On May 21st, 1941, during the Battle of Crete, Lieutenant Theodoros Kallinos, at the head of a small force of 80 men, clashed on Kopsas Hill with two companies of German paratroopers who were aiming to capture the Heraklion airfield. The German troops quickly managed to climb to the highest points of the hill and, holding a territorial advantage, forced the Greek soldiers to retreat. That is when Lieutenant Kallinos started shooting at the enemies alone, moving towards them, without taking any cover. The sight of the heroic officer mobilised his men, who fiercely attacked the invaders and drove them away from this strategic location. Today, at the top of the hill, a white cross stands together with a marble plaque as a homage of the American allies to the bravery of the people of Crete.
Main Bibliography
- Bury John – Meiggs Russell, A History of Greece. To the Death of Alexander the Great, Translated by Rouli Tataki, K. N. Petropoulos, Anna Papadimitriou - Grammenou, Konstantinos Buraselis, Angelos Matthaiou, Athens 2011.
- Αλεξάνδρου, μτφρ. Ρούλη Τατάκη, Κ. Ν. Πετρόπουλος, Άννα Παπαδημητρίου Γραμμένου,
- Κωνσταντίνος Μπουραζέλης, Άγγελος Ματθαίου, Αθήνα 2011.
- Lefèvre François, Histoire Du Monde Grec Antique, Translated by Anastasia Kefala, Mina Kardamitsa, Athens 2016.
- Καρδαμίτσα, Αθήνα 2016.
- Antonopoulou Zeta, Τα Γλυπτά της Αθήνας: Υπαίθρια Γλυπτική 1834-2004, Athens 2003.
- Karaiskou Vicky, Νεοελληνική Γλυπτική: Ματιές και αναγνώσεις, Athens 2011.
- Pavlopoulos Dimitris, Ζητήματα Νεοελληνικής Γλυπτικής, Athens 1998.
- Γλυπτά, Αθήνα 2020.
- Pavlopoulos Dimitris, Από τον Ιερό Λόχο στον Κωνσταντίνο ΙΒ’: Νεότερα Αθηναϊκά Γλυπτά, Athens 2020.
Main Webliography
http://www.athenssculptures.com
https://explore.cure-project.gr
https://www.thisiscrete.gr/gr/historical-monuments
https://www.wikipedia.org
Informations
Additional
Creator: American Air Station Chapel
Date: 1960
Material: Marble, metal
Location: Kopsas Hill, Gournes
Type: Memorial
Subject: Battle of Crete
Access: Accessible all 24 hours
Not accessible to people with disabilities
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