Crete this August.

[canti44]

Thought you might like to see several snaps of a what was hanging on wires at the front of this wonderful little bar in Rethymnon in northern Crete last week.



The bar itself is tucked away in a little backstreet of the old venetian town, and is an Aladin's cave of posters, muskets, paintings, pistols and even various creatures pickled in ancient bottles. There were two of these jerrycan's both dated to 1943.



I've tried with all my might to rotate the German para helmet to give you a better view but I must concede defeat to the software. If I can manage to edit it at a later date I will. If it's in the wrong thread on the forum please feel free to remove it.

I also found and photographed an old bunker in a cliff on the southern coast but I'll try to research it a little before I post them to add interest. Incidentally, I was talking to a fellow holidaymaker at the hotel about my findings and he showed me a photograph he had taken of a scarecrow in a farmers field on the southern coast that was wearing a British helmet and holding a Bren gun painted lime-green. It still had the curved magazine attached and at its feet were scores of rusty rifle barrels sticking out of the dusty earth. I really wish I'd asked him to e-mail me the picture now. It's an absolutely fascinating place to visit.



Here I've added a little bunker teaser for anyone like myself who finds something like this and gets giddy with excitement. It was actually quite well hidden by enormous palm-trees but I felt in my water there must have been something covering the bay of Agia Galini. Hope you find it interesting.

[ObKrieger]

Nice helmets, you should have tried to buy them!

[herrzark]

amazing.must go to Crete soon

[kenbent]

Lol. I'd definitely try to buy them as well, but it's always nice to see relics like this in the environment where they were left behind. This just breathes history.. Impressive reminders of the battle on Crete!

[canti44]

It did cross my mind believe me, but the owner was an old guy who treated his bar like a living museum. I'm sure he was the type (like myself) who wouldn't part with a thing and became quite shifty at my interest in the helmets until I sat down and bought a few beers. I was quite surprised actually that no other tourist pointed at them while we were sitting there, but I suppose it's not everyones cup of tea. There is a museum to the Battle of Crete and Resistance in Heraklion but I didn't get the time to go and see it unfortunately.

Incidentally my uncle Tommy, a wireless operator in the RAF was captured on Crete and spent the rest of the war a prisoner. I believe he was in North Africa before that. I did get the opportunity to ask him some questions about it all before he died but have no idea where on the island he was caught. I know from Crete he was sent to Thessaloniki and then I believe from Thessaloniki to Stalag VIII B in Silesia because I still have his dog-tag.



He gave this to my father on his return to blighty after the war, and I've only just discovered that there is quite a lot of information regarding this camp.

[85ronnies]

Very nice find i think i would be the same as the guys above and would not have been able to resist in asking would he sell
i went Crete last year but missed all what you discovered
but i did dive the messerschmitt here is a link to the wreck it still has the machine guns and ammo lying in the wreck
thanks for showing
cheers Ronnie
Diving Messerschmitt 04_06_2010 004.AVI - YouTube

[canti44]

Wow! absolutley fascinating Ronnie, thanks for posting. Where on the Crete coast is the site of this wreck?

[KradSpam]

I must get to Crete soon under the guise of a family holiday I'd absolutely try and buy that barman's stash!

[85ronnies]

Wow! absolutley fascinating Ronnie, thanks for posting. Where on the Crete coast is the site of this wreck?

Canti the wreck was between Malia and Hersonissos i heard that the pilot had runout of fuel on the way back from Egypt and lived to tell the tail, i have tried to find out more info on the pilot but drew a blank
cheers Ronnie

[herrzark]

great video.very interesting