War Museum Athens
Smack dab in the center of Athens, near the famous Syntagma Square, is the War Museum Athens (Πολεμικο Μουσειο in Greek), belonging to the Greek Armed Forces. The building is located on the corner of Vassilissis Sofias and Rizari Streets and those interested can get there in several ways, such as using Metro Line 3 (Blue) and getting off at Evangelismós Station. You can also use buses no. 203, 211 or 235. The museum also has branches in other parts of the country, such as Thessaloniki (Thessaloníki), Chania, Rethymno, Nafplion or Chalkida.
REPORT
The War Museum was founded in 1975,
a year after the removal of the ruling military
junta, and covers a wide range of topics and
collections, which are clearly arranged and
very well maintained. Its task is to collect,
preserve and exhibit artifacts related to the
military history of the country. The focus is of
course on Greek military history, that includes
the classical Hellenic period and the struggle
for national liberation in the 19th century.
There is also a broader view of the Greek role
in the history of the Mediterranean and the
Middle East, and this study goes back to the
Latin and Byzantine periods, when Greece was
part of other empires.
The collections are thoroughly complete
with weapons, uniforms, flags, documents,
paintings, photographs, maps and personal
belongings of famous personalities. There are
also models of fortresses, ships and aircraft.
Small arms and similar exhibits are housed
inside the building, while artillery equipment
and vehicles are outside the museum.
There are also several aircraft, mostly jets,
as well as a naval torpedo launcher from
a surface vessel, a British-made 21 inch Model
1937 torpedo originating from the armament of
the Y-2 Papanikolis submarine, and there are
rockets and naval mines as well. In addition
to the aircraft, a Marmon-Herrington Mk.IVF
armored car of South African origin is on
exhibit. A unique item on display is a Krupp-
Schuman type armored vehicle dating from
1894. It was captured from the Bulgarian army
in 1918, and the interesting thing about this
vehicle is the absence of an engine and its
consequent use as a horse drawn item, as well
as its 57 mm cannon, quite a powerful weapon
in its day.
The museum takes you on a tour from the
beginnings of the settlement of Greek territory
in the Stone Age, through to the Bronze Age
and then through the significant period of
antiquity. Then the tour continues through
the Middle Ages to the Greek Revolution of
1821, the Balkan Wars, World Wars I and II,
and finally into contemporary periods.
Part of the museum’s collection focuses on
the German airborne and amphibious assault
on Crete, Operation Mercury, which occupied
the island in 1941. From the later period of the
war, the participation of Greek soldiers in the
Battle of El Alamein is also commemorated.
There, they formed the 1st Greek Brigade,
which was subordinate to the British 50th
Division, and in the autumn of 1942, clashed
fiercely with the Italian 185th Airborne Division
‘Folgore’.
The museum organizers did not forget
the Greek civil war that took place between
1946 and 1949, which, incidentally, brought
many Greeks to Czechoslovakia. At that time,
Northrop F-5, with a Marmon-Herrington Mk.IVF armored car in the background.
An F-104 G
Henry Farman III Daedalus, the first Greek military aircraft. It was used during the First Balkan War.
INFO Eduard
13
December 2024