One of the largest attacks was on the Greek Navy’s flagship, the Vasilissa Olga, which was sunk by German bombers on the 26th of September, 1943, along with the British HMS Intrepid, while they were anchored in Lakki Bay. After the armistice, British troops arrived on Leros, and the island suffered continuous German aerial bombings. On September 8, 1943, Italy signed an armistice and came over to the Allied side. Leros suffered bombing raids by the British air force from 1940 after Italy entered World War II on the side of Germany. The German assault on Leros: paratroops at an assembly point, 17 November 1943 – © Imperial War Museum
Mussolini called Leros the “ Corregidor of the Mediterranean” and considered the island a crucial aspect of the Italian domination. The creation of a major base in Leros ensured that the Italians had control over an area of vital interest to the Allies that included the Aegean, the Dardanelles, and the Near East. Especially during the 31 years that the Italians remained in Leros, they set up a great plan to transform the island into a fortified military and naval base because of its strategic position and its large natural harbours – the largest of which, Lakki (Λακκί), is one of the largest deepwater harbours in the Mediterranean Sea. The islands of Leros and Patmos were used as bases for the Royal Italian Navy. Italian interest in the islands was rooted in strategic purposes and the intention to expand Italy’s long-range policy. The islands of Dodecanese, apart from Kastellorizo, were occupied by Italy during the Italo-Turkish War of 1912.
It has a long history that starts in prehistoric times and played an important role during World War II (WWII / WW2 / Second World War). Leros (Λέρος) is a wonderful and usually overlooked island in the Dodecanese (Δωδεκάνησα) in Greece.
0 kommentar(er)
