Military History Tours          On Tour - Greece and Crete Tour 26 April 2014

We have now left Athens for our trip up country and into the battlefields. Our first stop was at the Corinth Canal where we discussed the action and the German effort to stop the bridge being destroyed. They failed and the bridge was blown. This gave some extra time for those moving south to the evacuation beaches to be lifted off. As the Germans came closer to the original evacuation beaches it was decided to move further south to Navplion and then Kalamatta.

We moved south to Navplion via Argas, as our troops were moving in 1941, not pace or comfort but direction. Arriving in Navplion we entered the old town for lunch before pushing further south to Kalamatta. Navplion is a most important stop as it was here that the Ulster Prince ran aground and was finally sunk by air, thereby blocking the harbour and stopping further evacuations. The spot where the Ulster Prince met its fate is also shown to the left of the small fort in the harbour. To the right of the fort the water is very shallow, so shallow that in ancient times the Venetians used a chain to block the navigational part of the bay.

From Navplion we headed over the range towards the last of the evacuation beaches at Kalamatta. Our group posed near the top of the range with Navplion in the background.

At Kalamatta, we had a group photograph around the special memorial, laid in 1994 by veterans from Australia, for those lost in the evacuation from the area of Kalamatta. We conducted a small but moving service as a mark of respect to those lost here or those taken prisoner who also lost a number of years while being contained as POW's.

We then pushed on to Olympia where we are to stay two nights and in the morning we will visit the Historic Olympic site.

Our accommodation at Olympic Asty, is excellent and we are always received well by George the owner. George commented that this is our 5^th year at Olympic Asty.