Forum Commemorates Anniversary of the Battle of Crete
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) hosted a forum titled “The Significance of the Battle of Crete,” featuring Col. Evangelos Papadopoulos, defense attaché, Embassy of Greece, at Hellenic House, June 2, 2015. The forum served to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the 1941 battle between the Allies and Axis forces on Crete.
“We were pleased to host such an important presentation about a historically significant battle that is often overlooked by many,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “In addition to the delay caused to the German invasion of Russia, the people of Crete fought admirably and bravely against the Nazis. We sincerely thank Colonel Papadopoulos for his excellent and thorough presentation.”
Col. Papadopoulos weaved various videos and PowerPoint into his presentation on the Battle of Crete. The battle is historically significant because of the considerable delays it caused on Operation Barbarossa, forcing the Germans to engage the Red Army in the Russian winter and thus contributing to its eventual failure. He also discussed the strategic importance of Crete’s airbases and harbors and provided an account of the battle itself,
