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Uknown German Shell from Crete, Greece

P

politis

Member
Hi to all of you!
I found from my grand father in Crete a German bomb shell, bronze, in excellent condition with dates and Eagle in the back but i dont know anything about,
I have photos of this beauty so i will be glad for any help!

My conatct e-mail is: politisvinilion@yahoo.com

Thank You!
 
It looks like a German case for the 2,8cm schwere Panzerbchse 41. Better known as the 28/20mm AT rifle, often used by German paratroopers.
 
Hi and Thank You!
It's 19cm long in height and 4,5cm in the base.
I want to sell it but i couldnt find price or auction with a similar item.
So any help will be great and i ll be grateful.
One more question: If it's from German Paratroopers means that comes from the Battle of Crete the last battle for them. Right?

So this makes this beauty even more valuable?

From Wikipedia: "The Battle of Crete in 1941 saw large-scale airdrops in which the entire 7th Air Division was deployed with the German 5th Mountain Division as the follow-up. Crete was captured, after fierce fighting against Greek and Commonwealth troops, but the high casualties suffered by the Fallschirmjger as they parachuted in convinced Hitler that such mass airdrops were no longer feasible"
 
politis said:
Hi and Thank You!
It's 19cm long in height and 4,5cm in the base.
I want to sell it but i couldnt find price or auction with a similar item.
So any help will be great and i ll be grateful.
One more question: If it's from German Paratroopers means that comes from the Battle of Crete the last battle for them. Right?

So this makes this beauty even more valuable?

From Wikipedia: "The Battle of Crete in 1941 saw large-scale airdrops in which the entire 7th Air Division was deployed with the German 5th Mountain Division as the follow-up. Crete was captured, after fierce fighting against Greek and Commonwealth troops, but the high casualties suffered by the Fallschirmjger as they parachuted in convinced Hitler that such mass airdrops were no longer feasible"
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I dont know the value of such an item as its outside my field, however for me if you have the history of any piece it makes it more interesting. Its quite another thing to prove such an history with an item like this, it is literally word of mouth. If you can get some written provinance to back up your story, it would add to the piece - but wether it would add to the value would depend on the person purchasing it.

not sure if this helps, but would be interested to know what other members thought on this?

regards Kev
 
Basically there's a very intresting story.
My uncle Manolis Emmanuel Miliaras was one of the founders, wtih 5 others, of the Cretan Resistance part of ELAS. My uncle died in 2006 was the only one survive and i rememebr him since 5-6 years old to tellin' me stories of the Albanian Front, how the 5th Cretan Regiment retreat and so many, some times really hard stories from the Resistance, the Battle of Viannos where he and 2 others they destroy about 100 Germans and then Germans burn out the villages of Viannos killing many innocents civilians as retaliation. I have soooo many stories to tell , especially about the sad part of Greek history that drove our country into civil war.
Unfortunately this is the only souvenir.relic i still have, as my uncle is rumoured(and for sure true) that bury lots of guns and ammo but he took his secret to the grave in his 96 years old.I believe this shell is from grandfather's collection who fought Germans in Maleme airport and then he walk back to Lasithi.
Kev,
you remind me all these stories that i was listening to my summers at Crete, how proud i am for my country, Crete, my family and i really feel part of history as accidentaly(?) i was served in both Regiments of Crete and then in Epirus, Ioannina, where my family also fought, for the same regiments, during WW II.
 
On 11 September two lochon German force arrived in Kato Simi porefomeni through Viannou and fell in rebel ambush resulting in the extermination of the whole passage, with German losses 113 dead, 71 wounded and 13 prisoners with a dead BANTOUVA. German prisoners wrote to the governor that the petitioners are treated as prisoners of war, but in case of retaliation would toufekizontan and begging for salvation.


So far so good. But on 15/16 September (1943), estimated strength of 2,000 men, and sowed fire ax in the provinces Viannou and Ierapetra. Seven villages were burned as well as farmhouses and outlying houses then blown up. Executed more than 500 people were ordered to evacuate and broadband between Lasithi mountains and southern coast while the rebels watched the destruction of their villages as helpless spectators. "
 
seems a shame to sell it with all that family history associated with it and been all thats left from grandads collection
 
spotter said:
seems a shame to sell it with all that family history associated with it and been all thats left from grandads collection
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Seems like Crisis does not help History and under these circumstances i will be to let a rare piece of History, proud History, leave for somebody will appreciate and take care of it.
thank you so much for the reply!
 
I have heard that many people living in Crete today keep unregistered guns. This is because they undestandably don't want what they suffered at the hands of the German Army to happen again.
 
Falcon said:
I have heard that many people living in Crete today keep unregistered guns. This is because they undestandably don't want what they suffered at the hands of the German Army to happen again.
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This is true! gun possession in Crete, illegal ofcourse, it's a huge problem. i ve seen people firing just for fun THOUSANDS of bullets with kalasnikovs, machine guns, uzi, pistols everything you can imagine. Unfortunately a tradition of gun possession for other, historic reasons became a "trend". That's a loooong conversation my friend
 
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